the tradeshow of tomorrow

8/9/2019 The Tradeshow of Tomorrow

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Presented May 1, 2015

Trade Show of

TOMORROW

Panacea

by


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pan·a·ce·a

/,panəˈsēə/ noun

· a solution or remedy for alldifculties or diseases

· “the panacea for all corporate ills”

· synonyms : universal cure,cure-all, universal remedy,

elixir, wonder drug;informal magic bullet

Panacea

Devin Hennessy

Financial Accountant

Leanne O’NeillGraphic Designer

Bryan Webb

Account Executive

Lindsay Miller Senior Editor

Heather Kunkle

Director of Research

From left to right: Devin Hennessy, Leanne O’Neill, Bryan Webb, Lindsay Miller, Heather Kunkle

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Meet PanaceaFounded in 2015, we are an integrated marketingcommunications rm serving clients in NortheastOhio. We combine traditional tactics with a modern twistto provide the best results.

Panacea was chosen as the agency’s’s name becauseof our mission to solve your most challenging businessneeds. Panacea delivers quality work in a timely fashion.

We specialize in new media, information design and B2B communications.Panacea is here to serve you with the best quality of work to meet your needs.


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PanaceaTable of ContentsExecutive Summary

Situation Analysis

Problem Statement

Goal Statement

Objectives

Audiences

Key Messages

Strategies

Tactics

Evaluation

Campaign Map

Budget

Primary research report

Secondary research report

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Panacea

ECRM challenged Panacea to seek a better way for ECRM to communicateits event format and technology to the industries it serves. ECRM has twomain audiences, buyers and sellers, within ve trade industries. Panacea wasasked to gauge ECRM’s perception among its audiences and evaluate its valueproposition. With this research, we were challenged to develop a strategictwo-year communication plan to promote ECRM events as a must-attend eventwithin the grocery industry.

Panacea analyzed ECRM’s communication tools and compared them to those ofits competitors. This allowed the agency to determine best practices in reachingkey publics that could be used to create a strategic communication plan. Next,the agency hosted a focus group with ECRM Senior Account Managers fromvarying industries and conducted 11 interviews via conference call with 15 ECRMemployees, 10 buyers and seven sellers. One Panacea member attended anECRM event and conducted 13 face-to-face interviews.

Through primary research, Panacea found that current clients are very impressedwith and enthusiastic about ECRM events, and most clients decided to attend anevent due to word-of-mouth. Some decide to attend an event based on ECRMemployee pitches. Through primary research, Panacea found that ECRM doesnot use consistent messaging and ECRM employees do not have a way toconcisely convey ECRM’s value proposition. Primary research also showed thatclients do not fully understand the concept of ECRM until they actually attendedan event. ECRM employees reafrmed this nding by saying they don’t have acohesive, concise way of describing ECRM’s format and process.

Through secondary research, Panacea found that ECRM could improve upon itspresence in trade publications. ECRM has been mentioned in trade publications,but over the span of four months, ECRM has only had one feature placement.There are a large number of trade publications to take advantage of. ECRM alsohas room for improvement on social media. Each of ECRM’s individual industryLinkedIn pages are the most active social media channels, with most postedcontent being from ECRM employees. ECRM is not utilizing its Twitter account toits full potential to create buzz and chatter around its events. Most accounts usingECRM’s event hashtag, #ECRMevents, are employees and the ECRM Twitter

handle.

After analyzing both primary and secondary research, Panacea decided todevelop its plan around the grocery industry. ECRM’s grocery events have seena steady increase in frequency over the past three years, now matching thenumber of events in the Health & Beauty Care industry, ECRM’s largest andmost-well known industry. Taking into consideration the budget, time-frame andpopularity of industry, Panacea developed a two-year strategic communicationcampaign to enhance relationships with and better position ECRM to its keypublics in the grocery industry. 3

Executive Summary


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Panacea

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Client Overview

Efcient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM) was founded in 1994 to movebusinesses forward. It is headquartered in Solon, Ohio, and employs

approximately 200 people. ECRM is able to quicklyidentify new trends and innovations within each of

its industries because it puts its focus solely on theclient. ECRM serves the following ve industries:

Grocery, General Merchandise, Pharmacy,Health & Beauty Care and Retail.

ECRM is a global leader in retailerpromotional data syndication and analysis.

ECRM has revolutionized the sales andmarketing process by uniting buyers and

suppliers of the consumer packaged goodsindustry at Efcient Program Planning Sessions

(EPPS) events. Just like a showroom at a traditionaltrade show, sellers come to

ECRM events and set up a meeting space. However,these meeting spaces are private and typically in hotelrooms. Buyers from the appropriate industry then travelfrom one meeting space to another for pre-scheduled

appointments. This process is unique because eachseller is guaranteed face time with buyers thatmatter the most to their business.

ECRM has been promoting a more efcient wayfor buyers and sellers to do business for more than20 years. Its model has been described as speeddating both internally and externally to help peopleunderstand its format, but ECRM doesn’t think this termhas the positive attributes it’s looking for. There is verylittle competition as far as EPPS shows go, but larger trade

shows are still a larger form of competition. In ECRM’s request for proposal,Panacea was challenged to “create a positioning strategy and campaign topromote ECRM events as the ‘must-attend’ event within each industry.”

Situation Analysis

“I have heard peopletell me, ‘If it wasn’t for

ECRM, I wouldn’t have beenable to get in front of

Walgreens or CVS.’”

-Tyler BarichSales Manufacturer,

Grocery

“When people tellme they think ECRM costs

too much money, it tells methey do not fully understand

what ECRM does”

-Dana FoxECRM Retail director


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PanaceaKey Publics OverviewPanacea initially focused its research on buyers and sellers as a whole. Buyersare representatives from “big name” brands (such as Walmart, CVS Pharmacy

and Sam’s Club) who attend trade shows and related events to nd newproducts for their company to purchase. Sellers are representatives from variouscompanies trying to introduce and sell new products into the markets within theirrespective industries.

Through its research, Panacea found that the grocery industry is one of the mostdominant industries ECRM serves. This is especially prevalent when examiningthe amount of events ECRM has scheduled for the grocery industry in 2015 aswell as the increase in grocery industry shows over the past three years. With thegiven budget of $150,000 over a two-year span, Panacea believes this campaigncan serve as a pilot program for the grocery industry that can be implemented

within other industries down the road.

CompetitionECRM expressed that it competes with traditional trade shows. The companystrives to revolutionize the industry by making events more personal than thetraditional trade show. Through primary research, Panacea found that manyelements of an ECRM event diversify the company and its value propositionfrom many, if not all, traditional trade shows. These elements include an intimatesetting for meetings, top-notch customer service and ECRM’s ability to providecounseling, one-of-a-kind organizational software and extended networkingopportunities.

The challenge ECRM faces, compared to its competition, is the ability toquickly and efciently explain to buyers and sellers what makes ECRM eventsmore benecial than a typical trade show. Trade shows, with the traditionalformat used today, became popular in the 1960s. ECRM was founded in 1994,with its unique and innovative format, approximately 30 years later. Because ofthis time gap and format differentiation, ECRM isn’t as well established astraditional trade shows.

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PanaceaOpinion LeadersOpinion leaders in the grocery industry are primarily trade magazines andpublications. The six main trade publications Panacea will focus will target are:

California Grocer Editor: Dave Heylen Gourmet Retailer Editor: Anna Wolfe Grocery Headquarters Editor: Richard Turcsik MMR/Mass Market Retailers Editor: David Pinto Progressive Grocer Editor: James Dudlicek Supermarket News Editor: Julie Gallagher

Research found that by seeking to enhance relationships with editors of tradepublications (some of which ECRM already has media partnerships with), ECRMis provided with more opportunities to gain exposure. This is important becausetrade publications are where buyers and sellers typically nd shows to attend.

Value PropositionECRM offers clients a one-of-a-kind buying and selling experience, in acompletely unique format, that allows the buyers and sellers to accomplish their

annual purchasing and selling needs in a personal, cost-effective andtime-efcient way.

ECRM holds three-day trade events, uniting buyers or sellers at resorts inface-to-face meetings. These strategically planned meetings allow clients to getin front of big name buyers or sellers for a fraction of the price and time it wouldotherwise cost them. ECRM events cost, on average, $5,000 less than mosttrade shows.

There are no hidden or additional fees. What ECRM clients pay for upfront is an all-inclusive cost.

Each seller arranges a private room showcasing their available productsand receives top-notch customer service from ECRM employees fromstart to nish.

