AAO wants to make sure your company’s exhibit program supports your business objectives and delivers value beyond cost. That’s why we provide complimentary, on-demand, 24/7 exhibiting knowledge resources.
Follow this proven-effective 5-step Exhibitor Success Program developed and refined over 30 years by America’s leading tradeshow productivity expert, Jefferson Davis of Competitive Edge. Please take advantage of these proven-effective tradeshow productivity resources and share them with your team.
Step 1:
Download Planning and Implementation Tools
- Tradeshow Planning & Management Tool (Excel 49KB)
- Exhibit Budgeting & Cost Control Tool (Excel 177KB)
- Exhibiting & Financial Performance Metrics Tool (Excel 41KB)
Step 2:
Schedule and Complete 5 Strategic Planning Exercises at Target Dates
Step 3:
Watch, Learn and Suceed with On-Demand Webinars
NEW LIVE! AAO New Exhibitor Web-Briefing: How to Have a Positive & Productive Exhibiting Experience
Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019
2 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Eastern
Register Now
AAO wants to make sure all new exhibiting companies have a productive and profitable experience. As part of our new exhibitor on-boarding program, we require all new exhibiting companies to participate in a special web-briefing to prepare for the show. AAO staff and tradeshow productivity expert, Jefferson Davis of Competitive Edge, share important information, “ins and outs” of exhibiting at the Annual Meeting and provide useful knowledge and exhibiting tools and resources critical to your company’s success.
REPLAY Social Media Best Practices: Building Awareness and Driving Attendee Engagement
The webinar was held Tuesday, July 16, 2019.
Workbook (765 KB)
When used properly, social media can be an extremely effective media for building your brand and driving qualified booth traffic. Research finds that most exhibitors are not taking full advantage of this free marketing opportunity. Register for this educational webinar to see the latest research on exhibitor social media practices and learn best tradeshow practices for using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram more effectively.
REPLAY Discovering & Delivering Your Attendee-Focused Value Proposition
Target View By Date: 20 Weeks Before the Meeting
Workbook (1 MB)
Ophthalmology professionals are highly selective about where they focus their time and attention at medical meetings. Every decision is a value based choice. Because the primary reason they attend medical meetings is continuing education, the key challenge facing every exhibitor today is to think more strategically about your products and services, then craft and deliver well-designed benefit-laden value propositions that cut through the clutter, grab attention, engage, and make the attendee put a visit to your exhibit on their Annual Meeting must-see agenda.
America’s leading tradeshow productivity expert, Jefferson Davis, walks you through a proven-effective step-by-step process on how to analyze your products, services and customers and craft a pithy value proposition. Then, you’ll see how to deliver it through multiple marketing channels before and at the show to drive qualified booth traffic. Regardless of your skill level, this is a session you will not want to miss!
REPLAY How to Make Your AAO Exhibit Stand Out From the Crowd
Target View By Date: 18 Weeks Before the Meeting
Workbook (PDF 314KB)
You can’t talk to attendees who just pass by. What key factors determine whether an attendee notices an exhibit and stops to enter, or passes by? What can you do to deliver a higher quality visitor experience, and increase leads and sales? These important questions and more are answered in this webinar.
REPLAY Driving Qualified Booth Traffic: 5 Innovative Ways to Stand Out & Fill Your Booth with the Right Attendees
Target View By Date: 12 Weeks Before the Meeting
Workbook
Competition for attendees’ time in the exhibit hall is fierce. The battle is often won before the meeting begins. Today, no company of any size can afford to just show up and hope the right attendees find them. View this critical webinar replay to pick up proven effective strategies to put your company “in the mind” and “on the agenda” of enough of the right attendees.
REPLAY Secrets of the Aisles: Critical Skills Every Booth Staffer Needs to Know and Apply
Target View By Date: 8 Weeks Before the Meeting
Download the webinar (WMV 40MB)
Workbook (PDF 614KB)
86% of booth staffers have never received a single hour of skills training in how to manage visitor interactions in the challenging tradeshow environment. This forces them to make behavioral and communication errors that reduce booth traffic, limit the quality and quantity of leads, and negatively impact ROI. Attend this information rich session with by America's leading exhibit staff trainer to gain perspectives and practical practices that will make your booth staff a competitive advantage.
REPLAY Improving Lead Quality & Sales Conversion: 5 Innovative Ways to Improve Tradeshow Lead Management
Target View By Date: 6 Weeks Before the Meeting
Workbook
If you’re not signing contracts on the show floor and you ever hope to get return on investment, the real product of your exhibit program is leads. Industry research finds that the majority of tradeshow leads captured are never effectively followed up. View this ROI boosting webinar replay to learn how to quickly improve your tradeshow lead management process.
REPLAY Inside the Exhibiting Numbers: How to Control Costs, Measure & Report Exhibiting Performance and ROI
Target View By Date: 4 Weeks Before the Meeting
Workbook (PDF 465KB)
What gets measured not only gets done, but also gets improved. View this practical webinar replay to demystify exhibit performance and ROI measurement. You’ll learn simple, easy-to-apply performance and financial metrics that will help you better control the exhibit spend, assess the performance and value your exhibiting program is delivering. A “must view” for any company looking to justify and improve their program.
Step 4: Read How-To Topical Articles for Ideas, Insights and Answers
Plan for Success
Create an Effective Exhibit
Promote Your Participation
Prepare Your Staff
Manage Your Leads
MeasureYour Performance & ROI
Ask Our Team of Tradeshow Experts - Email Q&A
The Academy has made arrangements with Jefferson Davis and his team of CTSM tradeshow experts to answer any exhibiting questions you may have. Please take advantage of this free service to get quick expert answers to your most pressing exhibiting questions and challenges.
Submit A Question
AAO Standout Exhibit Reports
Each year the E3 Exhibiting Effectiveness Evaluation team looks for booths displaying imaginative, creative and effective ideas. Review these photographic reports for ideas to enhance your exhibit.
Exhibitor Advisory Committee (EAC)
The Exhibitor Advisory Committee advises the Academy on issues and concerns affecting exhibitors. Exhibitors are encouraged to share their viewpoints and concerns with the committee or with the Academy's exhibitions staff.