Marlys Arnold brings a unique perspective to trade show exhibiting, with experience – as both an exhibitor and a show organizer. For more than two decades, she’s advised thousands of exhibitors through consultations and workshops for events, ranging from local consumer expos to major U.S. trade shows. She has written two books on the subject: the award-winning “Build a Better Trade Show Image” and “Exhibit Design That Works”.

A respected voice in the industry, Marlys frequently contributes to top publications and podcasts, in addition to hosting the highly regarded Trade Show Insights blog and podcast. She’s also the creative mastermind behind the Exhibit Marketers Café, an online hub for learning.

• In this episode Marlys K. Arnold discusses her wide experience in the Trade Shows industry and how it led to her writing the book “Build a Better Trade Show Image”, meant to act as a guide for creating memorable and effective exhibition participation through meaningful strategy and defined objectives. She uses a building analogy, as in how to build a house, and starts with the blueprint before anything else, to help the reader achieve their final objectives.
• The research phase for exhibitors helps to assess goals and how to measure ROI, set budgets and figure out which trade shows they ought to participate in to realize their targets. On the floor she suggests that the people at the booth have to be trained extremely well to quickly judge whether a walk-in is a prospective who deserves attention and time, or they can politely but quickly move on to the next person.
• She interviewed hundreds of exhibitors and other stakeholders and also used her own experience to determine what works on the trade show floor and what does not. On the organizers’ side, she laments that many of them are not bold enough to try new approaches that can enhance the experience and prolong the time-bound show into a digitally available extension for a longer period. These and many other suggestions on technology, AI matchmaking and pre- and post-show engagement fill this discussion.

Run time – 00:52:29 mins.

Links for Subhanjan

subhanjan@pitch.link

https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhanjansarkar

Neha Raj, known to the literary world as The Book Marketing Girl, is on a mission to ensure no great book goes unread. After leaving the corporate world to pursue her love for books, she co-founded Booknerds in 2015, a thriving community of more than 25,000 passionate readers. Recognising that even exceptional authors struggle with visibility, she began helping writers build powerful personal brands through strategic book marketing. A Top 1 per cent creator on Topmate and one of India’s leading book marketers, she has coached 500+ authors across the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and Dubai. She was recently named one of the recipients of the Economic Times Edge 40 Under 40. This is Neha’s first book.

• In this episode Neha Raj talks about her book “I Wrote a Book! Now What?” and the crucial aspect of marketing a book. She explains how just writing a book and waiting for it to sell on its own just does not work, and why marketing is absolutely essential to ensure sales and reach.
• Through her experience of helping many authors market themselves via organic methods, she compiled her knowledge to help others reach their target audience. This involves social media and diverse other channels, and her recommendation is to start building a community as soon as the idea of writing a book emerges, long before even a single word has been written.
• Her book is filled with many insights and information, such as hiring social media teams, approaching professional book distribution companies, over and above relying solely upon the publishing house to do the marketing or distribution on behalf of authors.

Run time – 01:11:58 mins.

Links for Subhanjan

subhanjan@pitch.link

https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhanjansarkar

R. Scott Gillum has spent his career studying the one variable most sales and marketing strategies ignore: the human being on the other side of the conversation.

As a buyer behaviourist and the founder and CEO of Carbon Design, Scott helps B2B organisations close the gap between how they communicate and how their buyers actually make decisions. His work draws on decades at the intersection of behavioural science, marketing strategy, and enterprise sales — giving him a perspective that is equal parts analytical and deeply human.

Before founding Carbon Design, Scott served as an Office President at gyro (now Dentsu), one of the world’s leading B2B agencies. Before that, he spent more than a decade as a Senior Partner at MarketBridge, advising some of the most recognised brands in technology and professional services.

Scott is a contributing writer for MarTech and serves as a Senior Fellow at the School of Professional Sales at the Naveen Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas, where he helps shape the next generation of sales and marketing professionals.

He lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife Jennifer and dog Leo.

• In this episode, R. Scott Gillum talks about his book, “The Hidden Buyer Journey”, which is based on observational research with buyers and sellers. It concludes that sellers often miss the most important cues while trying to close deals because they focus on features and functionality, whereas ultimately it is the personality of the stakeholders that drives the conversation.
• The Hidden Buyers are people who do not appear in databases but may be called in during the last phase of a buying cycle. They have huge influence on the final call to close but are not visible to the seller organisation until the last moment.
• Today, technology is set up to detect the wrong kind of signals, which is why effort could be wasted. A website visit or a white-paper download does not indicate intent to buy, yet tools are set up to track these activities. With AI, it is possible to do better by tailoring messaging for exact personas- those that actually matter in making a decision.

Run time – 01:11:32 mins.

Links for Subhanjan

subhanjan@pitch.link

https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhanjansarkar