TIM LESMEISTER - Trade Show Executive

and we are seeing the landscape
of marketing tactics changing
constantly. I get between 20 to 40
calls a day from vendors/salespeople
all convinced they can grow my
business like no other. So as my
team scrutinizes new tactics, we have
to really do our homework before
moving an idea forward.
Bob: Your career path includes
management positions in several
top-tier packaged-goods companies
such as Kellogg, ConAgra, M&M/
Mars Inc. How were you introduced
to trade shows?
Tim: My first exposure was
right out of the University
of Missouri in St. Louis as
a salesman for the Kellogg
Company. Trade shows were a
big part of my sales activity back
then. Most of my customers were
wholesalers who invited their
customers to buying shows that could
literally make or break my year.
March to the Future. Lesmeister and Liza Gaoiran, director of Global Innovation, go over their 2009 strategy.
Despite the recession, WD-40 increased its marketing budget for 2009.
Bob: Do any shows stand out from this
period?
Tim: The FMI Show (Food Marketing
Institute) was always great for selling as
well as picking up good ideas on what
other companies in the industry were
doing. It was fast-paced and we got a lot
done – it was not uncommon to make
over 100 deals at the show. We came
away feeling pretty energized about the
show. Ultimately, it proved to be an
invaluable experience for me in the art of
selling and negotiating. That’s definitely
not something you can learn by reading a
book.
Bob: As your career progressed and
you changed jobs, what was the general
attitude about trade shows and events?
Tim: Trade shows were either considered
a “cost of doing business” or a “way of
doing business.” The shows where we
could actually sell were those that we
got more excited about and invested in
accordingly.
Bob: Do you have any trade show success
stories to share?
Tim: One of the biggest successes in my
career from trade shows was at Kellogg’s:
a buyer from a WalMart Hyper Mart in
southern Missouri bought two truckloads
of Pop Tarts at the show. For a 23-yearold
right out of school, this was quite a
rush.
Bob: Any parting thoughts on the current
economic situation?
Tim: There has never been a bigger
challenge for business, short term
or long, and I fear the worst is yet to
come. We can all manage the risk in our
respective businesses: cost-competitive
activities, failed innovation, customer/
consumer dynamics, whatever. What is
difficult to manage is the volatility and
uncertainty now facing us. At WD-40,
we’ve increased our marketing budget
and monitor everything extremely closely.
One thing is for sure: the company that
survives the recession will come out
better and stronger than ever. I feel the
future will be good for WD-40, and I’m
doing my part to make that happen.
Contact Tim Lesmeister at 619-275-
1400 or tlesmeister@wd40.com
Bob Dallmeyer,
CEM, has
been chairman
of both the
International
Association of
Exhibitions and
Events (IAEE)
and the Trade
Bob Dallmeyer
Show Exhibitors
Association
(TSEA), as well as a former
director of the Center for
Exhibition Industry Research
(CEIR). In 2006, he was inducted
into the Convention Industry
Council’s “Hall of Leaders”
and received IAEE’s “Pinnacle
Award” in 2008. Contact Bob at
(323) 934-8300 or bdallmeyer@
tradeshowexecutive.com
www.TradeShowExecutive.com Trade Show Executive March 2009 21