Client-driven services allow ECRM to bring buyers the newest trends andinnovations within each of its industries.

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PanaceaBehaviors and AttitudesAt rst glance, those unfamiliar with ECRM are hesitant to engage in businessdue to its branding, price and messaging. Awareness of ECRM among potential

clients is typically low unless they received a recommendation from a current orformer ECRM client.

Sellers pay approximately $15,000 to attend an ECRM event where they have aconverted hotel room as their private meeting space, and buyers travel to eachsupplier’s private meeting space for pre-arranged meetings. The 10-to-20-minutemeetings guarantee face time. Buyers attend the events at no cost.

Prospective clients don’t usually have any idea of what or who ECRM is so theytend to think it’s a scam. This creates obstacles for ECRM because it makes itdifcult to build its client base and register them to attend industry events. ECRM

events are not as large as traditional trade shows so they don’t receive thebenet of being heard through word-of-mouth or social media as much as largeand established trade shows.

These behaviors may cause ECRM to lose business because prospectiveattendees are not willing to listen to a sales pitch that takes a long time toexplain or seems like a scam. The unwillingness of new customers to attendECRM events hinders its ability to grow as a company.

Through research in Destin, Florida, Panacea found that many clients inattendance heard good reviews of ECRM through word-of-mouth which ishow they ended up attending a show. Those who were new to the event wereunfamiliar with what the ECRM acronym stood for and weren’t sure what theevent consisted of. After a day of being at the event, the new clients said theyloved the format and how ECRM sets everything up. Returning clients like ECRMevents more than traditional trade shows because of the format and becausethey can get more for their money compared to traditional trade shows.

Through continued research in Destin, Florida, it is apparent that not all ofECRM’s clients take advantage of the Connect 3.0 app. The clients who don’tuse the Connect 3.0 app use hand-written notes because they believe it is easier

and saves time.

Panacea would like our public relations campaign to increase awareness,increase attendance, increase use of ECRM’s technology and, overall, haveECRM shows within the grocery industry be chosen over traditional trade shows.If our plan can change the attitudes of prospective clients, we can reach ourgoals of increasing awareness of ECRM and position its events as a competitivetrade show throughout the grocery industry.

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PanaceaClient’s Key StrengthsECRM’s key strength is its customer service to all who attend its events. ECRM’sClient Service Representatives are known for accommodating event attendees

in any way possible. The biggest selling point is ECRM’s guaranteed one-on-onemeetings with buyers and sellers. Through research in Destin, Florida, clientsprefered having the pre-scheduled meetings and liked knowing ahead of timewho they were meeting with. ECRM also covers all expenses for buyers to attendevents.

Client’s WeaknessesPotential clients who are unfamiliar with ECRM often think it is a scam. They areconfused and hesitant about the all-inclusive price for the buyers and the highprice for the sellers. ECRM employees also nd it difcult to explain what ECRM

is to clients in a quick, and efcient way.

These weaknesses are the issues that affect ECRM’s ability to be successful inbranding the company and getting new clients to attend events.

Communication Goal

Problem StatementPanacea found that sellers and buyers are hesitant to attend ECRM eventswhen not directly referred by others in the industry. As a result, ECRM is not

maximizing on its event attendance potential, specically within the groceryindustry.

Increase awareness among potential clients of ECRM events through improvedmarketing and thought leadership.

Business GoalIncrease attendance of buyers and sellers at ECRM events within the groceryindustry through thought leadership.

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To enhance relationships with current ECRM clients in the grocery industry and

motivate them to serve as brand ambassadors within two years.

To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in thegrocery trade show industry over two years.

To convert 15 percent1 of ECRM’s current clients to become users of ECRM’sConnect 3.0 app at events in two years.

To secure ve feature placements of ECRM case studies in medium totop-tier trade publications in the grocery industry in two years.2

1 During research conducted at an ECRM event in Destin, FL, Panacea observed approximately 50 percent of buyers and sellers at theevent using the Connect 3.0 app. Due to its popularity, we believe 15 percent is a feasible percentage for this two-yearcampaign.

2 Secondary Research: ECRM Media Coverage: September 2014 - February 2015

Panacea

AudiencesPrimary Both current and prospective sellers and buyers in the grocery industry. Panacea willalso target six main trade publications and editors:

California Grocer

Editor: Dave Heylen Gourmet Retailer Editor: Anna Wolfe Grocery Headquarters Editor: Richard Turcsik MMR/Mass Market Retailers Editor: David Pinto

Progressive Grocer Editor: James Dudlicek Supermarket News Editor: Julie Gallagher

Secondary Inuential sellers and buyers already engaged in business with ECRM and ECRMemployees in the grocery industry.

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Objectives


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PanaceaKey Messages

Sellers and Buyers

ECRM is the trade show of tomorrow. What you do in three months,ECRM does in three days.1

Connect to Connect: One app for all of your before, during andafter-event needs.

Sellers The ony event that guarantees you face time with your most

sought-after buyers.

Buyers

ECRM brings you the newest products you never knew you needed.

1 Primary Research, Key Quotes, ECRM Employees, Billy Chapnick

Better convey ECRM’s credibility, specically within the grocery

trade show industry, by improving its brand messaging.

Develop ECRM as a thought leader in the grocery industrythrough brand ambassadors.

Build credibility of ECRM’s overall branding in the grocery industry by positioning ECRM events as the must-attend event in the industry

through new marketing tactics.

Position ECRM’s current technology as an integral component ofECRM events.

Engage primary audiences on social media in real-time in aninformative and fresh tone, and monitor Twitter and LinkedIn interactions.

Monitor media outlets and editorial calendars for potential pitching andplacement opportunities.

Strategies

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PanaceaTactics

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PITCH MATERIALS FOR ECRM EMPLOYEES

Objective - Increase awareness among potential buyersStrategies - Improve brand messaging

Position ECRM as the must-attend event

Educate clients of ECRM’s current technology

Create materials for ECRM employees with models of effective email pitches and coldcalls. It is imperative that ECRM employees who regularly pitch clients via email, face-to-face meetings or cold calls be well versed in the key benets of ECRM. This includesbeing able to clearly and comprehensively convey to the potential client what ECRM cando for them.1 To do this, Panacea will create a guide book of key messaging for differentscenarios so ECRM employees will know what engages a client.

Guide book will include: One page of all the basic information on ECRM as a company Example cold-call script for the following scenarios New client, never attended, hesitant New client, never attended, eager Fairly new client, attended once, hesitant Fairly new client, attended once, eager Each of the previous scenarios will be customized to the industries ECRM serves Example email pitches and subjects, customized by industry

A page of the key messages.

RationaleBoth primary and secondary research show that many people are confused on whatECRM is when being pitched. Primary research also shows that ECRM employees aren’tusing a cohesive set of key messages for different scenarios of pitching potential clients.2 Employees are allowed to pitch how they feel necessary, depending on their relationshipwith the client. Instead of forcing ECRM employees to use a uniformed pitch that doesnot allow for specic situations, Panacea will implement guidelines and talking pointsemployees should touch on during pitches for maximum effectiveness.

EvaluationEvaluate the engagement of the e-marketing materials from ECRM clients, such assentiment of replies. A correlation to consider is to compare current email open rates andphone call acceptance rates to new email open rates and phone call acceptance rates.

1 Primary Research: Focus Group, Key Findings, Difculties2 Primary Research: ECRM employees


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CREATIVE E-MARKETING MATERIALS FOR ECRM EMPLOYEESObjective - Increase awareness among potential buyers

Strategies - Improve brand messaging



Create new, professional branding materials for emailing sellers and buyers aboutgrocery industry events. Use an email marketing service, such as Constant Contact,to effectively brand emails.1 Templates will be made by Panacea for ECRM’s salesteam to utilize. These emails will also be branded to each specic event and copy willbe tailored to the specic audience: buyers or sellers. In addition, Panacea will updateemail subject headings to be more informative and make them stand out. Throughoutcommunication with a seller or buyer leading up to an event, ECRM employees should

customize the content of emails to provide a more personable feel. For prospectivebuyers and sellers, the materials will detail the benets of ECRM events and technologycompared to the traditional trade show format with leads and calls-to-action toencourage inquiries. The content for current buyers and sellers will have less generalinformation about the benets they already receive, but be lled with details about newfeatures within ECRM such as the referral program or upcoming webinars.

RationalePrimary research showed that ECRM’s current e-marketing efforts, such as emails, areseen as spam by potential clients.2 We even found that the decision-maker within onecompany completely disregarded ECRM’s emails until his boss forced him to attend ashow.

