First given in 2001 to SCIP and industry professionals, this presentation is quick path to organizing trade show intelligence efforts.

1. Trade Show
Competitive Intelligence (CI)
Maximizing Your
Intelligence Efforts

2. Agenda
 Part I
– Competitive Intelligence Background
– Trade Show Intelligence Opportunities
– Trade Show Intelligence Benefits
– Trade Show CI Process
 Part II
– Targeting Trade Shows
– Trade Show Tactics
– Trade Show CI Exercises
– Defensive Operations
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

3. Part I
 Competitive Intelligence Basics
 Why Trade Show Intelligence Yields Value
 Trade Show Intelligence Process
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

4. What is Competitive Intelligence?
 CI is a Coordinated
Process
 Analyzed Information
 Anticipating Future
Competitive Landscape
 Identification of Market
Signals
 Always On-going
 Hard Work
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

5. Definition of CI
Competitive Intelligence is a systematic
process for gathering and analyzing
information about your competitive
landscape and general business trends
so that you can make well-informed
strategic decisions.
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

6. What Intelligence Is Not…
 Spying
 Corporate Espionage
 Stealing
 Raw Data Reports
 Thick Unprocessed
Information Reports
 Same as Market
Research
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

7. Why People Don’t Use Intelligence
 Know it all
 Nothing worth watching
 It’s Spying
 Not taught in business
school
 It’s a cost center not a
profit center
 Financial vs. Technical
 Tried it, didn’t work
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

8. How Can CI Help Our Company?
 Uncover new or potential competitors
 Anticipate changes and trends in the marketplace
 Anticipate competitor’s strategies and actions
 Identify M&A activities and possibilities
 Learn from the successes and failures of others.
 Learn about new products, technologies, and
processes that can affect your business
 Learn about legislative or regulatory changes that can
affect your business
 Learn industry best practices through CI Benchmarking
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

9. Trade Show Intelligence
“Free information on your competitors”
 Companies show off their products and strategies
 Talkative salespeople
 Real-life products to demo
 Piles of literature
 Deals, negotiations, partnerships happen
“Wherever money is exchanged,
so is information.”
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

10. Who Attends Trade Shows?
 Competitors
 Your suppliers
 Your competitor’s
suppliers
 Financial analysts
 Industry analysts
 Magazine editors
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

11. What can you learn at a Trade
Show?
About the Industry About the Competitor
 Market dynamics  New Products
 Growth Prospects (features, changes, availability,
release date, etc.)
 Trends  Prices, Costs & Distribution
 Alliances/Relationships  Marketing tactics
(themes, slogans, pitch lines,
strategies, initiatives, targeting)
 Attendee interest
 Technology
(changes, bundling, efficiency,
emphasis ‘or lack of’, leading
edge?)
 New alliances/Partnerships
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

12. Trade Show Information Exchanges
100 Asked for Literature
95 95 94 Talked to current sup
Compared Similar Pro
75 77 76 Found at least one ne
Asked for a price quo
Requested onsite sal
50 51 Signed a purchase or
25 26
0
1
The Power of Trade Shows: Fact Sheet #3, Trade Show Bureau, Copyright 1992
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

13. Minimum Trade Show CI Process
 Determine Required
Intelligence
 Target Key Shows
 Form Team
 Identify Experts Needed
 Pre-show Meeting
 Networking Meetings
 Communications
 Debriefing
 Post-mortem
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

14. Determine Required Intelligence
 What do you need to know?
– Cost/Financials
– Management
– Processes
– Strategy/Marketing
– Technology/R&D
 Who needs to be targeted to acquire that
intelligence?
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

15. Target Key Shows
 What shows target your customer’s profile?
 What shows target your suppliers or partners?
 What shows target your competitors?
 Local and Regional Shows are important
 Use Trade Show Directories
– International Exhibitors Association
– Exposition Trade Shows & Fairs Directory
– Trade Shows Worldwide
– Your Associations, Conferences, Etc.
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

16. Form Your Team
Form a Vertical Team
 Technical
 Sales
 Operations
 Marketing
“Pick a leader to coordinate
the intelligence efforts.”
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

17. Identify What Experts Are Needed
 Identify key internal resources
 Ensure their availability
 Cover all bases
 Organize and Categorize
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

18. The Pre-show Meeting
 Target key booths
(suppliers, competitors,
etc.)
 Assign tasks
 Pass out and discuss a
map of the show floor
 Hand out checklist of
key objectives.
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

19. Networking Meetings
 Attend off-the-floor meet and greet meetings
 Presentations
 Find informal, pick-up meetings
 Hospitality suites
 Company hosted parties
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

