Last Minute Tips for a Great Show
Market Performance Group – and many of our clients – will again have a big presence at The NACDS Total Store Expo (TSE) this year, and for good reason. TSE draws buyers from more than 250 retailers, representing 160,000+ retail outlets, who are there to preview the latest innovations in consumer packaged goods (CPG), pharmaceutical products, and store technology. Importantly, the show provides the chance to connect live and meaningfully engage with retailers – a highly valuable yet often elusive opportunity in the post-COVID, virtual business world. Attending suppliers are able to pre-schedule strategic and tactical meetings with existing and new retail partners. And they make the most of every minute. The annual Meet the Market event plus daily Networking Continental Breakfasts, Exhibit Hall Lunches, and evening receptions are great opportunities to meet new prospects and reconnect with partners. Meet the Market is a great way to connect quickly with retailers. It also provides a new opportunity to tell your story and then leverage this initial retailer connection to try to get a follow up meeting with them (either during the TSE show or at a future in-person or virtual meeting).
This year, we will be spotlighting 22 CPG and Health and Wellness clients in our large, highly-visible exhibit booth. Based on last year’s success, we expect to again generate lots of traffic and buzz. If you’re attending, be sure to let us know so we can meet up. Also, try to catch MPG Consultant Bryan Gildenberg’s Insight Session on “Connecting with Consumers through Retail Media Networks.” As always with Bryan, it’s a “can’t miss” session full of actionable nuggets. For those that don’t know, Bryan, former Chief Knowledge Officer for Retail at Kantar and former SVP of Commerce for Omnicom’s retail marketing agencies, has extensive experience helping retailers, brands and their trading partners adapt to and win in the changing retail world. You can find more details at: https://tse.nacds.org/speaker/bryan-gildenberg/
Whether this is your first time attending or you’ve gone before, these tips from MPG Sr. Vice President Jill Fitzgerald can help you optimize your show experience:
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Ensure that you make your time count by writing out your specific goals for the meeting.
What do you want to accomplish? What would be a win? -
Tailor your objectives.
Unlike NACDS Annual where a majority of retailer participants are senior executive leaders, TSE attendees are typically the day to day merchants and decision makers. Keep this in mind as you plan your asks and desired outcomes. -
Be prepared for the good, bad and the ugly.
Retailers typically engage their teams for feedback ahead of each meeting, so ensure you do the same with your teams. -
Go into each meeting with a pre-set agenda.
Bring one insight, idea or opportunity to each meeting that retailers will find add value. -
Be bright and be brief.
With a jam-packed daily schedule, retailers will be absorbing lots of information. Make sure your message is concise and clear – quality over quantity should be your personal mantra. -
Be ready to support your proposal.
Be open to candid debate; it’s fair to challenge retailers, but have a cohesive game plan going in so everyone on your team is aligned and ready to act as a cohesive group when decisions are to be made. -
Make the most of this opportunity to make or strengthen existing relationships!
Think about how you can best use before- and after-hour sessions to further your agenda. -
FOLLOW UP!
Know that you own the heavy lift in post-show contact. This includes reaching out to those buyers and associates who were not at the conference. And remember, everyone is going to be overwhelmed with post-show follow-ups, so keep your communication brief but with high impact.
Don’t waste this important chance to build relationships! If you haven’t been successful setting up a retailer meeting, remember there are a range of networking opportunities you can leverage.
Stop by our booth, #1928, or if you’re not able to make it,
reach out to Jill Fitzgerald at Jill.Fitzgerald@mpgllc.com for a post-show conversation.