EvaluationThis tactic will be evaluated by comparing initial email open rates to open rates with thenewly branded email marketing materials.

1 Constant Contact is ranked number 1 in Website Magazine’s list of top 50 email marketing solutions due to its provensuccess. http://www.constantcontact.com/email-marketing2 Primary Research: Buyers, Key ndings, Paul Jarrett


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INBOUND MEDIA RELATIONS: EXECUTIVE BLOG ON INDUSTRY TRENDSObjective - Increase awareness among potential buyers

Secure trade publication placements




Create an executive blog that will be housed on ECRM’s website. The executive blogwill consist of monthly articles written by senior ECRM executives talking about currentand upcoming trends within the trade show industry, along with news and events withinECRM to position ECRM’s executives as though leaders. These blog posts will be ableto be repurposed for real-time media relations for trade publications.1

The ECRM executives and employees that will be featured include: Greg Farrar, CEO Brian Nelson, CFO Jim Rice, CIO Sarah Sweitzer, Senior VP of Grocery Sales Kevin Consolo, Category Development Director (Grocery)2

RationalePanacea’s secondary research showed a lack of signicant presence in tradepublications along with communication from the senior-level ECRM team. By creatingkeyword rich blog posts, search engine optimization (SEO) will allow online trafc tobe directed to these pages, along with those who explore the website.3 This blog alsoallows for ECRM’s executives to position themselves as thought leaders within theindustry.4

EvaluationEvaluation for success will be based upon multiple factors. One factor will be pageviews versus visitors per post using Google Analytics, also considering the amountof time spent on the page. If someone visits a blog and spends less than a minuteon the page, he or she probably didn’t read the entire page. Engagement will also be

considered. The executive blog will have the option for comments to start conversationsabout the topic or trend. Another measure for evaluation will be placement in tradepublications and engagement with each article through social media.5

1 http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2011/03/blog-post-to-dos/ 2 http://ecrm.marketgate.com/AboutECRM/OurTeam.aspx3 http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2011/03/blog-post-to-dos/ 4 http://relevance.com/4-reasons-why-your-executives-should-blog/ 5 http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2011/03/blog-post-to-dos/


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HOMEPAGE VIDEOObjective - Increase awareness among potential buyers



Create an informative one to two minute video, housed on ECRM’s website, detailingECRM’s value proposition. This video will feature a lively ECRM employee guidingvisitors through ECRM’s process, how the company sets its events apart from traditionaltrade shows and a brief overview of ECRM’s key selling points, like the Connect 3.0 appand networking opportunities.

RationalePrimary and secondary research showed that both ECRM employees and clients nd itextremely difcult to describe what ECRM does and its benets in a short, concise way. 1 Panacea also learned ECRM previously had a similar six-minute video housed on itshomepage, but due to its length, was not effective based on best practices.2

Research conducted by YouTube suggests 75 percent of website visitors are most likelyto watch a one to two minute video. As the video gets longer, the percentage of thoseviewing it will quickly diminish.3

EvaluationCompare the number of views on the video to the number of views on ECRM’shomepage to get a percentage of visitors that are viewing the video. Use a reportingtool that supports seeing trafc to YouTube videos to decipher where video views are

coming from.

In exit interviews at shows with new clients, a question will be asked regarding theclient’s understanding of ECRM and whether or not the video contributed to theirunderstanding of ECRM, or if the client even watched it.

1 Primary Research: Implications, Phone Interview with Sales Manufactures2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBk5d-s50xg3 http://wistia.com/blog/does-length-matter-it-does-for-video-2k12-edition


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REFERRAL PROGRAMObjectives - Enhance relationships with current clients

Increase awareness among potential buyers

Strategies - Develop ECRM as a thought leader

To encourage current ECRM clients to spread the word of ECRM’s events, a referralprogram will be implemented.1 In order to earn a referral perk, the new ECRM client willneed to indicate which specic client of ECRM’s referred them, and the new client mustbook and attend an event. Once this happens, the client that referred the new client willreceive perks such as an upgrade in show space or length of meeting times at a specicshow. For example, the client can be upgraded from a Power Hall to a private room orfrom a 10-minute meeting slot to a 20-minute meeting slot.

Rationale

Through primary research Panacea found that many of ECRM’s current clients werereferred to events through other ECRM clients.2 Because word-of-mouth inuencesmany potential clients to become ECRM clients, establishing a referral program willencourage current clients to become unofcial brand ambassadors and be rewardedfor it.3

EvaluationSuccess for this tactic will be determined by the number of referrals made throughoutthe two-year period.

1 http://www.referralsaasquatch.com/7-surprising-stats-about-customer-referral-programs/ 2 Primary Research: Key Findings, Phone Interview with Eric Bray from Goya Foods3 Primary Research: Key Findings, Interview with Randi Segal from Dr. Segal’s Compression Socks


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CONVERT CURRENT CLIENTS INTO ECRM BRAND AMBASSADORSObjective - Enhance relationships with current clients

Strategies - Develop ECRM as a thought leader


Reach out to sellers who have been with ECRM for more than three years and haveexperienced success from ECRM events to enlist them as brand ambassadors for thecompany.1 Although these ambassadors will not be identied as ‘brand ambassadors’ atECRM events, they will be provided with another avenue to establish themselves in theindustry. If they agree to be a brand ambassador, they will have access to be amoderator of an online community (such as a discussion board or forum) which willprovide members with advice and event tips.2 Since the purpose of this online communitywill be to increase ECRM’s overall credibility and develop it as a thought leader, all

industries will have brand ambassador representation. However, clients within thegrocery industry will be ECRM’s main focus for brand ambassadors. This discussionboard or forum will be open to the public but the brand ambassadors will be highlyinuential in starting conversations and engaging others in the industry.

Brand ambassadors will be expected to participate in discussion board chatter every fewdays to keep the conversations going. In exchange for becoming brand ambassadors,sellers will be given 50 percent off of one show per year. ECRM will reach out to brandambassadors to be featured on ECRM’s website. The feature will talk about the vendor’sexperience and success with ECRM events.

RationaleThrough primary research, Panacea found that many of ECRM’s clients made the naldecision to attend an ECRM event because of a word-of-mouth recommendation.3

First-hand experiences and word-of-mouth are some of the best ways to advertise. Thebrand ambassadors will share their ECRM experiences with others in their industries andencourage non-clients to register to attend events.

EvaluationSuccess will be measured by evaluating the outcome of the online discussion board orforum. Based on engagement by industry professionals or ECRM clients in the grocery

industry, Panacea would be able to determine the online community’s success becausethe brand ambassadors are the drive behind this initiative.

1 https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-reasons-your-company-needs-a-brand-ambassador-program2 http://digitalvisitor.com/the-benets-of-having-discussions-forums-on-your-website/ 3 Primary Research: Key Findings, Interview with Randi Segal from Dr. Segal’s Compression Socks


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CREATE INFOGRAPHICS TO USE AS INFORMATIONAL MATERIALSObjectives - Increase awareness among potential buyers


Strategies - Improve brand messaging Position ECRM as the must-attend event

To increase ECRM’s credibility, Panacea wants to inform current and potential clientsabout ECRM’s event details and its benets through infographics, implementedthroughout the entire two-year plan.

Four infographics and graphics will be implemented: Comparison between an ECRM event and traditional trade show “What happens in three days at ECRM events?” “How to make the most of Connect 3.0”

“Words clients use to describe ECRM.”1

RationalePanacea wants to create infographics because it is a quick visual for viewers to learnabout the specic topic to be conveyed. These visuals will be used as learning toolsbecause research shows many people don’t understand the overall price or processof ECRM events and many potential clients are unaware of what ECRM provides at itsevents that make it worthwhile.23

EvaluationSuccess of this tactic can be measured through engagement on various social channelsafter being posted, specically LinkedIn, using built-in channel analytics.

1 Primary Research: Destin Florida Research - Apendix: Word Graph2 http://digitalmarketingphilippines.com/10-reasons-why-you-should-use-infographics-in-your-content-marketing-efforts/ 3 Primary Research: ECRM Employees Key Quotes


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REAL-TIME MEDIA RELATIONS: LEVERAGE ECRM CASE STUDIES AND INDUSTRY TRENDSObjectives - Increase awareness among potential buyers


Strategy - Improve brand messaging

To position ECRM as a thought leader as well as a must-attend event within the groceryindustry, ECRM needs to make sure potential clients know what it can help them do.By publishing case studies from clients in the grocery industry, potential clients who areon the fence or unsure about what ECRM does will get the third-party afrmation thatECRM has helped them achieve their business goals.1

Thought leadership will include establishing ECRM as the best in the trade showindustry because of the resources provided, the opportunities provided for innovativeproducts and brands, as well as developing content around the trends in the groceryindustry for publication internally and externally.2

Panacea will gather the research and case study materials and create a visuallycreative, yet simple design for a case study or promotional placement in a tradepublication.

