Our latest entry in our interview series ‘Trade Show Experts’ bring us Mark Amtower.  For those woking in the Government space, you’ve very likely heard Mark speak or have read one of his many articles as he is the leading authority in training businesses on how to secure work from the government.  For more information on Mark and the services his company offers, visit his website here.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into government focused marketing?

In the early 1980s I sold management training to Fortune 1000 companies and the government. I went from that to Government Computer News as the first circulation director. At both positions, especially at Government Computer News, I saw that no one treated marketing to the government as a separate discipline. I opened my company in 1985 and have focused on marketing to the government ever since. I also learned early on that this is a relationship driven market – you need to develop deep relationships with those occupying space in your niche on both the vendor and government side, as well as the trade press and event producer sides.

Can you tell us about the types of clients that you work with? Sizes?  Product/Service offerings?

Client size or product/service does not matter as much as the willingness to listen and act on my recommendations. I have worked with very large (Fortune 100) and very small (2-3 people) in both the product and service areas and the clients that listen and act are the ones that benefit. It is usually easier to get traction faster for product vendors, but any company coming into the market has to understand that it is a highly competitive and crowded market and no one enters quickly.

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Our latest entry in our interview series ‘Trade Show Experts’ bring us Susan Friedmann, The Tradeshow Coach.  That name is probably very familiar to many of you, as Susan is one of the most sought after tradeshow consultants in the industry. In this post, Susan shares information on her company and focuses specifically on how to select the right trade show to exhibit your business or service.  For more information on Susan, and the services her company offers, visit her website here.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background in trade shows?

I started doing tradeshows as a teenager, helping my father selling consumer products at a month long Home and Garden Show in London.  During the few breaks he gave me, I walked around the show floor and was disgusted at the way other exhibitors behaved.  As a complete novice, this made a striking impression, so much so that I vowed that one day, I would teach people how to do a better job of exhibiting.

Fast forward 10 years and I found myself working for a PR agency, and my major clients went to big industrial shows around the globe.  I was in charge of helping them get favorable publicity and do a great job at exhibiting.

Fast forward another 10 years, when after three layoffs, I decided to take charge of my own destiny and start a small tradeshow coaching, consulting and training business.

25 years ago, exhibitor education had minimal recognition as being a needed skill.  However, over the years, more and more savvy exhibitors realize that they need training.

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