Pop Up In Fort Wayne, In.

[Rickb]

Franchise idea would be good, spread out the costs and motivate sellers.

Franchising defeats the advantage and purpose of the direct to consumer sales model. It would force EM to raise the MSRP even more from the Elio's initial $6800 price point that created so much interest and hooked so many all in reservationists. I could be wrong.

Perhaps restricting sales to On-line ordering only with white glove delivery to your front door.......similar to the Sondor's future sales model would actually lower cost requiring no Elio store front sales locations. However, moot since there is no Elio to market.

 

[Lil4X]

Now showing in Kendallville and Ft. Wayne . . . real hotbeds of the American commuter market. Bet they made a big hit down at the John Deere dealership.

C'mon guys, there are some shows you can't afford to attend, no matter how cheap or convenient. You need to go where the buyers/investors are, not East Keester, Ohio. That's a waste of resources. Even if you only have a budget for one or two shows a year, concentrate on your audience. Get coverage in the auto journals, even if you have to buy advertising. You don't need total US coverage - just hit the big markets where the most commuters and the big bucks are . . . and national attention is focused. Right now you need return on investment, not just "coverage" of the market. You gotta fish where the fish are. Dropping a line into a puddle isn't going to do it.

 

[Johnny Acree]

These Pop up shows are not for our benefit, but we can benefit from them. They are for EM suppliers AND investors.

 

[Made in USA]

Lil4X, I don't agree. Several factors. One is that they were going to be there anyway and the presenters are probably all salary and along with the "free" location, makes it a low cost show. Also, Ft Wayne isn't but several hours away from cities like Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton, Detroit, etc. If they draw a respectable crowd it only reinforces the amount of interest in it. As a comparison, there is a huge woodworking hand tool event this week in Amana Iowa (of all places). Not real close to any major population and yet they have sold out all hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, for miles. It shows that if people are interested they will come. The real question then becomes why they aren't trying to sell the Elio harder. Perhaps they don't want too many orders before production starts as they can't say exactly when future orders may be filled. I think 65000 plus reservations shows the interest pretty well. No need to get others irritated about the delays.

 

[LillyMayPatterson #1685 & #5648]

Is anybody home yet? I would love to read a report from this pop-up. Did ya have to stand on a street corner? Who presented the elio? Who was there? Did you collect names?

 

[Elio Amazed]

Now showing in Kendallville and Ft. Wayne . . . real hotbeds of the American commuter market. Bet they made a big hit down at the John Deere dealership.

C'mon guys, there are some shows you can't afford to attend, no matter how cheap or convenient. You need to go where the buyers/investors are, not East Keester, Ohio. That's a waste of resources. Even if you only have a budget for one or two shows a year, concentrate on your audience. Get coverage in the auto journals, even if you have to buy advertising. You don't need total US coverage - just hit the big markets where the most commuters and the big bucks are . . . and national attention is focused. Right now you need return on investment, not just "coverage" of the market. You gotta fish where the fish are. Dropping a line into a puddle isn't going to do it.

Better watch it. I think Lilly lives in East Keester.

They had 110k left in the cookie jar at the time of the last SEC filing.
I assume you've seen the reservation numbers for the last two months?
Where do you suggest they get the money for ANYTHING from? Honesty.

They've already spent far more than the right amount of money...
Done all the right shows and right locations over the last nine years...
That strategy is part of the reason that they've ended up in East Keester.

 

[Elio Amazed]

Is anybody home yet? I would love to read a report from this pop-up. Did ya have to stand on a street corner? Who presented the elio? Who was there? Did you collect names?

https://www.elioowners.com/threads/pop-up-event-5-16-2017.8356/#post-183900

 

[Lil4X]

I've run trade show exhibits for years, and conducted dozens of monthly seminars for customers and trade groups, here and overseas - and I'm convinced there are NO inexpensive shows. By the time you count up the staff salaries (who are absent from their real jobs just to host an exhibit) plus the travel and expenses they incur, not to mention the loss of productivity back at the home office, a show that you might think costs about $800 for the booth space and about the same for shipping your portable exhibit to the site, will cost the company about $20K before the accounting's done. That's what those "unledgered expenses" will do for you, it takes a steely-eyed analysis to find the budget-killers and work around them. Travel and entertainment for your booth staff, set-up hours, literature, shipping of exhibit models or in this case, the vehicle itself, show prep, lighting, signage and graphic updates, all go to the show's budget.