The six main trade publications to target will be:

California Grocer Editor: Dave Heylen

Gourmet Retailer Editor: Anna Wolfe Grocery Headquarters Editor: Richard Turcsik MMR/Mass Market Retailers Editor: David Pinto Progressive Grocer Editor: James Dudlicek Supermarket News Editor: Julie Gallagher

1 https://www.navigatormm.com/5-unbeatable-benets-of-case-studies-for-content-marketing/ 2 Secondary Research: Who Is ECRM and What Do They Do?


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RationalePrimary and secondary research show that a big selling point of ECRM as a whole isgetting sellers in front of big name buyers. This is an invaluable asset of ECRM’sbecause ECRM brings innovative products to big name buyers, such as Airborne. 1 These success stories position ECRM as a thought leader because testimonials addcredibility. ECRM already has plans to publish case studies in trade publications, butthis enhances the branding. From September 2014 to mid-February 2015, ECRMreceived one case study placement within the grocery industry in Progressive Grocer.

EvaluationTo avoid paid advertising, the key to this tactic is to cultivate and enhance theprofessional relationship between ECRM and various grocery trade publications inaddition to enhancing its already formed partnerships with media partners in the

grocery industry. After these relationships are built and built upon, success ofleveraging the stories can be evaluated by whether or not ECRM is published in thespecied trade publications.2

1 See Primary Research, Sales Manufacturers Interview, Key Findings.2 http://www.platformmagazine.org/2012/11/building-relationships-journalists-and-pr-professionals/

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PanaceaINCREASE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE WITH REAL-TIME BUZZObjectives - Enhance relationships with current clients

Increase awareness among potential buyers




Engage audiences on social media

Increase social media efforts, specically on Twitter, by creating and encouragingtweeting at events for real-time buzz.1 By using the hashtag “#ECRMGrocery,” clientsand employees at events can engage with one another and create a buzz aboutthe events they are attending, even leading up to the event. Maintaining consistentcontent on each channel is key to a successful social media campaign.2 To encouragethe use of social media during events and leading up to events, the e-marketingmaterials sent out prior to the event will include the hashtag as well as pop-up signs atthe events.

Example tweets:

“Do you know the Top 5 #GroceryTrends for 2016? ECRM’s SVP of Grocery Salestells you here. (LINK) #ECRMGrocery”

“John Doe from @Walgreens is setting up his room for the #ECRMGrocery event inDestin, FL this week. Share photos of your rooms with us. (Insert Photo Here)”

RationaleThe buzz won’t necessarily take place during the meetings because the clients wantto focus on business during that time, but creating buzz during the evenings of ECRMevents, such as networking opportunities, off-site events and themed hotel events, willenhance ECRM’s value proposition.3

EvaluationEvaluation will be based on benchmarking where social media conversation is atbefore the campaign compared to after. For example, #ECRMGrocery is not a hashtagthat is used for events. After the campaign, analyze how many times the hashtag was

tweeted and by how many different people.

1 See Primary Research, Sales Manufacturers Interview, Key Findings.2 http://www.koozai.com/blog/search-marketing/important-business-keep-social-media-proles-active/ 3 http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2013/07/ve-reasons-your-company-can-benet.htm

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PanaceaVIDEO TUTORIAL FOR CONNECT APPObjective - Convert clients to become Connect 3.0 app users

Strategy - Educate clients of ECRM’s current technology

Create an updated how-to tutorial video on ECRM’s Connect 3.0 app’s key featuresand showcase the benets of using it. This video would be emailed to sellers andbuyers 15 weeks prior to attending an event. This video will highlight the mostimportant features of the app, including:

Event Agenda: a broad overview of what will happen at the event throughoutthe day

My Meetings: specic schedule of meetings for the day Meeting Recap: shows notes that were taken during a specic meeting and

any products the buyer has selected to purchase Attendees: an overview of everyone at the show, including which

representative from each company is in attendance

Utilizing this app will give sellers and buyers the best opportunity to get the mostout of every meeting and the event as a whole.

RationaleThrough primary research conducted at an ECRM event in Destin, Florida,Panacea found that client service representatives provide on-site demos of theapp.1 For this in-person demo to have true value, it is ideal for sellers to have somesort of familiarity with the app before arriving on-site. It is important for sellers andbuyers to utilize this app in order to maximize the short face-to-face time they havewith one another.

Account managers check-in with sellers and buyers approximately 15 weeks beforean event.2 An online prep is sent to sellers and buyers to familiarize them with theapp. Panacea learned that sellers and buyers tend to grasp the concept of the appbetter when a person is explaining it to them rather than by words in an email or ina written tutorial.3 This is where a video tutorial would be key in replacing the textformat of instructions already being sent to clients.

EvaluationWhen sellers or buyers log into their Connect 3.0 account on ECRM’s iPads at the

event, before using the app, they must answer a one-question survey asking if theyhave prior experience or knowledge of the app before the app will unlock for use ofConnect 3.0.

Another form of evaluation can occur during ECRM’s exit interviews by askingbuyers and sellers, based on their initial survey answer, if they saw the tutorialvideo or if they even knew it existed. Other questions to ask would be if they foundthe tutorial video helpful and if any improvements should be made to the app.

1 See Primary Research: Destin Interview with ECRM Employee, Michael Castillo2 See Primary Research: Destin Interview with ECRM Employee, Michael Castillo3 See Primary Research: Destin Interview with Seller Mallory Karigan 21


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PanaceaEvaluation

Enhance relationships with current clientsMonitor the open and response rates to e-marketing materials sent to current ECRM

clients encouraging them to participate in the referral program. Panacea will alsomonitor how many clients participate in the referral program and how many new clientsare gained through the referral program. The same metrics will be used to evaluate theparticipation of brand ambassadors. Panacea will keep track of how many of ECRM’scurrent clients show interest in becoming a brand ambassador throughout the two-yearcampaign. Four brand ambassadors need to actively participate in order to consider thisobjective a success.

Increase awareness among potential buyersChange in awareness will be evaluated by the following criteria, agreed upon by

Panacea and ECRM: tracking click-through rates, open rates and number of responsesfrom e-marketing and pitch materials. ECRM currently tracks this data, so Panacea willuse its data as a benchmark to determine success at the end. The ultimate measure ofevaluation will be an increase in clients.

To evaluate the success of improving ECRM’s social media presence, statistics fromJune 2014 to May 2015 will need to be pulled from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Thiswill provide an initial benchmark for ECRM’s social media presence. In June 2016, thesame social media statistics will need to be pulled to evaluate the success of the rstyear of the campaign and again in June 2017 at the end of the campaign. Having thesenumbers for all three years will provide an easy comparison for the growth of ECRM’s

impressions, engagement and followers over the two years of this campaign.

Convert clients to become Connect 3.0 app usersDuring the rst three months of the campaign, a benchmark average of ECRM clientswho use the Connect 3.0 app will be obtained from numerous events within the groceryindustry. At these events, clients will be asked if they used the Connect 3.0 app and, ifnot, why. Beginning in the fourth month, ECRM will start to send out the Connect 3.0tutorial video developed by Panacea at 15-week check-ins. The tutorial will continueto be sent to clients, new and old, throughout the entire campaign. At the end of thecampaign, ECRM will again ask clients at select events within the grocery industry if

they used the app.

Secure trade publication placementsAlthough Panacea listed six specic trade publications for ECRM to target, successwill be measured by ve case studies being published in any of the six publications.The ve case studies can appear in any combination of the six publications. The goalof obtaining ve placements is to expose ve different case studies within industrypublications. A feature placement in a trade show industry publication will consist of ahalf- or full-page case study of a client’s success story through ECRM’s events. Thecase study will describe, in detail, what main benets the client gained from attendingECRM events and how ECRM helped the product or brand takeoff in the industry.

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Campaign Map

June2015

July2015

August2015

September2015

October2015

November2015

December

2015

January2016

February2016

March2016

April2016

May2016

June 1st - August 30th, 2015

Implement Connect 3.0 appquestion into exit interviews.

August 1, 2015 - May 30, 2017

Conduct research about

industry trends and buildreal-time social media content.

August 1, 2015 - May 30, 2017

Implement pitch materials to

ECRM employees..