20. Facilitate Communications
Allow easy communication so your team
can act on the intelligence it acquires
Make use of:
 Cell phones
 Pagers
 Wireless Hand-held Devices
 Laptops w/scanners and modems
 Cameras and Recorders*
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

21. In-Show Debriefing
 Debrief during the show
 Exchange intelligence gathered and its
implications
 Verify or dispel previous assumptions
 Alter game plan accordingly
 Pursue follow-up intelligence collection efforts
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

22. Post-Mortem
 Pull team together to pool findings
 Use public forums to report your conclusions
 Identify key benefactors of the intelligence and
arrange to discuss it with them
 Avoid lengthy formal reports
 Examine the effectiveness of your actions
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

23. Part II
 Defining Objectives
 Assembling a CI Tool Kit
 Additional sources of information
 Intelligence acquisition tactics
 Ethics
 CI Defensive techniques
 Examination of CI effectiveness
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

24. Intelligence Requirements
Definition Process
 Select area of focus
(Market trends, competitor strategy,etc.)
 Create intelligence objective
(Create a question to be answered)
 Identify pieces of puzzle
(Where can the components be found?)
 Envision end result
(What would you do with that intelligence?)
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

25. Exercise
Create a trade show intelligence goal
1. Select a business area to focus on
2. Create or select an intelligence objective
3. Identify the pieces of that intelligence puzzle
that may be found at a trade show
4. Ask yourself: “If that intelligence it was
determined, would we be able to use it?”
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

26. Trade Show Intelligence Tool Kit
 Competitor or key target Information
– Company news reports (intended mergers, or changes in their
distribution channel )
– Advertisements, product claims, etc
– Background info (size, market, exec bios, etc.)
 Trade show floor map w/targets
 Trade show planners and directory
 Categorized list of experts and contact info
 Communication devices (phones, pagers, etc.)
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

27. Additional Trade Show Sources
 Journalists/Editors/Publishers
 Conference Organizers
 Presentation Speakers
 Other attendees
 Customers
 Vendors
 Speakers at Scientific and Technical
Presentations
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

28. Additional Ways to Capture
Intelligence From Trade Shows
 Create area on expense reports to list
intelligence found
(captures employee attendee’s observations)
 Scan transcripts of speeches/presentations
given
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

29. Other Places to Use These Trade
Show Intelligence Tactics
 Science and Technology Events
 Professional Group Meetings
 Research Forums and Exhibits
 Public Relations Events
 Conferences/Symposia
 Stockholders Meetings
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

30. Ethics Guidelines
Some general guidelines
 Do not lie or misrepresent yourself
 Always observe legal guidelines
 Do not deliberately mislead people in interviews
 Do not plant eavesdropping devices
 Do not knowingly press someone for information that may
jeopardize that person’s job or reputation
 Respect all requests for confidentiality
 Do not steal trade secrets or other proprietary knowledge.
“Do not do anything that will harm or
embarrass yourself or the corporation”
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

31. Points to Remember
 Stay focused
 Do not become
overwhelmed
 Avoid being discouraged
(patience)
 Do not blindly collect
information (analyze it)
 Adhere to your code of
ethics
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

32. Protecting Yourself From
Intelligence Leaks
 Establish list of “taboo”
intelligence items
 Remember your are never alone
 People may not be who they
appear to be
 Divulge only the necessary
information to promote your
product/service
 Look at your booth/exhibit from
a third party perspective
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

33. Exercise
 What information is acceptable to give out at a
trade show?
 What information is not acceptable to give out
at a trade show?
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

34. Defensive Operations
 Company Wide
CI Awareness
 Employee Education
– Topics to avoid
– Questions to dodge
– People to watch for
– Speaking loudly
 Legal Counsel
– Marketing material
– Press releases
– Papers, speeches, etc
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

35. Look Out!
Methods people use for eliciting intelligence
 Target lower, more inexperienced employees
 Drop-in or eavesdrop on other conversations
 Remain silent/don’t do the talking
 Ask speakers targeted or pointed questions in
public arenas
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

36. How Successful Were You?
Possible Problems
 Wrong trade show
 Looking for wrong items
 Used wrong tactics
 Had broad focus
 In the wrong areas
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

37. Easy Ways to Fail
 Do not take it seriously
 Assume it is easy
 Think it does not require much work
 Suspect it happens instantly (not long term)
 Believe that you competition is not doing it
 Think you know it all already
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

38. Success vs. Failure
Success Failure
 Planning  Ad Hoc
 Organization  Disorganization
 Focus  Broad range
 Defined Objectives  Non-defined objectives
© 2001 Predictive Research Group

39. Trade Show Intelligence
Phone: (650) 577-1900
Email: info@prg3.com
www.prg3.com
© 2001 Predictive Research Group