The Tradeshow of Tomorrow

Trade Show of
TOMORROW
Presented May 1, 2015

by
Panacea
Panacea
Meet Panacea
noun
Founded in 2015, we are an integrated marketing

communications firm serving clients in Northeast
Ohio. We combine traditional tactics with a modern twist
to provide the best results.
Panacea was chosen as the agencyss name because
of our mission to solve your most challenging business
needs. Panacea delivers quality work in a timely fashion.
panacea
/,pans/
a solution or remedy for all

difficulties or diseases
the panacea for all corporate ills

synonyms: universal cure,
cure-all, universal remedy,
elixir, wonder drug;
informal magic bullet
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.
From left to right: Devin Hennessy, Leanne ONeill, Bryan Webb, Lindsay Miller, Heather Kunkle
Devin Hennessy
Financial Accountant
Leanne ONeill
Graphic Designer
Bryan Webb
Account Executive
Lindsay Miller
Senior Editor
Heather Kunkle
Director of Research
Panacea
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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Situation Analysis
....................................................................................................................
Problem Statement
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Objectives
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Audiences
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10
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10
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11
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22
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23
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25
Goal Statement
Key Messages
Strategies
Tactics
Evaluation
Campaign Map
Budget
Primary research report
....................................................................................................
40
.............................................................................................
62
....................................................................................................................................
74
Secondary research report

appendix
Executive Summary
Panacea
ECRM challenged Panacea to seek a better way for ECRM to communicate

its event format and technology to the industries it serves. ECRM has two
main audiences, buyers and sellers, within five trade industries. Panacea was
asked to gauge ECRMs perception among its audiences and evaluate its value
proposition. With this research, we were challenged to develop a strategic
two-year communication plan to promote ECRM events as a must-attend event
within the grocery industry.
Panacea analyzed ECRMs communication tools and compared them to those of
its competitors. This allowed the agency to determine best practices in reaching
key publics that could be used to create a strategic communication plan. Next,
the agency hosted a focus group with ECRM Senior Account Managers from
varying industries and conducted 11 interviews via conference call with 15 ECRM
employees, 10 buyers and seven sellers. One Panacea member attended an
ECRM event and conducted 13 face-to-face interviews.
Through primary research, Panacea found that current clients are very impressed
with and enthusiastic about ECRM events, and most clients decided to attend an
event due to word-of-mouth. Some decide to attend an event based on ECRM
employee pitches. Through primary research, Panacea found that ECRM does
not use consistent messaging and ECRM employees do not have a way to
concisely convey ECRMs value proposition. Primary research also showed that
clients do not fully understand the concept of ECRM until they actually attended
an event. ECRM employees reaffirmed this finding by saying they dont have a
cohesive, concise way of describing ECRMs format and process.
Through secondary research, Panacea found that ECRM could improve upon its
presence 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 also
has room for improvement on social media. Each of ECRMs individual industry
LinkedIn pages are the most active social media channels, with most posted
content being from ECRM employees. ECRM is not utilizing its Twitter account to
its full potential to create buzz and chatter around its events. Most accounts using
ECRMs event hashtag, #ECRMevents, are employees and the ECRM Twitter
handle.
After analyzing both primary and secondary research, Panacea decided to
develop its plan around the grocery industry. ECRMs grocery events have seen
a steady increase in frequency over the past three years, now matching the
number of events in the Health & Beauty Care industry, ECRMs largest and
most-well known industry. Taking into consideration the budget, time-frame and
popularity of industry, Panacea developed a two-year strategic communication
campaign to enhance relationships with and better position ECRM to its key
publics in the grocery industry.
Situation Analysis
Panacea
Client Overview
Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM) was founded in 1994 to move

businesses forward. It is headquartered in Solon, Ohio, and employs
approximately 200 people. ECRM is able to quickly
identify new trends and innovations within each of
its industries because it puts its focus solely on the
I have heard people
client. ECRM serves the following five industries:
tell me, If it wasnt for
Grocery, General Merchandise, Pharmacy,
ECRM, I wouldnt have been
Health & Beauty Care and Retail.
able to get in front of

Walgreens or CVS.
ECRM is a global leader in retailer

promotional data syndication and analysis.
ECRM
has revolutionized the sales and
-Tyler Barich
marketing process by uniting buyers and
Sales Manufacturer,
suppliers of the consumer packaged goods
Grocery
industry at Efficient Program Planning Sessions
(EPPS) events. Just like a showroom at a traditional
trade show, sellers come to
ECRM events and set up a meeting space. However,
these meeting spaces are private and typically in hotel
When people tell
rooms. Buyers from the appropriate industry then travel
from one meeting space to another for pre-scheduled
me they think ECRM costs
appointments. This process is unique because each
too much money, it tells me
seller is guaranteed face time with buyers that
they do not fully understand
matter the most to their business.
what ECRM does
ECRM has been promoting a more efficient way

-Dana Fox
for buyers and sellers to do business for more than
20 years. Its model has been described as speed
ECRM Retail director
dating both internally and externally to help people
understand its format, but ECRM doesnt think this term
has the positive attributes its looking for. There is very
little competition as far as EPPS shows go, but larger trade
shows are still a larger form of competition. In ECRMs request for proposal,
Panacea was challenged to create a positioning strategy and campaign to
promote ECRM events as the must-attend event within each industry.
Panacea
Key Publics Overview
Panacea initially focused its research on buyers and sellers as a whole. Buyers
are representatives from big name brands (such as Walmart, CVS Pharmacy
and Sams Club) who attend trade shows and related events to find new
products for their company to purchase. Sellers are representatives from various
companies trying to introduce and sell new products into the markets within their
respective industries.
Through its research, Panacea found that the grocery industry is one of the most
dominant industries ECRM serves. This is especially prevalent when examining
the amount of events ECRM has scheduled for the grocery industry in 2015 as
well as the increase in grocery industry shows over the past three years. With the
given budget of $150,000 over a two-year span, Panacea believes this campaign
can serve as a pilot program for the grocery industry that can be implemented
within other industries down the road.
Competition
ECRM expressed that it competes with traditional trade shows. The company
strives to revolutionize the industry by making events more personal than the
traditional trade show. Through primary research, Panacea found that many
elements of an ECRM event diversify the company and its value proposition
from many, if not all, traditional trade shows. These elements include an intimate
setting for meetings, top-notch customer service and ECRMs ability to provide
counseling, one-of-a-kind organizational software and extended networking
opportunities.
The challenge ECRM faces, compared to its competition, is the ability to
quickly and efficiently explain to buyers and sellers what makes ECRM events
more beneficial than a typical trade show. Trade shows, with the traditional
format used today, became popular in the 1960s. ECRM was founded in 1994,
with its unique and innovative format, approximately 30 years later. Because of
this time gap and format differentiation, ECRM isnt as well established as
traditional trade shows.
Panacea
Opinion Leaders
Opinion leaders in the grocery industry are primarily trade magazines and
publications. 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 trade
publications (some of which ECRM already has media partnerships with), ECRM
is provided with more opportunities to gain exposure. This is important because
trade publications are where buyers and sellers typically find shows to attend.
Value Proposition
ECRM offers clients a one-of-a-kind buying and selling experience, in a

completely unique format, that allows the buyers and sellers to accomplish their
annual purchasing and selling needs in a personal, cost-effective and
time-efficient way.
ECRM holds three-day trade events, uniting buyers or sellers at resorts in
face-to-face meetings. These strategically planned meetings allow clients to get
in front of big name buyers or sellers for a fraction of the price and time it would
otherwise cost them. ECRM events cost, on average, $5,000 less than most
trade shows.

There are no hidden or additional fees. What ECRM clients pay for up
front is an all-inclusive cost.
Each seller arranges a private room showcasing their available products

and receives top-notch customer service from ECRM employees from
start to finish.
Client-driven services allow ECRM to bring buyers the newest trends and
innovations within each of its industries.
6
Panacea
Behaviors and Attitudes
At first glance, those unfamiliar with ECRM are hesitant to engage in business
due to its branding, price and messaging. Awareness of ECRM among potential
clients is typically low unless they received a recommendation from a current or
former ECRM client.
Sellers pay approximately $15,000 to attend an ECRM event where they have a
converted hotel room as their private meeting space, and buyers travel to each
suppliers private meeting space for pre-arranged meetings. The 10-to-20-minute
meetings guarantee face time. Buyers attend the events at no cost.
Prospective clients dont usually have any idea of what or who ECRM is so they
tend to think its a scam. This creates obstacles for ECRM because it makes it
difficult to build its client base and register them to attend industry events. ECRM
events are not as large as traditional trade shows so they dont receive the
benefit of being heard through word-of-mouth or social media as much as large
and established trade shows.
These behaviors may cause ECRM to lose business because prospective
attendees are not willing to listen to a sales pitch that takes a long time to
explain or seems like a scam. The unwillingness of new customers to attend
ECRM events hinders its ability to grow as a company.
Through research in Destin, Florida, Panacea found that many clients in
attendance heard good reviews of ECRM through word-of-mouth which is
how they ended up attending a show. Those who were new to the event were
unfamiliar with what the ECRM acronym stood for and werent sure what the
event consisted of. After a day of being at the event, the new clients said they
loved the format and how ECRM sets everything up. Returning clients like ECRM
events more than traditional trade shows because of the format and because
they can get more for their money compared to traditional trade shows.
Through continued research in Destin, Florida, it is apparent that not all of
ECRMs clients take advantage of the Connect 3.0 app. The clients who dont
use 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 ECRMs technology and, overall, have
ECRM shows within the grocery industry be chosen over traditional trade shows.
If our plan can change the attitudes of prospective clients, we can reach our
goals of increasing awareness of ECRM and position its events as a competitive
trade show throughout the grocery industry.
7
Panacea
Clients Key Strengths
ECRMs key strength is its customer service to all who attend its events. ECRMs
Client Service Representatives are known for accommodating event attendees
in any way possible. The biggest selling point is ECRMs guaranteed one-on-one
meetings with buyers and sellers. Through research in Destin, Florida, clients
prefered having the pre-scheduled meetings and liked knowing ahead of time
who they were meeting with. ECRM also covers all expenses for buyers to attend
events.
Clients Weaknesses
Potential clients who are unfamiliar with ECRM often think it is a scam. They are
confused and hesitant about the all-inclusive price for the buyers and the high
price for the sellers. ECRM employees also find it difficult to explain what ECRM
is to clients in a quick, and efficient way.
These weaknesses are the issues that affect ECRMs ability to be successful in
branding the company and getting new clients to attend events.
Problem Statement
Panacea found that sellers and buyers are hesitant to attend ECRM events
when not directly referred by others in the industry. As a result, ECRM is not
maximizing on its event attendance potential, specifically within the grocery
industry.
Business Goal
Increase attendance of buyers and sellers at ECRM events within the grocery
industry through thought leadership.
Communication Goal
Increase awareness among potential clients of ECRM events through improved
marketing and thought leadership.
Panacea
Objectives

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 the

grocery trade show industry over two years.
To convert 15 percent1 of ECRMs current clients to become users of ECRMs

Connect 3.0 app at events in two years.
To secure five feature placements of ECRM case studies in medium to

top-tier trade publications in the grocery industry in two years.2
Audiences
Primary
Both current and prospective sellers and buyers in the grocery industry. Panacea will
also target six main trade publications and editors:

California Grocer

Editor: Dave Heylen

Gourmet Retailer

Editor: Anna Wolfe




Editor: David Pinto

Progressive Grocer


Supermarket News

Secondary
Influential sellers and buyers already engaged in business with ECRM and ECRM
employees in the grocery industry.
1
During research conducted at an ECRM event in Destin, FL, Panacea observed approximately 50 percent of buyers and sellers at the

event using the Connect 3.0 app. Due to its popularity, we believe 15 percent is a feasible percentage for this two-year
campaign.
2
Secondary Research: ECRM Media Coverage: September 2014 - February 2015
Key Messages
Panacea
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 and
after-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.
Strategies

