Derse ExhibitorLIVE 2022

Derse Receives the EDPA EDDIE Award for Best End-to-End Marketing Experience.

Client

Derse

Solution

Industry

Face-to-Face Marketing

Project Brief

Derse’s clients and prospective clients share a desire to elevate their trade show and event programs through more innovative engagement, richer strategy and measurement, and more purposeful design – however, there’s a gap.

Time, money, resources, knowledge base, and internal support can all become obstacles in the route to elevate their program. However, if those challenges seem too great to overcome, it’s unlikely the next step will be taken because the transformation gap is seemingly too far to bridge,

Fortunately, Derse is the partner who can help them bridge the gap.

Strategies

Purposeful Creative
Customer Experience
Program Management

At EXHIBITORLIVE, the premiere educational conference for trade show and event marketing professionals, Derse used “Bridge the Gap” as a theme. This common thread was illustrated through a number of touch points before, during, and after the show.

PRE-SHOW

Derse’s pre-show marketing campaign for the exhibit encouraged their audience to think about their “Now” (the gaps getting in the way of achieving their goals) and their “Wow” (the aspirations for their program). Through social media posts, a landing page, and a pre-show mailer, the campaign prepared attendees for what to expect with an invitation to visit the booth at ExhibitorLIVE to explore how Derse can help them Bridge the Gap in their program.

Our pre-show mailer shown here was inspired by Mad magazine's Fold-In illustrations.

EXHIBIT

Derse approached the exhibit design to physically manifest a gap between NOW to WOW within the 20’ x 30’ footprint. Simple and modern design captivated attention.

Overhead hanging signs illustrated the difference between NOW and WOW. The NOW section was illuminated by simple white lighting, while the WOW section featured a flowing cascade of colors.

Free-standing kiosks provided a touchscreen canvas to show attendees how Derse could help them improve their face-to-face program.

The gamification area allowed attendees to identify gaps in their program. Inspired by the game Perfection, it was a race against the clock to fill the “gaps” with the matching pieces (symbolic of Derse’s solutions) all before the game board pops.

Simplicity was key. The booth aesthetics were intended to be approachable,
but unavoidable as attendees’ curiosity drew them in.

IN-BOOTH GIVEAWAY

At the end of their booth experience, prospects receive a custom journal intended to serve as a tool for helping them bridge the gaps they identified during their experience.

CLIENT APPRECIATION EVENT

1923 Prohibition Bar

During Prohibition times, people needed to find alternative solutions for consuming alcoholic beverages. They bridged that gap with speakeasies.

For Derse’s client event, an unforgettable speakeasy experience hidden behind a bookcase within Mandalay Bay provided guests with premium spirits and specialty cocktails served in a swanky secluded bar. Attendees were engaged and entertained throughout the event with signature color-changing cocktails, uniquely elegant food stations, opportunity to buff up on their prohibition-period slang, and live music from a jazz trio.

POST-SHOW EMAIL

Attendees received an email intended to guide them toward the next step in their journey from NOW to WOW – scheduling a meeting with Derse. The email format encouraged recipients to start bridging the gap by seeking out helpful tools and insights about Derse’s services and expertise.

POST-SHOW NEWSLETTER

To remain engaged with booth visitors, a series of newsletters was sent on a regular cadence. The newsletter featured stories and case studies that represent bridging the gap and how to get from NOW to WOW.