Q: What booth sales tools would you recommend to other organizers and why?

Selling exhibit space to a live event is hard enough, but what about in the virtual world? As virtual gains steam, more and more exhibitors and attendees have become comfortable with the platform, but that doesn’t mean that the sales approach you use for live events will directly translate to virtual.

Q: We’re really trying to emphasize the importance of having a year-round relationship with our exhibitors. How can we create a sales communications strategy that will support that goal without overwhelming — and annoying — exhibitors?

Looking for a way to reinvigorate your sales approach? Try taking cues from the acting greats. Sure, there are a few differences between making sales calls and mugging for the camera, but there are also some key similarities between acting and selling. Both involve conveying a message to an audience and keeping that audience engaged during a narrative.

Publicizing your show — and your exhibitors — with a comprehensive press strategy is an important component of any event marketing plan. Smart show marketers are also tapped into the value of optimizing press materials for the Web.

There are so many metrics to look at on sales reports that I’m not sure which ones are the best indicators of my show’s health. What are the key indicators I should look for and why?

With more people using cell phones as all-in-one, Web and communication devices, text-based campaigns have become more prevalent. But pulling off a texting campaign isn’t as easy as blasting out a few texts to your exhibitor and attendee base. We checked in with Kim Dushinski, author of “The Mobile Marketing Handbook,” to find out what works and what doesn’t when you want to create an effective text-based communications campaign.

As attendance continues to slide at shows in nearly every industry across the country, show organizers are tapping their registration systems more than ever to help combat the effects of the economic downturn. Organizers are looking to registration data to help prove the ROI of their events to their exhibitors, sponsors and attendees. According to the 213 show organizers who responded to an online survey conducted by EXPO Magazine and Red Bank, NJ-based Exhibit Surveys Inc. in February, as a result of the economy, they’re employing registration practices such as increasing outreach to prevent no-shows (41 percent), increasing data mining of past attendee records (37 percent), offering more early-bird discounts (32 percent), opening registration earlier (31 percent) and providing on-site-only badge pickup (26 percent)

The Parcel Forum takes a twist on the traditional VIP pass with a program that offers true value to targeted attendees. The show, through producer EventEvolution Management, sends invitations to selected attendees offering them 20 percent off of conference admission and a $150 rebate for airfare to the show and free admission to the exhibit hall if they attend the conference. Show organizers work with exhibitors to select attendees they’ll target for the program.