Is all this necessary? In a word, yes. If you're going to get a return on your investment, you need to spend the money. You can't just walk into a parking lot or mall and start hawking your wares, hoping that a few pedestrians will succumb to curiosity. That's the shotgun approach, and you need a rifle. You need to target the audience you want and make your best impression where they are. You want buyers, people with the money and willingness to spend it for a solution to a perceived problem, not idle tire-kickers. It's a tough bit of research, but there are a few ways to make the process more cost effective:

• You start by deciding who you want to reach, what is their demographic, and where are they going to be? Look for high concentrations of potential buyers/investors. Whether you target large national or international shows, or just do a few "table-top" shows at specialty exhibitions, you can scale your budget appropriately. Often you can make a smaller presentation if your target audience will attend in force. It's better to present to a dozen or so serious investor/partner potentials than a couple thousand curious "maybe" buyers.
• Plan your exhibit at least 90-120 days in advance. Last-minute items are serious budget killers. Mock up your exhibit to be sure everything fits and hasn't suffered damage from the last show. Change photos and signage as needed now, not at the last minute when they will be 5 or 10 times the cost for a rush job. Get show literature and follow-up packages printed now.
  
• Next, you streamline your exhibit. Don't just plunk down your product in the middle of your booth and expect cash to start rolling in. Don't just hope the heavy hitters will be there; two or three weeks before the show you call your best prospects and issue them a personal invitation to your exhibit. Set a time for a full individualized presentation by selected engineers and top management on site. Schedule meetings on the show floor with your second-tier prospects, being sure you have booth staff available to answer specific questions.
• The whole show is going to be a sizeable investment, so make your time with the prospect count. Marketing and salespersons set appointments with key prospects and suppliers two weeks in advance to see your product, talk about new application with engineers, meet the president.
• Each salesperson sets five appointments per exhibit day - or they don't attend. This is a professional sales opportunity, not a paid vacation for loyal employees.
• Prepare follow-up materials for mailing before the show. Email a mailing list back to your office each evening. That package goes out the next day.
  
• Cut shipping and set-up costs with a “portable” booth, rather than a custom unit.
  
• Be sure your signage speaks to buying motivators. Don't just put up an "Elio" logo and expect people to flock to your booth with money in hand. Believe it or not, they don't know and don't care about your brand, they are looking for a cheap, reliable, comfortable commute to work. A big sign announcing "ELIO" is completely useless unless your company is an industry standard like Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, or Ford - companies that can draw attention by merely showing the corporate flag. We aren't there yet.
• Large signage like "84 MPG", or "Your new AND Car", and "Comfortable Commuter", placed above eye level will help draw your third-tier prospects to your exhibit. Put a smaller corporate logo below the attention-getters for association of product and its benefits.
• The name of the game is "to grab them by the eyeballs and drag them up onto your carpet", as the saying goes. Here a professional video loop of an actual drive in the vehicle will help attract attention, and incidentally, offer subliminal proof that it actually moves and hauls a driver and passenger comfortably. Your goal is to put your prospect in the driver's seat and let him/her share the excitement of your product.
• Static photos don't really get attention unless they are backlit transparencies in a lightbox that will pop out of the visual clutter that defines most shows. Get them up high enough in kiosks that will be visible to the crowd.
• Train and rehearse your booth staff well in advance to make a quick presentation and determine the buying motivators of each visitor. You can't afford idle chit-chat. If you're not making a sale, you're backing up. If you are working with a limited staff, use your technical experts efficiently - bring them in to a contact meeting to explain individual features, advantages, and benefits of your product. Save your big guns for the critical prospects.
• Set up a contact database to track the more serious visitors to your exhibit. That helps evaluate results (based on eventual sales) and helps set next year’s budget.
  