Better convey ECRMs credibility, specifically within the grocery

trade show industry, by improving its brand messaging.
Develop ECRM as a thought leader in the grocery industry

through brand ambassadors.
Build credibility of ECRMs overall branding in the grocery industry by

positioning ECRM events as the must-attend event in the industry
through new marketing tactics.
Position ECRMs current technology as an integral component of

ECRM events.
Engage primary audiences on social media in real-time in an

informative and fresh tone, and monitor Twitter and LinkedIn interactions.
Monitor media outlets and editorial calendars for potential pitching and
placement opportunities.
Primary Research, Key Quotes, ECRM Employees, Billy Chapnick
10
Tactics
Panacea
PITCH MATERIALS FOR ECRM EMPLOYEES
Objective - Increase awareness among potential buyers

Strategies - Improve brand messaging

Position ECRM as the must-attend event
Educate clients of ECRMs current technology

Create materials for ECRM employees with models of effective email pitches and cold
calls. It is imperative that ECRM employees who regularly pitch clients via email, faceto-face meetings or cold calls be well versed in the key benefits of ECRM. This includes
being able to clearly and comprehensively convey to the potential client what ECRM can
do for them.1 To do this, Panacea will create a guide book of key messaging for different
scenarios 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.
Rationale
Both primary and secondary research show that many people are confused on what
ECRM is when being pitched. Primary research also shows that ECRM employees arent
using 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 relationship
with the client. Instead of forcing ECRM employees to use a uniformed pitch that does
not allow for specific situations, Panacea will implement guidelines and talking points
employees should touch on during pitches for maximum effectiveness.
Evaluation
Evaluate the engagement of the e-marketing materials from ECRM clients, such as
sentiment of replies. A correlation to consider is to compare current email open rates and
phone call acceptance rates to new email open rates and phone call acceptance rates.
1
2
Primary Research: Focus Group, Key Findings, Difficulties

Primary Research: ECRM employees
11
Panacea
CREATIVE E-MARKETING MATERIALS FOR ECRM EMPLOYEES


Create new, professional branding materials for emailing sellers and buyers about
grocery industry events. Use an email marketing service, such as Constant Contact,
to effectively brand emails.1 Templates will be made by Panacea for ECRMs sales
team to utilize. These emails will also be branded to each specific event and copy will
be tailored to the specific audience: buyers or sellers. In addition, Panacea will update
email subject headings to be more informative and make them stand out. Throughout
communication 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 prospective
buyers and sellers, the materials will detail the benefits of ECRM events and technology
compared to the traditional trade show format with leads and calls-to-action to
encourage inquiries. The content for current buyers and sellers will have less general
information about the benefits they already receive, but be filled with details about new
features within ECRM such as the referral program or upcoming webinars.
Rationale
Primary research showed that ECRMs current e-marketing efforts, such as emails, are
seen as spam by potential clients.2 We even found that the decision-maker within one
company completely disregarded ECRMs emails until his boss forced him to attend a
show.
Evaluation
This tactic will be evaluated by comparing initial email open rates to open rates with the
newly branded email marketing materials.
1
Constant Contact is ranked number 1 in Website Magazines list of top 50 email marketing solutions due to its proven
success. http://www.constantcontact.com/email-marketing
2
Primary Research: Buyers, Key findings, Paul Jarrett
12
Panacea
INBOUND MEDIA RELATIONS: EXECUTIVE BLOG ON INDUSTRY TRENDS

Secure trade publication placements


Create an executive blog that will be housed on ECRMs website. The executive blog
will consist of monthly articles written by senior ECRM executives talking about current
and upcoming trends within the trade show industry, along with news and events within
ECRM to position ECRMs executives as though leaders. These blog posts will be able
to 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
Rationale
Panaceas secondary research showed a lack of significant presence in trade

publications along with communication from the senior-level ECRM team. By creating
keyword rich blog posts, search engine optimization (SEO) will allow online traffic to
be directed to these pages, along with those who explore the website.3 This blog also
allows for ECRMs executives to position themselves as thought leaders within the
industry.4
Evaluation
Evaluation for success will be based upon multiple factors. One factor will be page
views versus visitors per post using Google Analytics, also considering the amount
of time spent on the page. If someone visits a blog and spends less than a minute
on the page, he or she probably didnt read the entire page. Engagement will also be
considered. The executive blog will have the option for comments to start conversations
about the topic or trend. Another measure for evaluation will be placement in trade
publications and engagement with each article through social media.5
1
2
3
4
5
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2011/03/blog-post-to-dos/
http://ecrm.marketgate.com/AboutECRM/OurTeam.aspx
http://relevance.com/4-reasons-why-your-executives-should-blog/
13
Panacea
HOMEPAGE VIDEO


Create an informative one to two minute video, housed on ECRMs website, detailing
ECRMs value proposition. This video will feature a lively ECRM employee guiding
visitors through ECRMs process, how the company sets its events apart from traditional
trade shows and a brief overview of ECRMs key selling points, like the Connect 3.0 app
and networking opportunities.
Rationale
Primary and secondary research showed that both ECRM employees and clients find it
extremely difficult to describe what ECRM does and its benefits in a short, concise way.1
Panacea also learned ECRM previously had a similar six-minute video housed on its
homepage, 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 likely
to watch a one to two minute video. As the video gets longer, the percentage of those
viewing it will quickly diminish.3
Evaluation
Compare the number of views on the video to the number of views on ECRMs
homepage to get a percentage of visitors that are viewing the video. Use a reporting
tool that supports seeing traffic 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 the
clients understanding of ECRM and whether or not the video contributed to their
understanding of ECRM, or if the client even watched it.
1
2
3
Primary Research: Implications, Phone Interview with Sales Manufactures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBk5d-s50xg
http://wistia.com/blog/does-length-matter-it-does-for-video-2k12-edition
14
Panacea
REFERRAL PROGRAM
Objectives - 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 ECRMs events, a referral
program will be implemented.1 In order to earn a referral perk, the new ECRM client will
need to indicate which specific client of ECRMs referred them, and the new client must
book and attend an event. Once this happens, the client that referred the new client will
receive perks such as an upgrade in show space or length of meeting times at a specific
show. For example, the client can be upgraded from a Power Hall to a private room or
from a 10-minute meeting slot to a 20-minute meeting slot.
Rationale
Through primary research Panacea found that many of ECRMs current clients were
referred to events through other ECRM clients.2 Because word-of-mouth influences
many potential clients to become ECRM clients, establishing a referral program will
encourage current clients to become unofficial brand ambassadors and be rewarded
for it.3
Evaluation
Success for this tactic will be determined by the number of referrals made throughout
the two-year period.
1
2
3
http://www.referralsaasquatch.com/7-surprising-stats-about-customer-referral-programs/
Primary Research: Key Findings, Phone Interview with Eric Bray from Goya Foods
Primary Research: Key Findings, Interview with Randi Segal from Dr. Segals Compression Socks
15
Panacea
CONVERT CURRENT CLIENTS INTO ECRM BRAND AMBASSADORS
Objective - 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 have
experienced success from ECRM events to enlist them as brand ambassadors for the
company.1 Although these ambassadors will not be identified as brand ambassadors at
ECRM events, they will be provided with another avenue to establish themselves in the
industry. If they agree to be a brand ambassador, they will have access to be a
moderator of an online community (such as a discussion board or forum) which will
provide members with advice and event tips.2 Since the purpose of this online community
will be to increase ECRMs overall credibility and develop it as a thought leader, all
industries will have brand ambassador representation. However, clients within the
grocery industry will be ECRMs main focus for brand ambassadors. This discussion
board or forum will be open to the public but the brand ambassadors will be highly
influential in starting conversations and engaging others in the industry.
Brand ambassadors will be expected to participate in discussion board chatter every few
days 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 brand
ambassadors to be featured on ECRMs website. The feature will talk about the vendors
experience and success with ECRM events.
Rationale
Through primary research, Panacea found that many of ECRMs clients made the final
decision 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. The
brand ambassadors will share their ECRM experiences with others in their industries and
encourage non-clients to register to attend events.
Evaluation
Success will be measured by evaluating the outcome of the online discussion board or
forum. Based on engagement by industry professionals or ECRM clients in the grocery
industry, Panacea would be able to determine the online communitys success because
the brand ambassadors are the drive behind this initiative.
1
2
3
https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-reasons-your-company-needs-a-brand-ambassador-program
http://digitalvisitor.com/the-benefits-of-having-discussions-forums-on-your-website/
Primary Research: Key Findings, Interview with Randi Segal from Dr. Segals Compression Socks
16
Panacea
CREATE INFOGRAPHICS TO USE AS INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS
Objectives - Increase awareness among potential buyers


To increase ECRMs credibility, Panacea wants to inform current and potential clients
about ECRMs event details and its benefits through infographics, implemented
throughout 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
Rationale
Panacea wants to create infographics because it is a quick visual for viewers to learn
about the specific topic to be conveyed. These visuals will be used as learning tools
because research shows many people dont understand the overall price or process
of ECRM events and many potential clients are unaware of what ECRM provides at its
events that make it worthwhile.23
Evaluation
Success of this tactic can be measured through engagement on various social channels
after being posted, specifically LinkedIn, using built-in channel analytics.
1
2
3
Primary Research: Destin Florida Research - Apendix: Word Graph

http://digitalmarketingphilippines.com/10-reasons-why-you-should-use-infographics-in-your-content-marketing-efforts/
Primary Research: ECRM Employees Key Quotes
17
Panacea
REAL-TIME MEDIA RELATIONS: LEVERAGE ECRM CASE STUDIES AND INDUSTRY TRENDS
Objectives - 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 grocery
industry, 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 are
on the fence or unsure about what ECRM does will get the third-party affirmation that
ECRM has helped them achieve their business goals.1
Thought leadership will include establishing ECRM as the best in the trade show
industry because of the resources provided, the opportunities provided for innovative
products and brands, as well as developing content around the trends in the grocery
industry for publication internally and externally.2
Panacea will gather the research and case study materials and create a visually
creative, yet simple design for a case study or promotional placement in a trade
publication.
The six main trade publications to target will be:

California Grocer

Editor: Dave Heylen

Gourmet Retailer

Editor: Anna Wolfe




Editor: David Pinto

Progressive Grocer


Supermarket News

1
2
https://www.navigatormm.com/5-unbeatable-benefits-of-case-studies-for-content-marketing/
Secondary Research: Who Is ECRM and What Do They Do?
18
Panacea
Rationale
Primary and secondary research show that a big selling point of ECRM as a whole is
getting sellers in front of big name buyers. This is an invaluable asset of ECRMs
because ECRM brings innovative products to big name buyers, such as Airborne.1
These success stories position ECRM as a thought leader because testimonials add
credibility. ECRM already has plans to publish case studies in trade publications, but
this enhances the branding. From September 2014 to mid-February 2015, ECRM
received one case study placement within the grocery industry in Progressive Grocer.
Evaluation
To avoid paid advertising, the key to this tactic is to cultivate and enhance the
professional relationship between ECRM and various grocery trade publications in
addition to enhancing its already formed partnerships with media partners in the
grocery industry. After these relationships are built and built upon, success of
leveraging the stories can be evaluated by whether or not ECRM is published in the
specified trade publications.2
1
2
See Primary Research, Sales Manufacturers Interview, Key Findings.

http://www.platformmagazine.org/2012/11/building-relationships-journalists-and-pr-professionals/
19
Panacea
INCREASE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE WITH REAL-TIME BUZZ
Objectives - Enhance relationships with current clients