August 1 - October 31, 2015

Create the homepage video.

September 1 - October 31, 2015

Create the price comparison

infographicNovember 2015

Release the homepage video.Distribute price comparison

infographic.

December 2015 - May 2017

Create and implement pitchmaterials for ECRM employees.&

pitch ECRM case studies toindustry publications

January 1 - March 31, 2016

Create Connect 3.0 video

tutorial.

January 1 - February 29, 2016

Create the second infographic,

“What happens in 3 days atECRM events?”

February 1 - March 31, 2016

Recruit brand ambassadors.


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June2016

July2016

August2016

September2016

October2016

November2016

January2017

February2017

March

2017

April2017

May2017

September 1, 2015 - June 2017

Create and distribute new

email campaign throughConstant Contact

December - May 2017Evaluation will take place for

tactics

November 2016Distribute fourth infographic/

word cloud of “Words ClientsUse to Describe ECRM”

April 1, 2016 - May 2017

Begin sending Connect 3.0

video tutorial&Implement brand ambassadors

and online community.

June - July 2016

Create third infographic onConnect 3.0 app

August 2016

Distribute third

infographic onConnect 3.0app

September - October 2016

Create the fourth infographic/ word cloud of “Words Clients

Use to Describe ECRM”

December2016


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Budget Panacea


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homepage Video

Audience:The main audience for this video is potential ECRM buyers and sellers, specically thoseinterested in attending an ECRM event or those who may be skeptical of ECRM events orECRM as a brand. The video will describe exactly what ECRM does and why it is benecialto the buyer or seller.

Communication Objective:To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in the grocery tradeshow industry over two years.

Key Messages: ECRM is the trade show of tomorrow. The traveling and pitching you do in three months, ECRM does in three days. The only event that can guarantee you face-time with your most sought-after buyers. ECRM brings you the newest products you never knew you needed.

Strategies: Better convey ECRM’s credibility, specically within the grocery industry, by improving

its brand messaging.The only event that can guarantee you face-time with your most sought-after buyers.

Measurement:Compare the number of views on the homepage video to the number of views on thehomepage of the website to get a percentage of visitors that are viewing the video. Use areporting tool that supports seeing trafc to YouTube videos to decipher where video viewsare coming from. Evaluation will also come from leads from the call-to-action at the end ofthe video.

In exit interviews at shows with new clients, a question will be asked regarding the client’sunderstanding of ECRM and whether or not the video contributed to their understanding of

ECRM, or if the client even watched it.

Communication Elements


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Homepage SCRIPT

“I nd that this type of venue is more effective than any trade show I’ve ever been, because you really getupfront and personal with the vendors and you really get to pick and choose, it’s what you like, it’s great.You get to meet so many more vendors than you would at traditional trade show,” Christina Early and

Julie Lajevnesse, buyer, Pharmasave Drugs (Ontario) LTD.

WELCOME TO ECRM…EFFICIENT COLLABORATIVE RETAIL MARKETING … OUR EVENTS AREWHERE BUYERS AND SELLERS COME TO MEET AND MAKE DEALS.

WE ARE THE TRADE SHOW OF TOMORROW, BUT WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN?

WE HOLD THREE-DAY EVENTS AT RESORTS AROUND THE WORLD, UNITING BUYERS ANDSELLERS IN STRATEGICALLY PLANNED MEETINGS THAT INCLUDE GUARANTEED FACE TIME.

WE SERVE FIVE MAJOR INDUSTRIES: GROCERY, GENERAL MERCHANDISE, PHARMACY,HEALTH AND BEAUTY CARE AND RETAIL.

OUR EVENTS ALLOW SELLERS TO GET IN FRONT OF BIG NAME BUYERS IN A ONE-ON-ONESETTING FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE AND TIME IT WOULD OTHERWISE COST THEM. THESEEVENTS BRING BUYERS THE NEWEST PRODUCTS YOU NEVER KNEW YOU NEEDED.

“In my opinion it’s the best trade show circuit out there. All of the meetings are preset, you don’t have togo and set your own meetings, you don’t have to go and nd people at all these networking events, but ofcourse they‘re there. You have targeted meetings that you can get down to business real quickly,” DaveGulas, seller, H&H Wholesale Services Inc.

OUR EVENTS CHARGE ONE FLAT, ALL-INCLUSIVE RATE FOR SELLERS WITH NO HIDDEN ORADDITIONAL FEES. BUYERS ARE WELCOMED AT NO COST.

CONTACT A SALES REPRESENTATIVE TODAY TO REGISTER FOR OUR NEXT EVENT. DON’T MISS

OUT ON THE TRADE SHOW OF TOMORROW!


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E-Newsletter

Audience:

The main audience for this video is current ECRM clients within the grocery industry.

Communication Objective:To enhance relationships with current ECRM clients in the grocery industry and motivate themto serve as brand ambassadors within two years.

Key Messages: ECRM is the trade show of tomorrow. The traveling and pitching you do in three months, ECRM does in three days. The only event that can guarantee you face-time with your most sought-after buyers. ECRM brings you the newest products you never knew you needed.

Strategies: Better convey ECRM’s credibility, specically within the grocery industry, by improving

its brand messaging.Build credibility of ECRM’s overall branding in the grocery industry by positioningECRM events as the must-attend event in the industry through new marketing tactics.

Position ECRM’s current technology as an integral component of ECRM eventsthrough client education.

Measurement:

This tactic will be evaluated by comparing initial email open rates to open rates with the newlybranded email marketing materials.


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January 4, 2016

A Word from Kevin

Kevin Consolo, Category Development Director

Happy New Year everyone! We

are thrilled with the success

ECRM and our clients saw over

the 2015 year with 17

grocery specific events.

We at ECRM think 2016 is

going to be an even bigger andbetter year for our grocery

clients. We currently have six

grocery events scheduled

through the end of February.

This year, we will be creat ing

an executive blog,

implementing a Connect 3.0

tutorial, creating an online

community for you and more!

Over the past three years, we

have seen an increase in the

interest of our grocery events

and look forward to more

opportunities to grow. Keep an

eye on your email for more

updates from ECRM and how

you can get the most out of what we have to offer.

Kevin Consolo, Grocery

Category Development

Director

ECRM in the News

This section will link toECRM in the news andtrade publications.

Meet Our Grocery Directors of Sales

Stephanie Nicklos and Sarah Chmielowicz

Stephanie Nicklos and Sarah Chmielowicz are ECRM's grocery'sdirector of sales. Stephanie and Sarah are in charge of acquiringnew clients and implementing new business ideas. They are theones that come up with the shows that you attend. Have asuggestion or have a question? Get in touch with Stephanie andSarah on LinkedIn.

Connect with Stephanie on LinkedInConnect with Sarah on LinkedIn

Referral Program

Did you miss it? In September, ECRM unveiled it's brand newreferral program exclusively for you, our grocery clients.

How it works:

Let other buyers and sellers know who we are. If youlikes us, tell your friends.

When a potential client books a show, they will be askedif they heard about ECRM through anyone, naming you.

After the new client attends its first show, you will

receive 1 ECRM perk.

ECRM perks will give you opportunities to upgrade your showspace, increase meeting times and more.

Upcoming ECRM Events

Convenience

Fixture Review - Checklane and P.O.P. Merchandising

Impulse, Front-End & Checklane

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PanaceaE-Marketing (E-blast)

Audience:

The main audience for these is prospective ECRM clients. Some e-blasts will be specicallyfor grocery, others are general e-blasts. These e-blasts will be segmented by buyers, sellersand industry when necessary.

Communication Objective:

To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in the grocery tradeshow industry over two years.

Key Messages:

ECRM is the trade show of tomorrow. The traveling and pitching you do in three months, ECRM does in three days.

The only event that can guarantee you face-time with your most sought-after buyers. ECRM brings you the newest products you never knew you needed.

Strategies:

Better convey ECRM’s credibility, specically within the grocery industry, by improvingits brand messaging.

Build credibility of ECRM’s overall branding in the grocery industry by positioningECRM events as the must-attend event in the industry through new marketing tactics.


Measurement:

This tactic will be evaluated by comparing initial email open rates to open rates with the newlybranded email marketing materials, along with click-through rates and any leads generatedfrom these materials.


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What you do inthree months...

ECRM does in

three days.

WE ARE THE ONLY EVENT THAT CANGUARANTEE YOU FACE

TIME WITH YOUR MOST SOUGHT-AFTER BUYERS.

SEE HOW.