• Staff for efficiency: techs conduct demos, marketing greets guests, engineers furnish application expertise, execs are attractions in themselves, and salesmen (when not with their invited prospects) work the exhibit floor (not your booth) , trolling for new leads.
• Place inexpensive product fliers in exhibit racks. Save your nice (and expensive) 8-page color brochure for personal presentations, better yet, be sensitive to the people carrying large bags of literature - they probably aren't buyers, anyway, just roving collectors. Offer to send a literature packet to your serious prospects so they don't have to lug it around the show floor.
• Eliminate chairs from your booth. For a dynamic look for your company, keep staff on their feet, and rotate them to the concession area frequently. They’re refreshed, and your booth won’t look like a hangout for the “walking wounded”. A carpet, especially one with a high-density foam pad, will ease foot and leg pain for weary booth staffers.
• Avoid offering coffee, water, sodas, etc to your guests - unless seated at a conference table conducting serious business. You don't want to be a hangout, but a professional business venue. Hospitality is great, just don't let it become the focus of your exhibit.
• Demonstrate Your Product! – use models, simulators, or video to let delegates see your product in use and if possible let your prospects get their hands on it. If you can't offer a test drive, give your prospects a virtual experience. We remember about one fifth of what we hear, about a third of what we see, but about 95% of what we see, hear, and experience.
• Make appointments for follow-up calls with qualified prospects before they leave your exhibit.
• Eliminate magicians, stage shows, and "models" (bimbos) from your exhibit. No contests, raffles, or grab bags, this is a professional, highly-focused, sales opportunity. Those distractions do not attract serious buyers, just freeloaders who clutter your booth.
• Souvenirs? You are positioning your company as a serious contender for the market – do you want to be remembered for a cheesy ballpoint pen or a cheap "gimme cap"? A good trick here is to have your key booth staff carry one or two nice company pens or notebooks in their pockets - and make an individual presentation of it to your top prospects.
• Finally, after the show season review your schedule for coming events. Do they all produce results? Be tough; cancel the shows that are non-productive, or do an in-depth analysis of why that particular venue is not producing for you. Often, smaller, less costly shows targeted to an audience that closely matches your demographic can produce outstanding results. Don't overlook college campus shows, technical society shows, or special interest exhibitions just because they may be smaller in size. A few bucks here can produce results far out of proportion to the exhibit cost of a national show.

These are just a few tips gleaned from nearly 30 years of working with clients in a wide variety of industries and retail sales, from franchise businesses to technical industries, from banking, to the oilfield, to agribusiness, with a few stops at defense, travel, entertainment, and purchasing groups along the way. It works.

There IS a professional approach to planning, manning, and conducting an exhibit - it doesn't "just happen" by showing up with a product and a handful of brochures. If you are going to tie up executive time and spend the thousands of dollars needed to be effective in the exhibit hall, you need to be as efficient as possible in turning the maximum number of those visitors to your booth into sales.

 

[Rickb]

A Professional and Comprehensive list, but first you need a tested and validated product to show. Better yet, a product that attendees of those events can buy (sales) with a 'guaranteed' delivery date.

 

[Elio Amazed]

I've run trade show exhibits for years, and conducted dozens of monthly seminars for customers and trade groups, here and overseas - and I'm convinced there are NO inexpensive shows.

So, what rating do you give EM for their show tactics, quality, and performance over the last nine years?

Have you sent this post to EM? If not, maybe you should.
IMHO, EM would have benefited immensely from additional expert advise.
Even if it had cost them a little money to get it.

Maybe they would have gotten a few more things right the first time around.

Not only in this area, but in many of the areas in which they tried to "wing it".
In the past they've seemed to have had the, "Thanks, but we know best." attitude.
Towards even highly qualified individuals that offered to consult for free.

Pride goeth before a fall.