Engage audiences on social media
Increase social media efforts, specifically on Twitter, by creating and encouraging

tweeting at events for real-time buzz.1 By using the hashtag #ECRMGrocery, clients
and employees at events can engage with one another and create a buzz about
the events they are attending, even leading up to the event. Maintaining consistent
content on each channel is key to a successful social media campaign.2 To encourage
the use of social media during events and leading up to events, the e-marketing
materials sent out prior to the event will include the hashtag as well as pop-up signs at
the events.
Example tweets:
Do you know the Top 5 #GroceryTrends for 2016? ECRMs SVP of Grocery Sales
tells you here. (LINK) #ECRMGrocery
John Doe from @Walgreens is setting up his room for the #ECRMGrocery event in
Destin, FL this week. Share photos of your rooms with us. (Insert Photo Here)
Rationale
The buzz wont necessarily take place during the meetings because the clients want
to focus on business during that time, but creating buzz during the evenings of ECRM
events, such as networking opportunities, off-site events and themed hotel events, will
enhance ECRMs value proposition.3
Evaluation
Evaluation will be based on benchmarking where social media conversation is at

before the campaign compared to after. For example, #ECRMGrocery is not a hashtag
that is used for events. After the campaign, analyze how many times the hashtag was
tweeted and by how many different people.
1
2
3

See Primary Research, Sales Manufacturers Interview, Key Findings.

http://www.koozai.com/blog/search-marketing/important-business-keep-social-media-profiles-active/
http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2013/07/five-reasons-your-company-can-benefit.htm
l?page=all
20
Panacea
VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR CONNECT APP
Objective - Convert clients to become Connect 3.0 app users

Strategy - Educate clients of ECRMs current technology
Create an updated how-to tutorial video on ECRMs Connect 3.0 apps key features
and showcase the benefits of using it. This video would be emailed to sellers and
buyers 15 weeks prior to attending an event. This video will highlight the most
important features of the app, including:

Event Agenda: a broad overview of what will happen at the event throughout
the day
My Meetings: specific schedule of meetings for the day
Meeting Recap: shows notes that were taken during a specific 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 most
out of every meeting and the event as a whole.
Rationale
Through primary research conducted at an ECRM event in Destin, Florida,

Panacea found that client service representatives provide on-site demos of the
app.1 For this in-person demo to have true value, it is ideal for sellers to have some
sort of familiarity with the app before arriving on-site. It is important for sellers and
buyers to utilize this app in order to maximize the short face-to-face time they have
with one another.
Account managers check-in with sellers and buyers approximately 15 weeks before
an event.2 An online prep is sent to sellers and buyers to familiarize them with the
app. Panacea learned that sellers and buyers tend to grasp the concept of the app
better when a person is explaining it to them rather than by words in an email or in
a written tutorial.3 This is where a video tutorial would be key in replacing the text
format of instructions already being sent to clients.
Evaluation
When sellers or buyers log into their Connect 3.0 account on ECRMs iPads at the
event, before using the app, they must answer a one-question survey asking if they
have prior experience or knowledge of the app before the app will unlock for use of
Connect 3.0.
Another form of evaluation can occur during ECRMs exit interviews by asking
buyers and sellers, based on their initial survey answer, if they saw the tutorial
video or if they even knew it existed. Other questions to ask would be if they found
the tutorial video helpful and if any improvements should be made to the app.
1
2
3
See Primary Research: Destin Interview with ECRM Employee, Michael Castillo
See Primary Research: Destin Interview with ECRM Employee, Michael Castillo
See Primary Research: Destin Interview with Seller Mallory Karigan
21
Evaluation
Panacea
Enhance relationships with current clients
Monitor the open and response rates to e-marketing materials sent to current ECRM
clients encouraging them to participate in the referral program. Panacea will also
monitor how many clients participate in the referral program and how many new clients
are gained through the referral program. The same metrics will be used to evaluate the
participation of brand ambassadors. Panacea will keep track of how many of ECRMs
current clients show interest in becoming a brand ambassador throughout the two-year
campaign. Four brand ambassadors need to actively participate in order to consider this
objective a success.
Change in awareness will be evaluated by the following criteria, agreed upon by

Panacea and ECRM: tracking click-through rates, open rates and number of responses
from e-marketing and pitch materials. ECRM currently tracks this data, so Panacea will
use its data as a benchmark to determine success at the end. The ultimate measure of
evaluation will be an increase in clients.
To evaluate the success of improving ECRMs social media presence, statistics from
June 2014 to May 2015 will need to be pulled from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This
will provide an initial benchmark for ECRMs social media presence. In June 2016, the
same social media statistics will need to be pulled to evaluate the success of the first
year of the campaign and again in June 2017 at the end of the campaign. Having these
numbers for all three years will provide an easy comparison for the growth of ECRMs
impressions, engagement and followers over the two years of this campaign.
Convert clients to become Connect 3.0 app users
During the first three months of the campaign, a benchmark average of ECRM clients
who use the Connect 3.0 app will be obtained from numerous events within the grocery
industry. At these events, clients will be asked if they used the Connect 3.0 app and, if
not, why. Beginning in the fourth month, ECRM will start to send out the Connect 3.0
tutorial video developed by Panacea at 15-week check-ins. The tutorial will continue
to be sent to clients, new and old, throughout the entire campaign. At the end of the
campaign, ECRM will again ask clients at select events within the grocery industry if
they used the app.
Although Panacea listed six specific trade publications for ECRM to target, success
will be measured by five case studies being published in any of the six publications.
The five case studies can appear in any combination of the six publications. The goal
of obtaining five placements is to expose five different case studies within industry
publications. A feature placement in a trade show industry publication will consist of a
half- or full-page case study of a clients success story through ECRMs events. The
case study will describe, in detail, what main benefits the client gained from attending
ECRM events and how ECRM helped the product or brand takeoff in the industry.
22
Panacea
Campaign Map
June
2015
July
2015
August 1, 2015 - May 30, 2017

Conduct research about
industry trends and build
real-time social media content.
August
2015
August 1 - October 31, 2015
Create the homepage video.
September
2015
October
2015
September 1 - October 31, 2015

Create the price comparison
infographic
August 1, 2015 - May 30, 2017
Implement pitch materials to
ECRM employees..
June 1st - August 30th, 2015

Implement Connect 3.0 app
question into exit interviews.
November
2015
December
2015
January
2016
January 1 - March 31, 2016

Create Connect 3.0 video
tutorial.
November 2015
Release the homepage video.
Distribute price comparison
infographic.
January 1 - February 29, 2016
Create the second infographic,
What happens in 3 days at
ECRM events?
February
2016
February 1 - March 31, 2016
Recruit brand ambassadors.
March
2016
April
2016
December 2015 - May 2017

Create and implement pitch
materials for ECRM employees.
&
pitch ECRM case studies to
industry publications
May
2016
23
Panacea
April 1, 2016 - May 2017

Begin sending Connect 3.0
video tutorial
&
Implement brand ambassadors
and online community.
June - July 2016
Create third infographic on
Connect 3.0 app
September 1, 2015 - June 2017

Create and distribute new
email campaign through
Constant Contact
September - October 2016

Create the fourth infographic/
word cloud of Words Clients
Use to Describe ECRM
November 2016
Distribute fourth infographic/

word cloud of Words Clients
Use to Describe ECRM
June
2016
August 2016
Distribute third
infographic on
Connect 3.0
app
July
2016
August
2016
September
2016
October
2016
November
2016
December
2016
January
2017
February
2017
March
2017
April
2017
May
2017
December - May 2017
Evaluation will take place for

tactics
24
Budget
Panacea
25
Panacea
26
Panacea
27
Communication Elements
Panacea
homepage Video
Audience:
The main audience for this video is potential ECRM buyers and sellers, specifically those
interested in attending an ECRM event or those who may be skeptical of ECRM events or
ECRM as a brand. The video will describe exactly what ECRM does and why it is beneficial
to the buyer or seller.
Communication Objective:
To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in the grocery 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.
Strategies:

Better convey ECRMs credibility, specifically within the grocery industry, by improving
its brand messaging.
Measurement:
Compare the number of views on the homepage video to the number of views on the
homepage of the website to get a percentage of visitors that are viewing the video. Use a
reporting tool that supports seeing traffic to YouTube videos to decipher where video views
are coming from. Evaluation will also come from leads from the call-to-action at the end of
the video.
In exit interviews at shows with new clients, a question will be asked regarding the clients
understanding of ECRM and whether or not the video contributed to their understanding of
ECRM, or if the client even watched it.
30
Homepage SCRIPT
Panacea
I find that this type of venue is more effective than any trade show Ive ever been, because you really get
upfront and personal with the vendors and you really get to pick and choose, its what you like, its 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 ECRMEFFICIENT COLLABORATIVE RETAIL MARKETING OUR EVENTS ARE
WHERE 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 AND
SELLERS 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-ONE
SETTING FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE AND TIME IT WOULD OTHERWISE COST THEM. THESE
EVENTS BRING BUYERS THE NEWEST PRODUCTS YOU NEVER KNEW YOU NEEDED.
In my opinion its the best trade show circuit out there. All of the meetings are preset, you dont have to
go and set your own meetings, you dont have to go and find people at all these networking events, but of
course theyre there. You have targeted meetings that you can get down to business real quickly, Dave
Gulas, seller, H&H Wholesale Services Inc.
OUR EVENTS CHARGE ONE FLAT, ALL-INCLUSIVE RATE FOR SELLERS WITH NO HIDDEN OR
ADDITIONAL FEES. BUYERS ARE WELCOMED AT NO COST.
CONTACT A SALES REPRESENTATIVE TODAY TO REGISTER FOR OUR NEXT EVENT. DONT MISS
OUT ON THE TRADE SHOW OF TOMORROW!
31
Panacea
E-Newsletter
Audience:
The main audience for this video is current ECRM clients within the grocery industry.
To enhance relationships with current ECRM clients in the grocery industry and motivate them
to serve as brand ambassadors within two years.
Key Messages:


Strategies:

Build credibility of ECRMs overall branding in the grocery industry by positioning
ECRM events as the must-attend event in the industry through new marketing tactics.
Position ECRMs current technology as an integral component of ECRM events
through client education.
Measurement:
This tactic will be evaluated by comparing initial email open rates to open rates with the newly
branded email marketing materials.
32
Panacea
January4,2016
AWordfromKevin
KevinConsolo,Category
DevelopmentDirector
HappyNewYeareveryone!We
arethrilledwiththesuccess
ECRMandourclientssawover
the2015yearwith17
groceryspecificevents.
WeatECRMthink2016is
goingtobeanevenbiggerand
betteryearforourgrocery
clients.Wecurrentlyhavesix
groceryeventsscheduled
throughtheendofFebruary.
Thisyear,wewillbecreating
anexecutiveblog,
implementingaConnect3.0
tutorial,creatinganonline
communityforyouandmore!
Overthepastthreeyears,we
haveseenanincreaseinthe
interestofourgroceryevents
andlookforwardtomore
opportunitiestogrow.Keepan
eyeonyouremailformore
updatesfromECRMandhow
youcangetthemostoutof
whatwehavetooffer.
KevinConsolo,Grocery
CategoryDevelopment
Director
MeetOurGroceryDirectorsofSales
StephanieNicklosandSarahChmielowicz
StephanieNicklosandSarahChmielowiczareECRM'sgrocery's
directorofsales.StephanieandSarahareinchargeofacquiring
newclientsandimplementingnewbusinessideas.Theyarethe
onesthatcomeupwiththeshowsthatyouattend.Havea
suggestionorhaveaquestion?GetintouchwithStephanieand
SarahonLinkedIn.
ConnectwithStephanieonLinkedIn
ConnectwithSarahonLinkedIn
ReferralProgram
Didyoumissit?InSeptember,ECRMunveiledit'sbrandnew
referralprogramexclusivelyforyou,ourgroceryclients.
Howitworks:
Letotherbuyersandsellersknowwhoweare.Ifyou
likesus,tellyourfriends.
Whenapotentialclientbooksashow,theywillbeasked
iftheyheardaboutECRMthroughanyone,namingyou.
Afterthenewclientattendsitsfirstshow,youwill
receive1ECRMperk.
ECRMperkswillgiveyouopportunitiestoupgradeyourshow
space,increasemeetingtimesandmore.
UpcomingECRMEvents
ECRMintheNews
Convenience
Thissectionwilllinkto
ECRMinthenewsand
tradepublications.
FixtureReviewChecklaneandP.O.P.Merchandising
Impulse,FrontEnd&Checklane
ECigarettes,Vapor&ECigars
CandyPlanning:Christmas&Halloween
Snack&DryGrocery
33
Panacea
E-Marketing (E-blast)
Audience:
The main audience for these is prospective ECRM clients. Some e-blasts will be specifically
for grocery, others are general e-blasts. These e-blasts will be segmented by buyers, sellers
and industry when necessary.
To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in the grocery trade
show industry over two years.
Key Messages:




Strategies:




ECRM 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 newly
branded email marketing materials, along with click-through rates and any leads generated
from these materials.
34
Panacea
What you do in
three months...
ECRM does in
three days.
WE ARE THE ONLY EVENT THAT CAN

GUARANTEE YOU FACETIME WITH YOUR
MOST SOUGHTAFTER BUYERS.
SEE HOW.
27070MilesRoad,SuiteA|Solon,OH440.498.0500
Forwardemail
Thisemailwassenttochivek330@gmail.combylindsayemillerr@gmail.com|
UpdateProfile/EmailAddress|RapidremovalwithSafeUnsubscribe|PrivacyPolicy.
35
ECRMMarketgate|27070MilesRoad|SuiteA|Solon|OH|44319
Panacea
Jointhetradeshowoftomorrow!
DearJack,
Getfacetimewithyourmostsoughtafterdecisionmakersatoneof
ourupcomingevents.
CandyPlanning:Everyday&SummerSeasonal
CandyPlanning:Halloween
FixtureReviewChecklaneandP.O.PMerchandising
Impulse,FrontEnd&Checklane
ECigarettes,Vapor&ECigars
CandyPlanning:Christmas&Halloween
Ourshowsconnectyouwiththerightpeopleinlesstimeandmoney
thanatraditionaltradeshow.VisitourwebsitetoseewhatECRMcan
doforyou.
Anddon'tforgettoaskmehowyoucanreceivediscountson
upgradedmeetingtimes,meetingspacesandmore.
Sincerely,
[Employeename]
ECRMWebsite
[Phone]
27070MilesRoad,SuiteA
Solon,OH44139
DON'TFORGET!Addouremailaddresstoyouraddressbook
toensurethatyoureceiveouremailsandstayintheknow.
35
Forwardemail
Panacea
Inforgraphics and graphics
Audience:
The main audience for the informational materials is prospective clients with current
clients as a secondary audience.
Communication Objectives:
To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in the grocery
trade show industry over two years. To secure five feature placements of ECRM case
studies in medium to top-tier trade publications in the grocery industry in two years.
Key Messages:


The only event that guarantees you face-time with your most sought-after buyers.


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

Better convey ECRMs credibility, specifically within the grocery trade show

industry, by improving its brand messaging.




ECRM events as the must-attend event in the industry through new marketing

tactics.
Measurements:
Success of this tactic can be measured through engagement on various social channels
after being posted, specifically LinkedIn, using the built-in channel analytics. Success
will also be determined if an infographic is featured in a trade publication to establish
ECRM as a thought leader.
36
Panacea
37
Panacea
Connect 3.0 Tutorial Video
Audience:
The main audience for the video is current ECRM buyers and sellers to learn about
ECRMs current technology so they can get the real value out of their meetings.
To convert 15 percent of ECRMs current clients to become users of ECRMs Connect
3.0 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 ECRMs iPads at the event,
before using the app, they will answer a one-question survey asking if they have prior
experience or knowledge of the app before the app will unlock for use of Connect 3.0.
Another form of evaluation can occur during ECRMs exit interviews by asking buyers
and sellers, based on their initial survey answer, if they saw the tutorial video or if they
even knew it existed. Other questions to ask would be if they found the tutorial video
helpful and if any improvements should be made to the app.
38
Panacea
CONNECT 3.0 SCRIPT
WITH THE CONNECT 3.0 APP, YOU CAN GET THE MOST VALUE OUT OF YOUR MEETINGS
THROUGHOUT AN ECRM EVENT. THIS TECHNOLOGY IS PERFECT FOR USE BEFORE, DURING
AND 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 APPS MOST
IMPORTANT FEATURES AND BE ARMED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE TO EFFICIENTLY USE THIS APP
AT 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 ABOUT
IT.*
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 WHOM
YOU ARE MEETING WITH THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE EVENT. YOU ARE ABLE TO
TAKE NOTES THROUGHOUT EACH MEETING SIMPLY BY TAPPING THE BUTTON UNDER NEW
NOTES. THESE WILL BE SAVED ON YOUR APP AND CAN BE ACCESSED AT A LATER TIME. YOU
CAN 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 COMPANYS FOCUS FOR THIS EVENT
AND ITS CAPABILITIES. IF YOU ARE A BUYER, IN THE PRODUCTS TAB YOU CAN SELECT THE
ONES OF INTEREST TO YOU. IF YOU ARE A SELLER, YOU ARE ABLE TO SELECT THE ONES THE
BUYER 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 TAKEN
DURING THE EVENT IN A LINE LISTING FORMAT.
THE NOTEPAD TAB IS A WAY FOR YOU TO QUICKLY JOT DOWN ANY THOUGHTS THROUGHOUT
THE EVENT.
THE FREIGHT AND FLIGHT TAB IS FOR THE SUPPLIER TO REVIEW THEIR FREIGHT INFORMATION 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 COMPANY IS THERE, TAP THE ATTENDEES TAB TO REVIEW CONTACT INFORMATION OF THOSE IN
ATTENDANCE.
BE SURE TO REVIEW THE APP BEFORE ATTENDING YOUR EVENT TO SEE WHO YOU ARE MEETING WITH AND WHAT THEIR FOCUS IS IN ORDER TO GET THE MOST OUR OF YOUR FACE-TOFACE MEETINGS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONNECT 3.0 APP, CONTACT YOUR
CSR.
THANKS FOR WATCHING, AND WELL SEE YOU SOON!
39
Panacea
Pitch materials for ECRMs sales team
Audience:
The primary audience for the pitch materials depends on who is being
pitched. The first pitch is for a potential seller in grocery and the second is
for a current buyer in grocery.
To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in the
grocery trade show industry over two years.
Key Messages:


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.

Strategies:

Better convey ECRMs credibility, specifically within the grocery

industry, by improving its brand messaging.

Build credibility of ECRMs overall branding in the grocery industry by

positioning ECRM events as the must-attend event in the industry

through new marketing tactics.

Position ECRMs current technology as an integral component of

ECRM events through client education.
Measurements:
This tactic will be evaluated based upon feedback from employees and from
monitoring discussions from email and phone call leads.
39
Panacea
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. ECRMs events gurantee
you 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 offices to pitch products
because we will bring the buyers to you. The travelling and pitching it takes you three
months to do, without the guarantee of getting a meeting, ECRM helps you do in three
days: we do the leg work for you. We are the trade show of tomorrow. We have several
grocery events coming up this year that I think (company) would benefit 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 you
for attending (event) last year. Even though the products at (event) were not what you
were looking for, our upcoming (event) features many brands and products that were
not at the previous show that might be of your liking. This event features up and coming
hot-ticket items that will be in demand for 2016, and I want to make sure you have the
opportunity to take advantage of them.
39
ECRM Employees
Panacea
Methodology
The purpose of interviewing ECRM employees was to find out how they reach out to
new 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 clients
and how an ECRM event is put on from start to finish. We also wanted to get a better
understanding of what the company does and how they execute their plan and find
what the buyers and sellers who attend ECRM events regularly have to say. Finally, we
wanted to find out their outreach process and behind-the-scenes workings of qualifying
retailers 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:
The sales manufacturers said they use a calling system, face-to-face communication
and advertisements to contact prospective clients to inform them about ECRM
events.
ECRM employees attend competitive trade shows to get face-to-face interactions.
Four ECRM employees recently went to San Francisco for a trade show. They
spread out to different areas of the show and talked to vendors and buyers there to
inform them about how they can benefit from an ECRM event.
The sales manufacturers said ECRM advertises in trade publications such as
Progressive Grocer and Convenience Store News. In these publications, ECRM
might have a one page spread about what ECRM is, a list of events coming up and
contact information to sign up.
The sales manufacturers said ECRM began adding potential clients (vendors and
buyers who attend other tradeshows) on LinkedIn in the grocery store industry.
40
Panacea
Pitch Process:
Before calling clients, the sales manufacturers said they have usually already
emailed them a week before the call.
The sales manufacturers informed us they usually end up leaving voicemails when
they call potential new clients. Ninety-five percent of the people they leave voicemails
for will never call them back.
The sales voicemails are about two to three minutes long. They said they dont yield
a lot of callback results because they assume most people stop listening after one
minute. They say the phone calls last that long because they do not know a quicker
way 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 about
the company before they call so they sound knowledgeable and credible.
The two main reasons potential clients do not attend ECRM events is because of
time and money. On paper, ECRM looks expensive to a vendor because all prices
are included at one fixed price.
Future Plans for outreach
ECRM has future plans to release case studies as advertisements through
relationships they build with trade magazines. To create the case studies, they
talk with targeted buyers or vendors and discuss their ECRM experience, why is it
relevant, and how it helps them succeed. After the study is complete, they will send it
to trade publications so people can read about real experiences. There are no case
studies published yet.
Additional information:
The sales manufacturers said a lot of the vendors and buyers do not attend ECRM
shows 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 models
similar 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 show
calendars so they do not schedule ECRM events during that time.
41
Panacea
The sales manufacturers said it is hard for new companies to get appointments with
buyers 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 being
guaranteed 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 to
get established in the international market.
They said each one of ECRMs industries has different challenges. For example, the
grocery 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 is
harder to gain clients because ECRM is not well known in that specific industry.
Phone Interview with VP of Content Joe Tarnowski