27070 Miles Road, Suite A | Solon, OH - 440.498.0500

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Join the trade show of tomorrow!

Dear Jack,

Get face-time with your most sought-after decision makers at one of

our upcoming events.

Candy Planning: Everyday & Summer Seasonal

Candy Planning: Halloween

Fixture Review - Checklane and P.O.P Merchandising

Impulse, Front-End & Checklane

E-Cigarettes, Vapor & E-Cigars

Candy Planning: Christmas & Halloween

Our shows connect you with the right people in less time and money

than a traditional trade show. Visit our website to see what ECRM can

do for you.

And don't forget to ask me how you can receive discounts on

upgraded meeting times, meeting spaces and more.

Sincerely,

[Employee name]

ECRM Website

[Phone]

27070 Miles Road, Suite A

Solon, OH 44139

DON'T FORGET! Add our email address to your address book

to ensure that you receive our emails and stay in the know.

Panacea

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Inforgraphics and graphics

Audience:

The main audience for the informational materials is prospective clients with currentclients as a secondary audience.

Communication Objectives:

To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in the grocerytrade show industry over two years. To secure ve feature placements of ECRM casestudies in medium to top-tier trade publications in the grocery industry in two years.

Key Messages:

The traveling and pitching you do in three months, ECRM does in three days. The only event that guarantees you face-time with your most sought-after buyers.

ECRM is the trade show of tomorrow. Connect to Connect; One app for all before, during and after-event needs.

Strategies:

Better convey ECRM’s credibility, specically within the grocery trade showindustry, by improving its brand messaging.

Position ECRM’s current technology as an integral component of ECRM eventsthrough client education.Build credibility of ECRM’s overall branding in the grocery industry by positioningECRM events as the must-attend event in the industry through new marketingtactics.

Measurements:

Success of this tactic can be measured through engagement on various social channelsafter being posted, specically LinkedIn, using the built-in channel analytics. Successwill also be determined if an infographic is featured in a trade publication to establishECRM as a thought leader.


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PanaceaConnect 3.0 Tutorial Video Audience:

The main audience for the video is current ECRM buyers and sellers to learn aboutECRM’s current technology so they can get the real value out of their meetings.


To convert 15 percent of ECRM’s current clients to become users of ECRM’s Connect3.0 app at events in two years.

Key Message:

Connect to Connect; One app for all of your before, during and after-event needs.

Strategy:


Measurement:

When sellers or buyers log into Connect 3.0 accounts on ECRM’s iPads at the event,before using the app, they will answer a one-question survey asking if they have priorexperience or knowledge of the app before the app will unlock for use of Connect 3.0.

Another form of evaluation can occur during ECRM’s exit interviews by asking buyersand sellers, based on their initial survey answer, if they saw the tutorial video or if theyeven knew it existed. Other questions to ask would be if they found the tutorial videohelpful and if any improvements should be made to the app.

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PanaceaCONNECT 3.0 SCRIPT

WITH THE CONNECT 3.0 APP, YOU CAN GET THE MOST VALUE OUT OF YOUR MEETINGSTHROUGHOUT AN ECRM EVENT. THIS TECHNOLOGY IS PERFECT FOR USE BEFORE, DURINGAND AFTER EVENTS TO TRACK AND CONNECT WITH OTHER VENDORS YOU MEET WITH.

THE APP IS EASY TO NAVIGATE AND CAN BE USED FOR TAKING NOTES DURING MEETINGS,RESEARCHING VENDORS PRIOR TO AN EVENT OR MEETING AND SCANNING PRODUCTS.

BY THE END OF THIS TUTORIAL, YOU WILL KNOW ALL ABOUT THE CONNECT 3.0 APP’S MOSTIMPORTANT FEATURES AND BE ARMED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE TO EFFICIENTLY USE THIS APPAT YOUR NEXT ECRM EVENT.

*SHOWING THE APP AND RUNNING THROUGH THE DIFFERENT TABS, THE VIEWER WILL SEE

THE CONNECT APP BEING USED IN THE VIDEO AND LISTEN TO THE PERSON SPEAK ABOUTIT.*

EVENT AGENDA WILL GIVE YOU A RUNDOWN OF THE THREE-DAY EVENT.

MY MEETINGS TAB IS AN IMPORTANT ONE FOR YOU. THIS IS WHERE YOU WILL FIND WHOMYOU ARE MEETING WITH THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE EVENT. YOU ARE ABLE TOTAKE NOTES THROUGHOUT EACH MEETING SIMPLY BY TAPPING THE BUTTON UNDER NEWNOTES. THESE WILL BE SAVED ON YOUR APP AND CAN BE ACCESSED AT A LATER TIME. YOUCAN ALSO HAVE NOTES EMAILED TO YOU.

IN THIS TAB, YOU ARE ABLE TO SEE THE CONTACT INFORMATION OF WHO ARE MEETING WITH,AS WELL AS THE COMPANY PROFILE. YOU WILL SEE THE COMPANY’S FOCUS FOR THIS EVENTAND ITS CAPABILITIES. IF YOU ARE A BUYER, IN THE PRODUCTS TAB YOU CAN SELECT THEONES OF INTEREST TO YOU. IF YOU ARE A SELLER, YOU ARE ABLE TO SELECT THE ONES THEBUYER WAS INTERESTED IN.

UNDER THE PRODUCTS SECTION, YOU WILL SEE YOUR NEXT TWO MEETINGS OF THE DAY.

THE MEETING RECAP TAB ALLOWS YOU TO REVIEW ALL MEETING NOTES THAT WERE TAKENDURING THE EVENT IN A LINE LISTING FORMAT.

THE NOTEPAD TAB IS A WAY FOR YOU TO QUICKLY JOT DOWN ANY THOUGHTS THROUGHOUTTHE EVENT.

THE FREIGHT AND FLIGHT TAB IS FOR THE SUPPLIER TO REVIEW THEIR FREIGHT INFORMA-TION AND THE FLIGHT TAB IS FOR THE BUYER TO REVIEW THEIR FLIGHT INFORMATION.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHO IS AT THE EVENT OR WHO FROM A SPECIFIC COM-

PANY IS THERE, TAP THE ATTENDEES TAB TO REVIEW CONTACT INFORMATION OF THOSE INATTENDANCE.

BE SURE TO REVIEW THE APP BEFORE ATTENDING YOUR EVENT TO SEE WHO YOU ARE MEET-ING WITH AND WHAT THEIR FOCUS IS IN ORDER TO GET THE MOST OUR OF YOUR FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONNECT 3.0 APP, CONTACT YOURCSR.

THANKS FOR WATCHING, AND WE’LL SEE YOU SOON!

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Pitch materials for ECRM’s sales team

Audience:

The primary audience for the pitch materials depends on who is beingpitched. The rst pitch is for a potential seller in grocery and the second isfor a current buyer in grocery.


To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in thegrocery trade show industry over two years.

Key Messages:

ECRM is the trade show of tomorrow. The traveling and pitching you do in three months, ECRM does in

three days. The only event that can guarantee you face-time with your most

sought-after buyers. ECRM brings you the newest products you never knew you needed.

Strategies:

Better convey ECRM’s credibility, specically within the groceryindustry, by improving its brand messaging.

Build credibility of ECRM’s overall branding in the grocery industry bypositioning ECRM events as the must-attend event in the industrythrough new marketing tactics.

Position ECRM’s current technology as an integral component ofECRM events through client education.

Measurements:

This tactic will be evaluated based upon feedback from employees and frommonitoring discussions from email and phone call leads.

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Cold call sales pitch

Potential grocery client: Seller, never attended, hesitant

“Good morning/afternoon (Name), my name is (name) calling with ECRM. I want to help

you sell your products to CVS, Walgreens, Target and more. ECRM’s events guranteeyou face time with big name buyers to help you get your products into a larger market.With ECRM events, you will no longer need to travel to buyer ofces to pitch productsbecause we will bring the buyers to you. The travelling and pitching it takes you threemonths to do, without the guarantee of getting a meeting, ECRM helps you do in threedays: we do the leg work for you. We are the trade show of tomorrow. We have severalgrocery events coming up this year that I think (company) would benet from attending.“

Cold call sales pitch

Current grocery client: Buyer, hesitant to attend again

“Good morning/afternoon (Name), my name is (name) calling with ECRM. Thank youfor attending (event) last year. Even though the products at (event) were not what youwere looking for, our upcoming (event) features many brands and products that werenot at the previous show that might be of your liking. This event features up and cominghot-ticket items that will be in demand for 2016, and I want to make sure you have theopportunity to take advantage of them.”


