How To Make The Most of Log Home Show Participation
by Fran Milano

	After nearly 10 years with a marketing and advertising agency, Fran Milano now puts her marketing skills to work as a radio salesperson in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. She is an active member of the state's regional tourism commission, and in various community organizations and events. An avid gardener, she lives in Stevensville with her ten-year old son, Will.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Log home shows used to be reserved for a few major cities in the U.S. But now you can probably find one almost anywhere in the country on any given weekend just before, during, or immediately following the building season. The proliferation of shows, and their increasingly local flavor, is forcing manufacturers to be more and more selective in their attendance. However, the potential promotional opportunities for local builder/dealers is probably being enhanced. With that in mind, we’d like to share how Joe Cousins of Joe Cousins Log Homes, a successful builder/dealer working out of Portland, evaluates potential participation in shows and how he maximizes results once he decides to attend. Not everyone has access to the kinds of resources that Joe can bring to the table, but his experience closely parallels our own. Evaluate shows to determine if they are worth attending and, if you decide to exhibit, make the kind of commitment that will produce results. Develop plans and goals. Petition the companies you work with for as much support as they can give. Do all you can to get above the noise level. Work your exhibit for all it’s worth and then follow up your leads.

It took some real coordinating to assure that the log package for the cabin arrived during the two hour time slot allotted by the show management. Within moments of arrival the logs were unpacked and being assembled.

The Northwest Home and Remodeling Show in Portland, Oregon is a fairly typical show in a big city. What is not typical is the way Joe managed his company’s involvement. Thoughtful preparation, an impressive display, ample staffing and a firm commitment to follow-up made his show pay off in leads, and more importantly, in sales.

Joe stresses the importance of checking out the integrity of the trade show promoters. (In the past, he had a bad experience with a show that was not promoted well.) He asks lots of questions before he commits to a space: How will the show be advertised? What is the expected attendance? Can I get a slot as a speaker? This particular show was a perfect fit: Joe committed to a large display area with a fairly hefty price tag of $5,200. He then added a room and microphone at a cost of $125. This commitment gave him a spot in the program as a guest speaker and a captive audience several times each day.

From the first, Cousins knew he wanted to build some sort of structure at the Portland show. He wanted something impressive, something “big enough to walk into”. One of Joe’s salespeople, John Lucscu, drew up the plans for a 20’ x 30’ cabin. With his design in place, Joe called Phil Alman at Glu-Lam-Log. Phil was so impressed with the plan Joe had in place and the commitment he was making that Glu-Lam-Log made a significant contribution, in the form of product, to the exhibit design.

For the Portland show, Joe had a particular product in mind. His choice was a 6 1/2”, 4 lam ‘D’ Log in pine. This product meets all the necessary qualifications in an area that is classified as “Seismic Code 3”, resulting in higher restrictions than other areas of the country. The design called for a saddle notch with 3 foot ‘tails’, laminated beam rafters and Glu-Lam’s select decking. The truck arrived with the Glu-Lam delivery at noon on Monday the week of the show.

Whether it’s delivered to a convention center in downtown Portland, or a job site in the country, Cousins is impressed with the way Glu-Lam-Log packages its products. “I like the fact that the freshly-milled logs are carefully wrapped in plastic so the product is clean and protected,” he says.

It took some real coordinating to assure that the log package for the cabin arrived during the two hour time slot allotted by the show management. Within moments of arrival the logs were unpacked and being assembled.

As part of the planned promotion of the trade show, the local television station’s morning personalities broadcast live from the convention center. Joe’s impressive display kept them at his location for nearly 15 minutes. Calculate the value of 15 minutes of television morning prime time in a city the size of Portland! The promoters also placed ads in the local papers listing the exhibitors and the speakers, so Joe got plenty of media coverage.

Of course, you attend a trade show to generate leads. Cousins classifies contacts immediately into those people who want more information, and those who are interested in attending an open house. In his role as a speaker, twice each day, Joe had the opportunity to meet with contacts and answer questions in depth following each presentation. As a hand-out for the show, Joe used a leaflet giving a brief overview of Joe Cousins Log Homes, their location and history. The leaflet also includes floor plans and costs for three separate homes: 1200, 1500 and 2000 square feet. For those “hot leads,” Joe had someone at the office get on Glu-Lam-Log’s web site to submit them for immediate processing. Working directly with Glu-Lam-Log, key potential clients had packages with log samples and additional information on the way to them even before the exhibit was torn down. From staffing, to hand-outs, to his impressive display building; Joe’s dual roles as speaker and exhibitor at the show were designed to instill confidence in the attendees and to respond to their needs.

The real measure of the success of an exhibit is how many interested parties show up at the booth and how many of them ultimately become customers. The Northwest Log Homes exhibit was successful on both counts.

Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? Well, according to Joe, his careful planning paid off. His goal for the show was one sale each day. The results: 4 houses closed within 2 weeks of the show, 3 are pending and 10 more are in the works! And will Joe repeat this performance? Not exactly. He’s drawing up plans for a 30’ x 40’ 2 story building right now.