Tarnowski said the ECRM is trying to step away from being viewed as purely an
event company and really as a technology company that enhances the buying
process. 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 and
seller side and see what it is theyre saying about the ECRM events. He said that
employees do exit interviews to better understand the sellers experience at the
event.
Having face-to-face meetings is key. Employees being in the field and at the events
meeting with buyers and sellers is really critical. Theres only so much you can
accomplish digitally and nothing replaces the face-to-face conversation.
When asked about positive things said about ECRM, they said they hear that ECRM
makes clients jobs much more efficient. They always hears how ECRM saves clients
on the buyer and seller side a tremendous amount of time and makes the process a
lot easier.
They hear a lot of positive comments on the buyer side that the events give them
new ideas and products. On the supplier side, ECRM helps them get new accounts
and meetings with people theyve never been able to meet with before.
Most of the negative comments were out of ECRMs control and had nothing to do
with the company and how their team runs the event. Negative comments were
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Panacea
things like they didnt enjoy the food or someone couldnt make it to the event
because of a snowstorm that kept big retailers from making the event. A lot of
the negatives are outside of the ECRM process, but are things that are related to
logistics or the event.
The key messages used varies on the buyer/seller and what their focus is. For
example, if they were focusing on a buyer they would give them content that
would make their long-term decisions better. The messages vary among the
different industries to better suit them.
For example, the if the messaging is going to a first time client, it would include
more 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 the
client may not have used yet.
At the end of each event, ECRM conducts exit interviews. These exit interviews
are to show what good and/or bad things happened at the event. At the end of
each event, they compile all of the negative comments and the employees sit
down to figure out how to fix those problems.
Phone Interview with VP of Retail ECRM Employees
The retailers ECRM works with have been vetted through a process that ensures all
buyers 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, Im calling with ECRM to invite
you to attend an upcoming candy event taking place in September. I wanted to
discuss this with you to see if youd be of interest to attend. And then from there they
would be gauging the knowledge that client has of ECRM and its business process,
whether theyre familiar with it or not.
Having face-to-face meetings is key. Employees being in the field and at the events
n order to get tier one clients more engaged in the ECRM process, ECRM offers
additional incentives and customization to clients throughout the process based on
what works best for the clients current situation.
ECRM employees want to ensure they understand a buyers business process
before retreating to best practices to be certain they are providing the best and
most accurate information possible to help them improve. Because this is unique for
each client, the process is not uniformed.
Sellers like ECRM events because they know theyre meeting with decision makers
of pre-qualified retailers of a high caliber.
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Panacea
A common misconception mentioned by retail directors was that buyers
sometimes think sellers pay based on the retailers they want to meet with. Another
misconception is that sometimes buyers think they can leave the event early, when
they 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 said
when it comes down to it, they are incredibly hard-working people.
ECRM was also described as having the ability to take a buyers business process
and help them improve upon it if its in conjunction with ECRMs 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 Office Supplies show is one of ECRMs largest shows.
Health & Beauty Care (HBC) is ECRMs 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 pitch
ECRM 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, quicker
way to sell ECRM services to potential clients they want to attend ECRM trade
shows.
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 initial
sales pitches.
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Panacea
Key Quotes
Stephanie Nicklos

Branding of our name is so important. The more people see it and hear it, it will

give us credibility and they will say this is a real company and a real thing.

Ive had someone tell me they didnt want to attend an ECRM event because
they thought I was a scam artist.
As far as new business, there is still a lot of confusion about who we are and
what we do.
Josh clyne

We have a lot of companies come back to our events and tell us they are

successful because of ECRM.

HBC is kind of like our bread and butter, so many people in the industry know
who 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 this

is how we really sell people.

I have heard people tell me, If it wasnt for ECRM, I wouldnt have been able to
get in front of Walgreens or CVS.
I had a conversation with a potential food service client a few weeks back and
he said, Well, who knows who you are? I will skip your event this year, but keep
me 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 and

selling 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 sellers
connect 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 in

the course of three or four days, but we can.

Our events take place at very nice resorts and the dress is very casual. You
dont see anyone in business suits or ties. Its just a big extended family-type of
atmosphere. But we also work very hard. Its laid back and casual but we get the
job done to 200 percent.
We are a fast-moving, dynamic, ever-evolving company where theres little that

we cant do for someone in this industry to help them further their business
process.
We can ensure that the buyers are meeting with everyone they need to see. If
there are any of their current suppliers not attending the event, we are happy to
invite them to attend just to meet with that one buyer.
Billy Chapnick

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

otherwise
Dana Fox

When people tell me they think ECRM costs too much money, it tells me they do

not fully understand what ECRM does.

One of the negative things is that buyers just do not follow up after the show.
Were trying and continuing to improve, but how can we make these vendors
follow up?
I have heard salespeople at ECRM say before that if a supplier were to make
even just one new business connection or sale with a buyer they meet with at our
show, the event will essentially pay for itself.
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Panacea
Implications
After speaking with ECRM, we found that face-to-face meetings and communication are
the 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 see
how they can be fixed for future events.
Many people who are not aware of ECRM and what they do dont believe it can help
their business or dont believe it is even a real business. ECRM is beginning to add new
ways to reach customers through case study publications and LinkedIn, but they are
always looking for more ways to reach out to new customers.
ECRM employees feel they need to spread their brand name so people will recognize
them in the trade show industry. From the retail directors, we learned their pitches, while
professional, sound generic. If the person answering the phone wasnt aware of ECRM,
they may think its a scam or telemarketer. When tested, Panaceas new email pitches
were more successful than the existing ones.
ECRM provides many resources throughout each event process to enable buyers
and sellers to be organized. This allows them to know exactly what to expect. Its also
important 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 its the right move, ECRM can analyze and adjust a clients 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 vets
out those who wouldnt be ideal for ECRM events.
47
Focus Group: ECRM Employees
Panacea
Methodology
Panacea conducted a focus group with five ECRM employees who work in the
different industries ECRM serves: grocery, HBC, general merchandise, pharmacy and
international. Each participant offered unique perspectives of ECRM based on their
industry and their varied experiences at events.
Panaceas focus group took place on January 28, 2015 at ECRM headquarters in
Solon, 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 understand

key 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 full

refund.

To sellers, ECRM guarantees one-on-one meetings with buyers, which is not

guaranteed 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.
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Panacea
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 dont take it

seriously and it can be very plain, not explaining the process clearly enough

People dont often understand what is included in the price and get nervous
about the how high it is.
It is difficult to explain the ECRM concept quickly. ECRM employees said they
even have difficulty explaining their jobs to family and friends.
Key Quotes
Ashley Newman

We might call ourselves a trade show because thats what people can relate to,

but were not a trade show. Whenever were talking to someone for the first time

trying to get them to wrap their head around what it is that theyre signing up for

we usually will use the term trade show.

I had a buyer one time who wanted trees in his room because he thought that it
was too gloomy inside, and we literally found fake palm trees in the hotel, and we
carried them up and put them in the corners of his room. So well go above and
beyond and do anything for them.
Justin Mihaly

Its very intimate; its very personal. So, that way, youre getting that face time.

Thats your 10 or 20 minutes, theres nothing thats gonna deviate that.
Scarlett Englebrecht

Our buyers think its a scam. Im working with someone right now who wasnt

calling me back because they thought it was a scam and Im like, but your boss

registered you, its a real thing.
Ylenia Manno

We hand them everything they need. Were literally their guiding force until the

show to make sure its productive.

All account managers take a lot of accounts at once, and I think the most
important thing is making that account feel like they are the only one.
49
Implications
Panacea
From the focus group, we learned that despite all the selling points, none of it matters
without having a good way of getting clients interested.
ECRM has a lot of benefits and ways to appeal to clients, but a lot of those get passed
over because businesses dont quickly understand what ECRM is offering. The
employees could focus more on finding a quick way to tell potential clients about what it
is ECRM does to get their business and revolutionize the trade show industry.
The focus group really shed light on added bonuses ECRM offers as well as why
businesses may not join their events right away.
Buyers
Methodology
The purpose of interviewing buyers at ECRM events was to find out how they got
involved with ECRM, what experiences they have had with ECRM and other trade
shows, 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 and

the 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 sufficient samples each month

to its customers.2
Key Findings
Phone Interview with Mat Matsunaga, Buyer/Merchandiser for Ahold

Matsunaga said he enjoys ECRM events so much that he has decided to never

go to a National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) trade show event

again. He said NACDS events are much less organized in how the floors are

set up and categorized compared to an ECRM event.

Matsunaga attended his first ECRM event because his boss told him to. His
boss said he must go to this event to find new innovations and new emerging
in the market.
1
2
https://www.ahold.com/Media/Ahold-USA.htm
https://boomslam.bulubox.com/index.php/faq/category/detail/id/1
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Panacea

He said the ECRM staff and customer service are wonderful and they are very
accommodating to the clients needs.
He said it took too long to get to Destin, Florida because he had three connecting
flights and it was a lot to handle. The other bad experience was in Las Vegas. He
said the hotel was bad and the food was terrible, which made for a bad
experience.
Matsunaga said he is a big fan of the application, Connect 3.0, which is provided
by ECRM. He said Connect 3.0 provides him with information about each vendor
he is going to meet and also connects him with his coworkers who are not at the
event. The app allows him to review what he is about to see, take notes, and
request samples after the event.
He said he only had two bad experiences with ECRM. The reason for these bad
experiences was not because of the customer service, but the location the event
was held.
Phone Interview with Paul Jarrett, Co-founder and CEO of Bulu Box

Paul Jarrett despises traditional trade shows and believes more times than not

they are really expensive. He said the follow-up process and putting a dollar

amount to the value of going to the trade show is hard to justify. He finds himself

asking was it worth it to attend.

ECRM is seen as a scam: The companys branding comes off spammy. The
whole concept seemed too good to be true, and he thought they would receive a
bill once he returned from the event.
Jarrett said that their emails come off as spamy. He said he wasnt sure how
they made their money and thats why he thought it was too good to be true. He
said he told ECRM in a nice way that its branding looks like spam.
Through its branding, Jarrett believes ECRM comes off as really old and really
slow, like at any moment there will be a got you moment and ECRM will take
his money. Jarrett compared ECRM to a You Just Won a Million Dollars! flier.
The technology that ECRM provides is painful. The user database is horrible and
that one must commit to learning it.
When asked if he faced any roadblocks while attending events, Jarrett said he
just simply couldnt wrap his head around what ECRM was. It took him until
halfway through the first day to get an idea of what is was.
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Panacea

Jarrett said even if ECRM had two-minute video sharing what it is ECRM does
or a video series of what happens would give him and others who arent familiar
with ECRM a better understanding.
When asked how he might like to see ECRM revamp its brand, he suggested
that the key is less is more. He said that ECRM needs to keep the design
painfully simple and have it clean.
Jarrett always speaks highly of ECRM when talking with other buyers who
havent heard of ECRM. His main point is saying How incredible would it be if
you got 20 minutes in a room with Walgreens or CVS.
Jarrett likes how ECRM makes contacts available for everybody. He also like
how there is forced interactions outside of the room as well through evening
events and dining.
Key quotes
Mat Matsunaga

They bend over backwards for us and are so accommodative to us, they will do

almost anything for you and every experience with the staff is a positive

experience.

Its hard to rate something 5 stars when it only goes up to a 4 star rating.
ECRM Facilitates business between vendors and retailers whether new or

existing. And by bringing them together, innovation remains constant.
Paul Jarrett

I 100% thought ECRMs email was spam.

I despise the traditional tradeshow, for the record I dont put ECRM in the
bucket. Traditional trade shows more times than not are really expensive.
Pros to ECRM, there are so many of them I could go on and on about them.
ECRM people are really friendly and fast.
Implications
We found that ECRMs personal one-on-one meetings are very beneficial and attractive
to buyers because of the organization it provides. Another thing that attracts buyers to
ECRM is the customer service they provide to everyone who attends the event.
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Panacea
We found the Connect 3.0 application ECRM provides to buyers and sellers is beneficial
to them during and after the event because they can easily share their notes with
co-workers and vendors.
Many think the branding and the way employees pitch the event comes off as a scam.
The idea of being in a hotel room and having 10 or 20 minute interactions with buyers
and sellers is a unique concept that they cant get at a traditional trade show, and this is
what makes ECRM standout among the traditional shows. Many buyers arent familiar
with ECRM until someone introduces them to it.
Sellers
Methodology
The purpose of interviewing sellers who attend ECRM events is to find out how they
got involved with ECRM, what they particularly like about ECRM compared to other
trade shows and what are their overall feelings are towards ECRM and its events.
Participants

Eric Bray, National Sales Director of Goya Foods

Goya Foods, Inc. is the United States largest Hispanic-owned food

company. It provides over 2,200 High quality food products from the

Caribbean, Mexico, Spain, South America, and Central America.1

Nilda Oyola, The Majestic Drug Company

The Majestic Drug Company began in 1950 and it is a pharmaceutical

necessity wholesaler and distributor.2
Key Findings
Phone Interview with Eric Bray from Goya Foods

Eric Bray said Goya uses ECRM as a way to reach additional markets or non

traditional retail outlets they wouldnt otherwise have the opportunity to and to

expand into markets theyre not developed in.

