TIM LESMEISTER - Trade Show Executive
TIM LESMEISTER - Trade Show Executive
TIM LESMEISTER - Trade Show Executive
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Continued from page 19<br />
Out of the Garage… and into the exhibit booth. WD-40’s marketing has<br />
helped make its spray lubricant a mandatory tool in most households.<br />
Car Connection. Since WD-40 is a basic necessity for both professional<br />
and amateur auto mechanics, a tie-in with NASCAR racing works well on<br />
the show floor.<br />
is a slight reduction from 2008. However,<br />
our participation in corporate-sponsored<br />
events such as the ACE Hardware<br />
Convention & Expo and True Value is now<br />
between 50 and 75 a year. We consider<br />
these “a way to do business.”<br />
Bob: What about your current marketing<br />
mix?<br />
Tim: In terms of trade shows specifically,<br />
the trend line has been up and down –<br />
this year it’s up. Our overall mix changes<br />
from year to year. I’m a big fan of testing<br />
new marketing techniques to reach our<br />
targets in the most effective and efficient<br />
way possible. And as technology changes<br />
and our brands change, our corporate<br />
priorities change. These all affect our<br />
approach to meeting our annual financial<br />
commitments.<br />
Bob: Can you give me examples of new<br />
techniques you’ve tried recently?<br />
Tim: As I mentioned earlier, I’m a big fan<br />
of testing new ideas. Recently we tried<br />
word-of-mouth viral marketing, direct<br />
response, digital media and we’re starting<br />
to do a lot more with our website and<br />
blogging. We participate with many of<br />
our customers in their radio, print and TV<br />
ads. We also recently tied in with movies,<br />
most recently the hit Marley and Me, and<br />
it was a huge success. We constantly try<br />
new things. If they do well, we expand<br />
them, and if not, we learn from the<br />
experience and move on. MLR!<br />
Bob: How large is your staff and who do<br />
you report to?<br />
Tim: There are 14 of us in the marketing<br />
department. We take turns attending<br />
trade shows along with our sales staff of<br />
about 35 who all report to one of our<br />
sales vice presidents. I report to WD-40’s<br />
president of the Americas.<br />
Bob: What does a typical WD-40 exhibit<br />
look like?<br />
Tim: We have a few standard layouts that<br />
showcase all of our products. We use<br />
Exhibitgroup/Giltspur to design and<br />
build our custom exhibits and Skyline for<br />
pop-ups. We finalize our shows as far as<br />
six months in advance. By that I mean<br />
everything about the show is defined<br />
and paid for, staff is assigned to work<br />
the exhibit, our service contractor is on<br />
board with all our requirements, hotels are<br />
reserved, etc.<br />
Bob: How do you track results?<br />
Tim: If it’s a selling show, we simply<br />
track sales. If we’ve been exhibiting at<br />
a show long enough, we have a history<br />
that enables us to make comparisons,<br />
identify trends, etc. Recently, we have<br />
seen fewer attendees at the shows. At<br />
some shows, we just track the number<br />
of leads generated since we know<br />
that a percentage will convert to sales.<br />
Everything depends on the goals we set<br />
up in advance – our MLR matrix.<br />
Bob: How are you dealing with reduced<br />
attendee numbers?<br />
Tim: It’s somewhat expected, but still<br />
concerns us. It becomes one factor<br />
among many in deciding which shows<br />
to exhibit in. Even the selling shows<br />
which we continue to support present a<br />
challenge when attempting to match last<br />
year’s numbers. Companies are reluctant<br />
to carry heavy inventories so we are<br />
seeing them buy less.<br />
Bob: Isn’t that a challenge you face with<br />
other marketing media, not just trade<br />
shows?<br />
Tim: In today’s environment, more than<br />
ever, we have to evaluate our investment in<br />
our brands. It is not “business as usual”<br />
20 March 2009 <strong>Trade</strong> <strong>Show</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> www.<strong>Trade</strong><strong>Show</strong><strong>Executive</strong>.com