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Methodology

The purpose of interviewing ECRM employees was to nd out how they reach out tonew clients on the vendor and buyer sides, discuss the opportunities ECRM provides,what industries they are in, the challenges they have when reaching out to new clientsand how an ECRM event is put on from start to nish. We also wanted to get a betterunderstanding of what the company does and how they execute their plan and ndwhat the buyers and sellers who attend ECRM events regularly have to say. Finally, wewanted to nd out their outreach process and behind-the-scenes workings of qualifyingretailers for events and getting vendors and buyers to attend them.

Participants Stephanie Nicklos, Sales Manufacturer, Grocery

Josh Clyne, Sales Manufacturer, Health & Beauty Care Tyler Barich, Sales Manufacturer, Grocery Joe Tarnowski, VP Content at ECRM Laura Fontana, VP, Retail Katie Reed, Senior Retail Director Isabel Camargo, Senior Retail Director Billy Chapnick, SVP Marketing Rachel Shultz, Business Communications Manager Dana Fox, Retail Director

Key Findings - phone interviews with sales manufacturers

Current types of outreach:

40

ECRM Employees

The sales manufacturers said they use a calling system, face-to-face communicationand advertisements to contact prospective clients to inform them about ECRMevents.ECRM employees attend competitive trade shows to get face-to-face interactions.Four ECRM employees recently went to San Francisco for a trade show. Theyspread out to different areas of the show and talked to vendors and buyers there to

inform them about how they can benet from an ECRM event.The sales manufacturers said ECRM advertises in trade publications such asProgressive Grocer and Convenience Store News. In these publications, ECRMmight have a one page spread about what ECRM is, a list of events coming up andcontact information to sign up.The sales manufacturers said ECRM began adding potential clients (vendors andbuyers who attend other tradeshows) on LinkedIn in the grocery store industry.


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Before calling clients, the sales manufacturers said they have usually alreadyemailed them a week before the call.

The sales manufacturers informed us they usually end up leaving voicemails whenthey call potential new clients. Ninety-ve percent of the people they leave voicemailsfor will never call them back.

The sales voicemails are about two to three minutes long. They said they don’t yielda lot of callback results because they assume most people stop listening after oneminute. They say the phone calls last that long because they do not know a quickerway to explain what ECRM is.

If the sales manufacturers get someone who is willing to talk to them on the phone,they ask them what type of goals they have and then from there, they can suggest

what type of ECRM show would be best for them. This requires some research aboutthe company before they call so they sound knowledgeable and credible.

The two main reasons potential clients do not attend ECRM events is because oftime and money. On paper, ECRM looks expensive to a vendor because all pricesare included at one xed price.

Future Plans for outreach

ECRM has future plans to release case studies as advertisements throughrelationships they build with trade magazines. To create the case studies, theytalk with targeted buyers or vendors and discuss their ECRM experience, why is itrelevant, and how it helps them succeed. After the study is complete, they will send itto trade publications so people can read about real experiences. There are no casestudies published yet.

Additional information:

The sales manufacturers said a lot of the vendors and buyers do not attend ECRMshows because they have never heard of them before.

The sales manufacturers said the greatest challenge ECRM has solved is getting

vendors in front of the right buyers at the right time. They said Airborne, a small,unknown product at the time, was found at an ECRM event.

ECRM does not have any direct competitors because no one really has modelssimilar to them, but they do compete with typical trade shows. Some of them are:The Fancy Food Show, The Convenient Store Show and the Natural Products Expo.

When scheduling ECRM events, ECRM employees look at competitive trade showcalendars so they do not schedule ECRM events during that time.


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The sales manufacturers said it is hard for new companies to get appointments withbuyers without a trade show, so their other option is to visit the buyers’ headquarters.This can be very expensive and also take up to ten times as long, without beingguaranteed a meeting.

They said the most successful and well-known industry is Health & Beauty Care,which began 21 years ago.

The sales manufacturers said Health & Beauty Care took about 10 or more years toget established in the international market.

They said each one of ECRM’s industries has different challenges. For example, thegrocery team has to do more work recruiting buyers and sellers, whereas the Health& Beauty Care category has to downsize or decide if they should hold more than one

event.

The sales manufacturers said food service is a new avenue for them, and so it isharder to gain clients because ECRM is not well known in that specic industry.

Phone Interview with VP of Content Joe Tarnowski

Tarnowski said the ECRM is trying to step away from being viewed as purely anevent company and really as a technology company that enhances the buyingprocess. The event is one of the ways the technology is used.

Tarnowski said the goal of ECRM is to meet as many people on the buyer andseller side and see what it is they’re saying about the ECRM events. He said thatemployees do exit interviews to better understand the sellers experience at theevent.

Having face-to-face meetings is key. Employees being in the eld and at the eventsmeeting with buyers and sellers is really critical. There’s only so much you canaccomplish digitally and nothing replaces the face-to-face conversation.

When asked about positive things said about ECRM, they said they hear that ECRMmakes clients jobs much more efcient. They always hears how ECRM saves clientson the buyer and seller side a tremendous amount of time and makes the process alot easier.

They hear a lot of positive comments on the buyer side that the events give themnew ideas and products. On the supplier side, ECRM helps them get new accountsand meetings with people they’ve never been able to meet with before.

Most of the negative comments were out of ECRM’s control and had nothing to dowith the company and how their team runs the event. Negative comments were


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things like they didn’t enjoy the food or someone couldn’t make it to the eventbecause of a snowstorm that kept big retailers from making the event. A lot ofthe negatives are outside of the ECRM process, but are things that are related tologistics or the event.

The key messages used varies on the buyer/seller and what their focus is. Forexample, if they were focusing on a buyer they would give them content thatwould make their long-term decisions better. The messages vary among thedifferent industries to better suit them.

For example, the if the messaging is going to a rst time client, it would includemore “how to” pieces to help them with the process.

To get the clients to come back to ECRM events, they have “renewals,” which

emphasize tools or content to show them areas of the business or tools that theclient may not have used yet.

At the end of each event, ECRM conducts “exit interviews.” These exit interviewsare to show what good and/or bad things happened at the event. At the end ofeach event, they compile all of the negative comments and the employees sitdown to gure out how to x those problems.

Phone Interview with VP of Retail ECRM EmployeesThe retailers ECRM works with have been vetted through a process that ensures allbuyers are of value to the vendors at the shows. This ensures buying will actually

happen.

A typical pitch sounds like this: “My name is Lauren, I’m calling with ECRM to inviteyou to attend an upcoming candy event taking place in September. I wanted todiscuss this with you to see if you’d be of interest to attend.” And then from there theywould be gauging the knowledge that client has of ECRM and its business process,whether they’re familiar with it or not.

Having face-to-face meetings is key. Employees being in the eld and at the eventsn order to get tier one clients more engaged in the ECRM process, ECRM offersadditional incentives and customization to clients throughout the process based onwhat works best for the client’s current situation.

ECRM employees want to ensure they understand a buyer’s business processbefore retreating to “best practices” to be certain they are providing the best andmost accurate information possible to help them improve. Because this is unique foreach client, the process is not uniformed.

Sellers like ECRM events because they know they’re meeting with decision makersof pre-qualied retailers of a high caliber.


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A common misconception mentioned by retail directors was that buyerssometimes think sellers pay based on the retailers they want to meet with. Anothermisconception is that sometimes buyers think they can leave the event early, whenthey actually have to stay for the entirety of the event to meet with all sellers.

Fontana described ECRM as laid back and casual, including the events, but saidwhen it comes down to it, they are incredibly hard-working people.

ECRM was also described as having the ability to take a buyer’s business processand help them improve upon it if it’s in conjunction with ECRM’s shows.

Clients are given iPads during all ECRM events to log notes and information. After,they can access all of this online and through ECRM Connect software. From there,they can choose to follow-up with whomever they choose. ECRM is not involved in

this step, but offers the avenue for it to happen.

Initial Client Meeting with Billy Chapnik and Rachel Shultz

The School and Ofce Supplies show is one of ECRM’s largest shows.

Health & Beauty Care (HBC) is ECRM’s largest industry.

When it comes to in-house capabilities, ECRM has a design team and an IT team.

ECRM uses ads in trade publications, sales calls, sales emails and LinkedIn to pitchECRM events and to create awareness.

You can typically expect anywhere from 30 to 75 suppliers at any given show.

Phone Interview with Dana Fox

Dana reinforced the idea that ECRM salespeople come up with a shorter, quickerway to sell ECRM services to potential clients they want to attend ECRM tradeshows.