He describes ECRM events as speed dating for business people.
Bray said at a traditional trade show, youre unsure of which buyers will stop
by your booth or for how long. At ECRM events, Bray is able to prepare ahead
of time what products he wants each buyer to see, and he knows exactly how
much time he has.
Before arriving at ECRM events, Bray preps for each meeting he will have
throughout the weekend. He said this is easy to do because of the buyer pro
files ECRM provides, which no other trade show he has been to provides.
1
2
http://www.goya.com/english/about.html
http://www.majesticdrug.com/Articles.asp?ID=1
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Panacea
Through ECRM, Bray found a number of buyers Goya wouldnt have thought
would be looking for food items, such as Marshalls.
Bray believes ECRM shows are absolutely cost effective because he always
leaves shows with leads and he said going from buyer to buyer is expensive and
time consuming.
The evening events and other amenities ECRM events provide are a key part
of the events and that socializing in an informal environment with everyone
involved is what keeps clients coming back.
Bray said he has certainly referred people to ECRM before because he always
walks away from an ECRM event with multiple potential customer leads. His
goal is to always get at least two of them to purchase from Goya.
He said the format is great because of the consistency throughout every
meeting; within five minutes he already knows whether the buyer is going to be
interested in purchasing from him or not.
Bray said he gets to choose which trade shows Goya goes to. Since going to his
first ECRM event, he always budgets for at least two or three ECRM events per
year.
Phone Interview with Nilda Oyola from The Majestic Drug Company
Some sellers do use trade magazines to find out about trade shows. The
Majestic Drug Company uses Drug Store News, MMR, Chain Drug Review, and
other daily trade emails.
Oyola said the value and time ECRM provides is its biggest selling point. Twenty
minutes is more than enough when sellers may only usually get a few minutes,
especially with big name companies they may not normally get a chance to pitch
to.
She said everyone is put on an even playing field at an ECRM event. It does not
matter if the seller is a big name seller or a new seller in a small market, every
seller has the same meeting length and is guaranteed to meet with big name
clients, where at a traditional trade show, big name buyers may only make time
to meet with big name sellers.
The Majestic Drug Company only attends one ECRM event a year and attends
multiple traditional trade shows, such as Global Market Development Center
(GMDC).
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Panacea
Key quotes
Eric Bray

Each ECRM event has provided us a different avenue or a different customer that

we may not have been able to get in touch with before.

Traditional trade shows dont give you a customer list before. You have no idea
what attendees are coming. At an ECRM event, you KNOW youre going to have
that time with a customer.
Its absolutely cost effective.
What makes me continue to do ECRM events is I get potential customers and

I have secured many customers over the years of doing ECRM events, but also,
the interaction you get with these customers.
Sometimes when you go out to dinner with a customer, they may feel awkward
going out with 4 or 5 people from a manufacturer. At an ECRM event, theres a
table of 10 people from 10 different organizations and youre just talking about
anything. Its more relaxed than a traditional trade show.
ECRM events just put us in a different light, where we can show off our different
types of products since we have over 2,200.
Implications
After speaking with Eric Bray, we found that he hugely favors ECRM events over
traditional trade shows. He feels that the entire concept is more efficient in many ways
and the process is smooth. This shows that ECRM has a truly unique format and an
upper hand in the trade show industry. Added amenities ECRM provides, such as buyer
profiles, are original to ECRM events and are widely used by clients. Buyer profiles are
not something that is seen across the board at other trade shows.
Bray described ECRM events as speed dating for businesses, although ECRM has
expressed it does not like its format to be referred to as that. Even though this is not a
favorable description, it is the first time that typically comes to mind of ECRM clients. We
also learned that Bray never leaves an ECRM event without any leads with sellers.
Bray described ECRM events as speed dating for businesses, although ECRM has
expressed it does not like its format to be referred to as that. Even though this is not a
favorable description, it is the first time that typically comes to mind of ECRM clients. We
also learned that Bray never leaves an ECRM event without any leads with sellers.
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Panacea
This information will be able to shape our strategic approach because we learned what
makes ECRM stand out among buyers in comparison to traditional trade shows. We
will then be hone in on these differentiators to build a campaign that highlights ECRMs
most valuable assets.
Destin, Florida Interview: Employee

Methodology
The purpose of the interview with the ECRM employee was to better understand the
ECRM technology and the use of it from the clients.
Participants

Michael Castillo, Senior VP of Pharmacy & Medical Markets
Key Findings
Interview with Michael Castillo, Senior VP of Pharmacy & Medical Market

Castillo said it is a time thing why people dont use the app, they think they

save time by writing handwritten notes, but the connect app is for following the

event and meeting schedule.

He said it is more than just one-on-one meetings. He said that the general
sessions and evening activities are another great way for the clients to do
business together.
Account managers reach out to sellers 15 weeks prior to the event to let them
know about the online preparation. The online preparation allows the client to
get familiar with the app and learn more about whom it is theyre meeting with.
Key Quotes
Michael Castillo

To get the most out of a meeting, we tell the clients that doing the online

preparation will get them the true value out of the meeting.
IMplications
From the interview with the ECRM employee we found that to get the most out of your
meeting it is beneficial to do the online preparation for the Connect 3.0 application.
We learned that having access to the application and being able to utilize it in the
correct way would have the client getting the true value out of the meeting.
The account managers reach out to the client 15 weeks prior to the event they are
attending to give them the online preparation and to answer any questions they might
have. Once the client arrives at the show, the Client Service Representative will give
a brief demo of the application as well.
56
Destin, Florida Interviews: Buyers
Panacea
Methodology
The purpose of interviewing the buyers at the Home Health Care event in Destin,
Florida was to get a better understanding of what they initially thought about ECRM
and how it was all inclusive, why they keep returning back and what they think of the
whole event process.
Participants

Donna Feldpouch , Quality Medical Services

Dana Kurhajetz, Target.com
Sara Moosman, Cardinal Health
Christina Early & Julie Lajeunesse, Pharmasave Drugs (Ontario) Ltd
Key Findings
Interview with Donna Feldpouch from Quality Medical Services

Feldpouch didnt have anything negative to say about ECRM. She loves

the one-on-one format, you have that 10 or 20 minutes to get the answers to

your questions.

She likes them a lot better than traditional trade shows because you have the
guaranteed meetings and dont have to go from booth to booth at the traditional
trade show and might not even get to speak with the vendors
Interview with Dana Kurhajetz from target.com

This was Kurhajetz first ECRM event. She said she was pleasantly surprised

and that the event was well run.

She loves the one-on-one format at the ECRM events because at a traditional
trade show its hard to hear on the show floor and can be very overwhelming.
She also said having the schedule and everyone keeping on track is not
something you see at a traditional trade show
Interview with Sara Moosman from Cardinal Health

At first, Sara thought the whole idea of all inclusive was crazy and all too good

to be true, but she had others in the company reassuring her that it was good

event to attend and benefit from.

Her favorite part about attending ECRM events is that is no hassle. She said it
is the easiest event to go to and plan for. Shes never had an issue with
ECRM.
Moosman doesnt use the Connect 3.0 App because she is prefers handwritten
notes.
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Panacea
Interview with Sara Moosman from Cardinal Health

They said they have benefited from coming to the ECRM events by meeting a lot of

different vendors and learning about their products.

At first, they had a conceptual idea of what ECRM was, but it took attending an
event to get a better idea of the whole process.
Pharmasave actually reached out to ECRM after hearing about them through others
who had attended events. They said that ECRM does a good job with keeping them
up-to-date of upcoming events.
Key Findings
Donna Feldpouch

Theres products out there that we wouldnt know about if it wasnt for the

face-to-face meetings at the ECRM events

Its a great way to see vendors we might not be able to meet elsewhere and to get
that individual face-to-face time is great
Its a way to bring sellers and buyers together, its something that benefits both
ends equally.
Dana Kurhajetz

From a time perspective it saves me a lot of time. I am able to see a lot of product

lines and different vendors in a short amount of time.

ECRM is well-known in the retailer community for the events they put on.
Sara Moosman

I like that if you are managing a category you get a wide range of suppliers that fall

into all the different subcategories and you can really find out a lot of information of

whats coming in the pipeline and different trends in the market.
Christina Early & Julie Lajeunesse

I find this venue is more effective than any trade show Ive been too. You really

get up front and personal with the vendors and you get to pick and choose, its wh

at you like. Its great. You get to meet so many more vendors than you would at

traditional trade show.
IMplications
From the interviews with the buyers at the Home Health Care event, we found that the
buyers liked the preset meetings because they were able to have the face-to-face one-onone meetings that they wouldnt be able to get if they went to a traditional trade show.
The buyers were all in agreement that they have benefited from these events because they
are able to see products and meet with people to build relationships with and continue with
58
that.
Panacea
We found that the buyers thought the events were well run by ECRM and very well
organized. They liked the schedule format and liked knowing who they were meeting with
ahead of time.
Destin, Florida Interviews: Sellers

Methodology
The purpose of interviewing the sellers at the Home Health Care event in Destin,
Florida was to get a better understanding of the whole ECRM process, to find out
why they keep returning to the events or if they were are first time attendee what
they thought of the format and to see what they like best about them compared to a
traditional trade show.
Participants

Jim Light - MHC Medical Products

Mallory Karigan -AG Industries
Dave Gulas- H&H Wholesale Services, Inc.
Randi Segal- Dr. Segals Compression Sock
Key Findings
Interview with Jim Light from MHC Medical Products

Light says he keeps coming back to the ECRM events because it gives him the

opportunity to visit with current customers and get the face-to-face time to

continue to build the relationships.

When Light first started attending the ECRM events, he said it was
unbelievable and thought the format of the event was great. He said that you
dont get that a lot when you go to a traditional trade show, he said they are
more like cell phone kiosk where you are pitching people to come over to
talk to you, where as, at ECRM events you have 10-20 minutes to pitch to your
client about your company.
Interview with Mallory Karigan from AG Industries

It was her first ECRM event that she had attended. She said she didnt know

what to expect and that it was a learning experience through the first couple of

meetings to get use to the whole format.

She did not know what ECRM was before she came. She knew that it was a
trade show format with preset meetings.
When looking at the ECRM website, she said she had trouble finding out what
ECRM stood for.
Karigan really likes the Connect 3.0 app. She said it was great to have all
the information right in front of her and reference it with especially when
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meetings are back to back. Since it was her first event, she liked how the
Client Service Representative gave a demo of the app. on the first day of the
show.
Karigan says that the ECRM events are way better than a traditional trade
show because at the ECRM events you know who you are meeting with and
what theyre looking for.
Interview with David Gulas from H&H Wholesale Services, Inc

Gulas likes how the schedule is well organized and kept on time with all of

the preset meetings. Its nice to have the Client Service Representative

(CSR) to help make the schedule stay on track.

He said you get the best value for what you spend when attending an ECRM
event and get results quickly from.
When asked more about the format, he said the 10 minute shows arent
enough time to get the point across he said 20 minutes is more ideal.
He likes that the meetings are preset and targeted that you can get down to
business quickly.
Interview with Randi Segal from Dr. Segals Compression Socks

Segal heard about ECRM through two different buyers through word of

mouth. She said she wasnt pitched by them, just looked them up to find out

more information.

When Segal looked up ECRM she said she wasnt sure what it was and still
didnt know what ECRM stood for. When she asked a buyer that told her
about ECRM she referenced it as speed dating for buyers and sellers.
Key quotes
Jim Light

ECRM is the best way to get in touch with our market efficiently

It is worth the money to attend an ECRM event because you are seeing
buyers in your category that you might not get at a traditional tradeshow.
Mallory Karigan

Its nice to have all of the information about the buyers we are meeting with

upfront so we can do our research and make the most out of our meetings.

ECRM connects buyers and sellers to explore new avenues of products and
finding new relationships benefiting to both.
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David Gulas

In my opinion ECRM is the best trade show circuit out there
Randi Segal

You get to meet a lot of different people really quickly, here it is quite focused

so you can get your point across really fast.
IMplications
We found that the sellers were all in agreement that ECRM is the best trade show
circuit out there and well worth the money to attend. Those who have attended
previous ECRM events love the format and keep returning because they are
guaranteed face-to-face time with buyers.
For those who havent attended before are not sure of what to really expect until they
experience the show itself. They didnt really know the whole process of the event
and didnt know what ECRM stood for.
The sellers were in agreement that the like having the schedules given to them
because they know who it is theyre meeting with ahead of time and are able to
prepare for the meetings by doing prior research and are then able to get down to
business once the meetings begin.
Tested Subject Headings for E-Marketing Materials
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The Company
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Who is ECRM and what do they do?
ECRM events are where buyers and sellers go to meet. According to ECRMs website,
they use a non-traditional format for trade shows to strengthen the business practices of
its clients by offering unique events that are supported by innovative technology solutions.
ECRM serves five main industries: general merchandise, grocery, health, beauty and
cosmetic, pharmacy and retail, with health, beauty and cosmetic being the most popular
industry. ECRM provides business solutions to help buyers and manufacturers improve
sales, reduce expenses, and go to market faster and more efficiently. ECRM hosts
Efficient Program Planning Sessions (EPPS) to conduct category-specific events that
consist of one-on-one planning sessions scheduled between manufacturers, buyers
and distributors to review new items, marketing initiatives, and strategic direction; and
conducts events with foodservice operators, distributors and suppliers, purveyors and
producers.
The company also provides MarketGate, an Internet-based software, that is used for
EPPS preparation during the event and for meeting follow-up. Features include contact
and scorecard manager, product catalogue, advertisement comparisons and event
manager solutions.
ECRM was founded in 1994 and is based in Solon, OH. 1
The ECRM show process:
At an ECRM show, sellers set up a private meeting space just like a showroom, but in a
hotel room with all of the furniture removed. Hotel beds and furniture are replaced with
tables and chairs. Rooms are utilized instead of a large convention hall or conference
room because they are more private while still being close enough to one another to
make it easy for buyers to travel from space to space in a timely matter. Buyers travel
from one meeting space to another for scheduled, 20 minute appointments which
guarantees face time with companies that matter most to the clients businesses.
Meetings are scheduled to ensure each buyer is relevant to the the supplier. Once a
buyer or seller is registered for an ECRM event, preparation tasks are made available to
help buyers and sellers communicate their focus before the event. This includes getting
an account manager that helps the client build a company profile and allows buyers to
preview products before the event.2
Trade Shows vs ECRM Shows: Whats the difference?
The biggest difference between traditional trade shows and ECRM shows is that 100
percent of attendees have buying power at an ECRM event whereas for traditional trade
shows, only 83 percent of attendees have buying power. Exhibiting with trade show
booths puts you face-to-face with hundreds and sometimes thousands of qualified
1
2
http://ecrm.marketgate.com/AboutECRM/
http://ecrm.marketgate.com/AboutECRM/OurProcess.aspx
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attendees. Many of those attendees use their industries big trade shows to research
products and services before a purchase. With ECRM, buyers can get a full list of sellers
and exactly what they are selling before the event and sellers can also get a full list of
buyers before the event.1
Another striking difference between traditional trade shows and ECRM shows is the cost.
Traditional trade show costs vary. The industry average to purchase individual portable
trade show displays in 2014 was $100 to $150 per square foot for larger displays. For
example, 20x20 displays would cost between $40,000 and $60,000. Exhibit rentals are
about 35 percent of the hardware purchase cost.
The event budget allocation will vary, but heres how the average trade show budget
breaks down:

Space = 33%

Trade Show Booths & Graphics (construction/refurbishment) = 18%

Travel & Expenses = 18%

Show Services (electricity, cleaning, drayage, I&D) = 12%

Shipping = 9%

Promotion = 8%

Miscellaneous = 2%
http://www.exhibitsusa.com/average-costs-to-display-attend-trade-shows
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In addition, an estimate for the total event budget can be found by multiplying the cost of
the space by three. For example, the average floor space costs $21 per square foot. So,
for a 20x20 floor space rental, expect to pay around $8,400. The budget for that event
would be $25,200.1
For example, for the Cosmetics, Fragrance & Bath EPPS in February, the Seller Planning
Sessions Registration is $16,900. This cost includes two attendees, 20 minute meetings,
hotel accommodations and the meals and entertainment. The cost also includes the
room, the additional supplies the sellers may need for their booths. There are no hidden
fees for sellers during an ECRM event.2 This allows for the sellers to get the real value of
the meetings and more for their money by attending an ECRM event rather than a traditional trade show. The money that is spent is worth it in the end because they are seeing
products and buyers they might never have at a traditional trade show.
The Differences
To the right is a chart depicting the costs from Consumer

Electronics Show in Las Vegas for
10 x 20 booth.3
Choosing a Trade Show from a Sellers Perspective
Choosing a trade show is important because of the

possible opportunities and outcomes it can have on the
sellers company. According to the Canadian Womens
Business Network, there are some considerations you
can evaluate to decide if the trade show will be worth
the money. These considerations include: quantify the
number of relevant buyers you want to get into your
booth, estimate sales revenues from the show, estimate
the cost of the sellers participation, Calculate the cost
per lead and return on investment as a ratio of booth
expenses to revenues generated and verify your decision
and do a reality check.
Dana Yuhas, President of Market Impact, suggests
starting by obtaining the attendee list and calculate the
number of attendees that are buyers you are looking to
reach.4
1

2

3
4
http://www.exhibitsusa.com/trade-show-booths-and-conventionsFAQ
http://ecrm.marketgate.com/Events/2015/02/CosmeticsFragrance
AndBath.aspx
http://red-cedar.com/trade-show-resources/
http://www.cdnbizwomen.com/articles/yuhas3.html
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The Industries
ECRM has hosted more than 150 trade show events for five industries over the past
three years.
ECRM has nearly 50 shows scheduled for 2015:

17 in grocery

17 in health, beauty and cosmetic

13 general merchandise

Eight international shows

Six in pharmacy and medical

Four in food service
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The General Merchandise and Grocery industries have seen significant growth in shows
year-over-year, while Health & Beauty Care, International, Pharmacy and Medical and
Food Service has seen decreases in shows year-over-year.
General Merchandise
The general merchandise industry includes suppliers of branded and private brand
household cleaning products, paper products and general merchandise including
hardware, automotive, toys, sundries, As Seen on TV and spring/summer seasonal
products.
General Merchandise Testimonials
Many of the testimonials for this industry praise ECRM for providing buyers with sellers
who had products they had not seen or heard of before. Furthermore, many testimonials
praise ECRM on how well its staff organizes the shows and the teams excellent
customer service.
A number of ECRMs clients who wrote testimonials mentioned that ECRM events are
their favorite events to attend. One testimonial by Ruth Armour mentioned that ECRM
events allow alternative ways for her organization to generate more revenue. Other words
used to describe the events include: teamwork, knowledge, courtesy, flawless, wonderful
and unique.1
http://www.ecrm.marketgate.com/AboutECRM/Testimonials.aspx
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Grocery
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The grocery industry includes consumable groceries, snack, beverage, candy, frozen,
dairy, candy, holiday candy and natural and organic food.
There are 11 major national grocery trade shows in 2015 through March, and ECRM is
hosting 17 grocery shows alone. Only one ECRM show is noted in this list, The Cough/
Cold, Analgesics & Allergy EPPS.1
The grocery industry is a broad umbrella for many smaller industries falling into this
category. There are many niche trade shows, such as the Chain Drug Marketing
Association Trade Expo and the Upper Midwest Bakery Associations Annual Convention.
One of the many popular trade shows in the grocery industry is the National Grocers
Association (NGA). NGA puts on its annual NGA Show in Las Vegas. This years show,
from Feb. 8 to Feb. 11, sold out at the beginning of December 2014 with more than 300
exhibitors and more than 30 educational and special events. The NGA Show is the only
trade show where independents gather with industry peers and manufacturers and
suppliers to address industry issues and build longstanding relationships that improve
their bottom line.2
ECRMs biggest competitor in the grocery industry is First Source. At First Source shows,
buyers choose who they wanted to meet with based on a presentation and food tasting.
These shows allow for networking opportunities even if the buyer does not meet with the
seller.3
Grocery Testimonials
The grocery industry includes consumable groceries, snack, beverage, candy, frozen,
ECRM has more than 30 testimonials on its website from sellers and buyers within the
grocery industry. The biggest theme throughout the testimonials is how organized the
events are. Sellers and buyers alike, from a number of different events, wrote how ECRM
events allow them to find new, innovative and quality products and learn about trending
global tendencies. Many attendees also use ECRM events to see whats hot in the
industry and to refresh their stock.
Another highlight of the events, according to testimonials, is how tailored each meeting
can be with each buyer. One testimonial, by Jorge Ciurlizza from Loblaw Companies
Limited, reads, ECRM has developed throughout the last few years into a tremendous
tool that a sourcing team can use in order not just to meet potential vendors, but to reach
the ones that are suitable to each companys standards and profile. Detailed attention
to particular needs drives the success of these events and the overall satisfaction of the
attendants.
Overall, those in the grocery industry strongly believe that ECRM events will give you the
results you are looking for and are organized beyond any other trade show.4
1
2
3
4
http://supermarketnews.com/events/tradeshow?page=0%2C0
http://www.nationalgrocers.org/the-nga-show/the-nga-show---home/
http://firstsourceevents.com/
http://www.ecrm.marketgate.com/AboutECRM/Testimonials.aspx
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Health & Beauty Care (HBC)
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Health & Beauty Care (HBC) started 21 years ago at ECRM and is noted as the most
popular and well-known industry.
According to the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest and most popular cosmetic trade
shows is Cosmoprof is Las Vegas. The trade show usually occurs in July. This trade
show provides many retailers with new products to fill their stores for the next year.1
Cosmoprof North America is named one of Trade Show News Networks 25 fastest
growing trade shows. They expect more than 900 exhibitors in 2015. Not only do they
offer the typical exhibitor networking, but educational conferences and business platform
initiatives are available to the attendees during the three day event as well. Some of the
large companies that attended Cosmoprof in 2013 are Amazon, Aveda, QVC, Sephora,
Ulta, Nordstrom and Kohls.2 The CosmoProf attracts attendees because it is constantly
adding innovative exhibits to the show. BeautyStoreBusiness.com reported Cosmoprof
will present its first interactive multimedia exhibit this year.3
Two of the other popular trade shows in HBC are Americas Beauty Show with 500
expected exhibitors and The International Beauty Show with another 500 expected
exhibitors. Both of these shows also offer workshops during the shows.4
Health & Beauty Care Testimonials
All of the HBC testimonials on ECRMs website had positive feedback coming from
buyers and sellers who have attended an event. After reading them, we found that
attendees had a positive experience with the service and were impressed with the
organization of the entire event. Specifically, sellers liked the amount of time they were
able to meet with their target buyers.5
Pharmacy and Medical
There are more than 752 pharmaceutical and medical traditional trade shows scheduled
internationally in 2015. The medical industry houses the following top 100 trade shows
internationally in 2015:

11th Medical Design & Manufacturing West

20th Fime International Medical Expo
36th Medica
42nd SupplySide West
67th Arab Health
68th Hospitalar
69th International Vision Expo West
Of these shows, only four take place in the United States.6