Dana said email marketing is one of their most common ways to market and provide

awareness of ECRM. Dana sent Panacea examples of emails that get sent as initialsales pitches.


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Key QuotesStephanie Nicklos

“Branding of our name is so important. The more people see it and hear it, it willgive us credibility and they will say this is a real company and a real thing.”

“I’ve had someone tell me they didn’t want to attend an ECRM event becausethey thought I was a scam artist.”

“As far as new business, there is still a lot of confusion about who we are andwhat we do.”

Josh clyne

“We have a lot of companies come back to our events and tell us they aresuccessful because of ECRM.”

“HBC is kind of like our bread and butter, so many people in the industry knowwho we are.”

“We do not guarantee sales, we provide the opportunity.”

Tyler Barich

“Face-to-face conversation is so much more valuable than anything else and thisis how we really sell people.”

“I have heard people tell me, ‘If it wasn’t for ECRM, I wouldn’t have been able toget in front of Walgreens or CVS.’”

“I had a conversation with a potential food service client a few weeks back andhe said, ‘Well, who knows who you are? I will skip your event this year, but keepme updated and maybe I will check it out in 2016.’”

“A lot of people do not totally grasp what is going on at an ECRM event until they actually come and attend an event. Once they experience it, everything clicks.”

Joe Tarnowski

“ECRM through its technology and events aims to enhance the buying andselling process to the industries it serves.”


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Panacea “We are an event company, but underlying the events and buying process there

is a technology platform that ECRM built that really helped the buyers and sellersconnect and stay connected.”

“We optimize the sourcing process”

Laura Fontana

“No other trade event can allow a retailer to come in and do their full planning inthe course of three or four days, but we can.”

“Our events take place at very nice resorts and the dress is very casual. Youdon’t see anyone in business suits or ties. It’s just a big extended family-type ofatmosphere. But we also work very hard. It’s laid back and casual but we get the

job done to 200 percent.”

“We can ensure that the buyers are meeting with everyone they need to see. Ifthere are any of their current suppliers not attending the event, we are happy toinvite them to attend just to meet with that one buyer.”

“We are a fast-moving, dynamic, ever-evolving company where there’s little thatwe can’t do for someone in this industry to help them further their businessprocess.”

Billy Chapnick

“What you do in three days at an ECRM event would take you three months to dootherwise”

Dana Fox

“When people tell me they think ECRM costs too much money, it tells me they donot fully understand what ECRM does.”

“One of the negative things is that buyers just do not follow up after the show.

We’re trying and continuing to improve, but how can we make these vendorsfollow up?”

“I have heard salespeople at ECRM say before that if a supplier were to makeeven just one new business connection or sale with a buyer they meet with at ourshow, the event will essentially pay for itself.”

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PanaceaImplicationsAfter speaking with ECRM, we found that face-to-face meetings and communication arethe key to their success. We also found that ECRM takes into consideration the good

and bad things clients say about the events, and all negative things are looked at to seehow they can be xed for future events.

Many people who are not aware of ECRM and what they do don’t believe it can helptheir business or don’t believe it is even a real business. ECRM is beginning to add newways to reach customers through case study publications and LinkedIn, but they arealways looking for more ways to reach out to new customers.

ECRM employees feel they need to spread their brand name so people will recognizethem in the trade show industry. From the retail directors, we learned their pitches, while

professional, sound generic. If the person answering the phone wasn’t aware of ECRM,they may think it’s a scam or telemarketer. When tested, Panacea’s new email pitcheswere more successful than the existing ones.

ECRM provides many resources throughout each event process to enable buyersand sellers to be organized. This allows them to know exactly what to expect. It’s alsoimportant to point out that every buyer who attends ECRM events has buying powers.ECRM events are more laid back than traditional trade shows but the same, if not more,effort goes into planning it to make everything run smoothly.

If it’s the right move, ECRM can analyze and adjust a client’s business process to

make it more successful. “Best practices” vary from client to client and is not uniformed.ECRM is careful in which buyers they choose to work with through a process that vetsout those who wouldn’t be ideal for ECRM events.

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Methodology

Panacea conducted a focus group with ve ECRM employees who work in thedifferent industries ECRM serves: grocery, HBC, general merchandise, pharmacy andinternational. Each participant offered unique perspectives of ECRM based on theirindustry and their varied experiences at events.

Panacea’s focus group took place on January 28, 2015 at ECRM headquarters inSolon, Ohio. Consent forms and discussion guide are in the appendix.

Participants Ashley Newman, Senior Account Manager, Grocery Amanda Lange, Senior Account Manager, Health & Beauty Care Justin Mihaly, Senior Account Manager, General Merchandise Scarlett Englebrecht, Senior Account Manager, Pharmacy Ylenia Manno, Retail Development Manager, International

objectives Obtain feedback from ECRM staff members regarding their perspectives of

ECRM and key messages they share with clients about the company.

Compile feedback and information about the ECRM recruitment and

communication process to make formal recommendations.

Identify common perceptions and misconceptions of ECRM to better understandkey communication concerns, successes and areas of growth.

Gather information about the ECRM brand to make formal recommendations.

Key Findings The focus group with ECRM employees shed light on the following topics:

Biggest Selling points

Sellers are able to cancel up to the day before the event and still receive a fullrefund.

To sellers, ECRM guarantees one-on-one meetings with buyers, which is notguaranteed at a traditional trade show.

The meals at ECRM events can also be utilized as networking events.

The cost for sellers is all-inclusive and is in an intimate setting.

Focus Group: ECRM Employees


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Difficulties

Potential clients think that ECRM is a scam based on the current branding and

approach to gaining new clients. The ECRM employees said people don’t take itseriously and it can be very plain, not explaining the process clearly enough

People don’t often understand what is included in the price and get nervousabout the how high it is.

It is difcult to explain the ECRM concept quickly. ECRM employees said theyeven have difculty explaining their jobs to family and friends.

Key QuotesAshley Newman

“We might call ourselves a trade show because that’s what people can relate to,but we’re not a trade show. Whenever we’re talking to someone for the rst timetrying to get them to wrap their head around what it is that they’re signing up forwe usually will use the term ‘trade show.’”

“I had a buyer one time who wanted trees in his room because he thought that itwas too gloomy inside, and we literally found fake palm trees in the hotel, and wecarried them up and put them in the corners of his room. So we’ll go above and

beyond and do anything for them.”

Justin Mihaly

“It’s very intimate; it’s very personal. So, that way, you’re getting that face time.That’s your 10 or 20 minutes, there’s nothing that’s gonna deviate that.”

Scarlett Englebrecht

“Our buyers think it’s a scam. I’m working with someone right now who wasn’tcalling me back because they thought it was a scam and I’m like, ‘but your bossregistered you, it’s a real thing.’”

Ylenia Manno “We hand them everything they need. We’re literally their guiding force until the

show to make sure it’s productive.”

“All account managers take a lot of accounts at once, and I think the mostimportant thing is making that account feel like they are the only one.”

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MethodologyThe purpose of interviewing buyers at ECRM events was to nd out how they gotinvolved with ECRM, what experiences they have had with ECRM and other tradeshows, and what is their perception of ECRM and the events they attend.

Participants Mat Matsunaga, Buyer and Merchandiser of Health Care, First Aid and

Over-the-Counter Products at Ahold Ahold is a line of supermarkets and online grocery store in 14 states andthe District of Columbia.1

Paul Jarrett, Co-founder and CEO of Bulu Box Bulu Box is a monthly subscription health, weight loss, vitamin and

supplement sample box. It delivers 4 to 5 sufcient samples each monthto its customers.2

Key FindingsPhone Interview with Mat Matsunaga, Buyer/Merchandiser for Ahold

Matsunaga said he enjoys ECRM events so much that he has decided to nevergo to a National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) trade show eventagain. He said NACDS events are much less organized in how the oors areset up and categorized compared to an ECRM event.

Matsunaga attended his rst ECRM event because his boss told him to. Hisboss said he must go to this event to nd new innovations and new emerging

in the market.

1 https://www.ahold.com/Media/Ahold-USA.htm2 https://boomslam.bulubox.com/index.php/faq/category/detail/id/1

PanaceaImplicationsFrom the focus group, we learned that despite all the selling points, none of it matterswithout having a good way of getting clients interested.

ECRM has a lot of benets and ways to appeal to clients, but a lot of those get passedover because businesses don’t quickly understand what ECRM is offering. Theemployees could focus more on nding a quick way to tell potential clients about what itis

the tradeshow of tomorrow

Documents