1
2
3
4
5
6
http://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-beauty-trends-20141221-story.html
http://www.cosmoprofnorthamerica.com/news_press/pressreleases.aspx
http://beautystorebusiness.com/cpna-introduces-interactive-experience-report-hair-care
http://trade-shows.findthebest.com/q/405/3284/How-many-people-attend-America-s-Beauty-Show
http://ecrm.marketgate.com/AboutECRM/Testimonials.aspx
http://10times.com/top100
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Pharmacy trade publications
There are 18 major pharmacy industry trade publications in the United States.1 The top four
pharmacy publications are:2

Pharmacy Times

US Pharmacist

Drug Topics

Pharmacy Today
Of these 18 trade publications, ECRM has only been mentioned in one of them: Chain
Drug Review. Chain Drug Review has covered many aspects of ECRM from when ECRM
was acquired by a private equity in 2013 to ECRMs charity auction in 2010. They also
cover ECRMs dry groceries and snacks trade shows. 3
Pharmacy testimonials
The overall tone of the pharmacy testimonials is positive. There are comments that
ECRM is the only event they will go to, and the hospitality and efficiency of the events is
complemented. Most attendees, both sellers and buyers, have positive experiences with
ECRMs events.
Buying Process
Purchase flow
The purchase flow for consumer packaged goods (CPG) is as follows:

CPG supplier manufactures product
Retail store purchases product from supplier
End consumer purchases product from the retailer
The retailers are an integral part of the supply chain. They purchase goods and products in
large quantities from manufacturers or sellers directly and then sell smaller quantities to the
consumer for a profit. ECRM tracks the top 500 U.S. and Canadian retailers in all markets
to make sure the buyers and sellers are meeting the correct needs of the others. ECRM
then categorizes every adblock so clients can easily search by the category that fits its
needs. The system contains more than one billion searchable adblocks and it grows daily.
ECRM tracks the retail affect to offer retail chains an in-depth analysis of the competitive
environment of both national and regional chains and illustrates how they go to the market.
1
2
3
http://www.themedica.com/publications/pharma-industry-publications2.html
http://www.abmassociation.com/News/3372/Circulation-matters%3A-The-top-25-U.S.-trade-magazines
http://www.chaindrugreview.com/search-results
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Analyze go to market strategies1
Having a comprehensive private brand portfolio across aisles and target markets can help
drive traffic and boost sales. ECRM data tracks how each retailer is promoting the private
brands.
ECRM on Social media
ECRM has a presence on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. Each outlet is updated
periodically.
LinkedIn
ECRMs most utilized social media channel is its LinkedIns connection page. This page
has more than 500 connections. On ECRMs connection page, it has published posts
relevant to ECRM and its business, a background summary of the company, published
articles by other companies and advice for contacting an ECRM employee.
ECRM also has a company page. This page has 1,030 followers. The company page is a
general overview of what ECRM is, when it was founded, the location and the company
size. Many professionals in the industry use LinkedIn and can easily find information on
ECRM through this channel.
Along with the two general ECRM LinkedIn pages, ECRM has ten other professional
group pages that represent a specific industry. They are hoping to create conversation and
engage professionals by keeping them up to date with what is going on in the industry.
1 http://www.ecrmdata.com/ECRMDataWeb/RetailEffect.aspx
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Listed below are the ECRM group pages:

ECRM Health and Beauty Care Professionals 263 members

ECRM General Merchandise School and Office EPPS 108 members

ECRM Grocery Frozen, Refrigerated, and In Store Bakery EPPS 6 members

ECRM International 23 members

ECRM Grocery Candy Planning 10 members

ECRM Grocery Global Wine, Beer and Spirits EPPS 11 members

ECRM General Merchandise 320 members

ECRM Grocery Natural, Organic, and Specialty Foods EPPS 20 members

ECRM Grocery Professionals 393 members

ECRM Pharmacy and Medical Markets 295 members
These professional pages have discussion posts related to ECRM and that specific
industrys news and events. All pages are private and you must be accepted after you join
the group. These pages each have promotion tabs, which are utilized periodically. There is
also a jobs tab on the professional pages but they are not currently active.
Twitter
ECRM has a Twitter with the handle @ECRM_MarketGate. The account has 943 followers
and is following 813 other accounts.
From observing the timeline, ECRM tweets less than once a day. The company wants
to engage professionals in the industry and promote conversation. ECRM tweets about
relevant industry news, past and current ECRM events and upcoming webinars they are
participating in. ECRM promotes the hashtag #ecrmevents, which also appears in its
Twitter bio. When searching this hashtag, we found a lot of the people tweeting about
ECRM and its events are employees of ECRM and attendees of events. The attendees
seem very satisfied and happy about the overall events and express it through Twitter.
Also, another company involved with cyber marketing services uses the same hashtag.1
Youtube
ECRMs YouTube channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/user/ECRMTube. The
channel has 22 subscribers and ten videos. The last video was uploaded two years ago.
The videos vary from describing the elements to the employees of ECRM. The highest
viewed video is ECRMs Overview video with 2,750 views.2
The second highest viewed video is ECRM Promotional Planning with 960 views.3
Facebook
ECRMs Facebook page has 1,953 likes and 36 visits. ECRM posts relevant industry
information through various links on the page. Along with an About ECRM tab, the page
also has a Review tab. There are 21 reviews about ECRM and 16 of them have 5/5 stars.
The page has photo albums of various ECRM events and employee volunteer events in the
local community. ECRM posts on its Facebook page less than once per day.
1
2
3
https://twitter.com/hashtag/ecrmevents?src=hash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBk5d-s50xg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA7I8qM9YKc
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Social media findings
After evaluating all types of social media outlets ECRM uses, we noticed LinkedIn is its
most active form of social media. There is much more interaction between ECRM and its
customers than on any other platform. We found Facebook and Twitter have very similar
information posted to each, and a majority of it was exactly the same information consisting
of the same links.
Expected trade show trends
In 2013, the International Association of Exhibition and Events (IAEE) created a review
of what to expect in three to five years in the exhibition industry. They listed some of the
trends they believe will impact and shape the trade show and exhibition industry. The
following points are IAEEs 13 selected trends to watch in the next three to five years.

The broad range of generations co-existing in the workforce and their different
communication styles
Collecting Big Data to hone in on the most relevant information
New technologies for data capture, recording and reporting
The impact of emerging technologies in the business environment
Social media marketing
Creating year-round communities for an exhibition or event
Experiential trade shows
Addressing and capitalizing on non-attendee engagement
Educating exhibitors in the ongoing value of face-to-face marketing
International trends impacting U.S. exhibitions
Variables affecting internet connectivity at exhibitions and events
Private events in the corporate marketing plan
The complexity of managing these elements in the future1
This information provides ECRM with trends they can watch for, and experiment with, in the
next three to five years. One of the trends is Big Data, which is the concept of collecting
any data relevant to customers, community and an event. Many large companies have
already began using Big Data in their marketing plans. Collecting this data can reveal
customer opportunities and, hopefully, produce a return on investment calculation. ECRM
has been ahead of this trend for multiple years with ECRM Data, a facet of ECRM this
campaign will not focus on.
Another trend mentioned was social media. Social media is an ongoing trend that is rapidly
growing and affecting businesses. The growth of social media is popular with upcoming
generations and is a new way to reach out to more communities. ECRM can use these
outlets to reach out to additional target customers and improve the brands messaging.
International competition was another trend mentioned by IAEE. Because the Internet
continuously grows, it easily connects us with people across the globe and international
1
http://www.iaee.com/articles/detail/IAEE/IAEE-White-Paper-Examines-Future-Trends-in-the-Exhibitions-and-Events-Industry
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trends are being shared with the U.S. This can cause U.S. shows to expand in size. It can
also cause new shows to launch. This also provides the opportunity for an existing show to
change to a new, international location.1
Top 50 Sellers - ECRM Grocery
Top 50 Buyers - ECRM Grocery
http://www.iaee.com/downloads/1422573473.26326400_1eb8041bd7/2013%20IAEE%20Future%20Trends%20Impacting%20
the%20Exhibitions%20and%20Events%20Industry%20White%20Paper.pdf
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Panacea Discussion Guide
ECRM Internal Focus Group
January 28, 2015
Introduction
Thank you all so much for joining us. My name is Leanne ONeill and Im from Kent State
University with the public relations team, Panacea. Were here to gather information from
you regarding ECRM.
Purpose
Were conducting a focus group on behalf of ECRM. Our goal is to gain insight into ECRM
in regards to the positions you hold within the company and your perception of ECRM. We
would like to figure out a possible solution so we can state ECRMs value proposition and
clearly define points of differentiation in clear, concise and understandable terms.
purpose
The objective of this research is to gain valuable information pertaining to the operations,
viewpoints and perceptions of ECRM from the stance of its internal employees. More
specifically, we want to:

Obtain insight from account managers and other internal executives at ECRM

regarding their current branding and messaging tactics.


regarding clients perceptions of ECRM.


regarding how employees perceive the benefits of ECRM trade shows compared to

traditional trade shows.


regarding the sales process of ECRM events.
Housekeeping
By now, each of you should have received two consent forms. The first form is to gain your
consent to participate in this focus group which also contains our contact information in the
event you have any questions following todays discussion. The second form is a consent
form which will allow us to use audio and video footage of todays discussion for research
purposes only while completing our campaign. Please read over the forms, sign them and
then Ill collect them.
I am not here to lecture you, test you or judge you. I am here as a third party,
objective participant. The purpose is to have a joint and collaborative discussion.
Please note: In order to keep the conversation going smoothly and to get out on
time, Id appreciate if you didnt speak over one another. This will also help
me when I listen back to the recording.
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During our conversation, I may need to step in and move the discussion along if I feel we
are not making any progress. Please do not take offense to this. The goal is to have this
focus group completed in no more than 60 minutes.
There is no right or wrong answer to any questions that will be asked today. The goal is to
have an insightful, honest and candid discussion regarding your opinions and experiences
with ECRM.
You have all received a blank piece of paper. Please make a name tag and fold the piece
of paper, setting it in front of you so it will be easier to refer to one another during our
conversation.
If you need to take or make a phone call, please do it outside of this room.
Feel free to use the restrooms at any time.
Group Introduction
Id like to start by having each of you introduce yourself and tell us:

Your name

Your position within ECRM

How long youve worked at ECRM
Objective One: Obtain insight from account managers and other internal executives at ECRM regarding
their current branding and messaging tactics.

What are a few key words that support the messaging of ECRM? Then, share and

discuss.

How do they set themselves apart from the traditional trade show?
From this objective, we would like to find out how ECRM sets themselves apart from the
traditional trade show to its buyers and sellers.
Objective Two: Obtain insight from account managers and other internal executives at ECRM regarding
clients perceptions of ECRM.

What type of feedback do you receive from sellers after they attend an ECRM
event?
How do you collect feedback from the clients?
Can you tell us the current perceptions sellers have of ECRM?
From this objective, we would like to gain information regarding the common perceptions
of ECRM as a brand and perceptions of ECRM events.
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Break: At this time we would like to give you all a break.
Objective Three: Obtain insight from account managers and other internal executives at ECRM
regarding how clients perceive the benefits of ECRM trade shows compared to traditional trade shows.

What do you feel is the main reason clients should participate in ECRM shows?
What comments do you hear from clients after events, both sellers and buyers?
From this objective, we would like to get an idea of how the participants feel about the
events and participating in ECRM trade shows compared to others.
Objective Four: Obtain insight from account managers and other internal executives at ECRM regarding
the sales process of ECRM events.

What are some obstacles you face when selling ECRM events to potential clients?
What tools or tactics do you believe help you sell ECRM events to potential clients?
From this objective, we would like to gain insight into the selling process of ECRM events.
Closure: (Open the floor up to any questions or comments. Thank you for your time today.)
Interview Guides
ECRM Employees
Phone Interview with Sales Manufacturers

1. Who are your main competitors in each specific area?
2. How do you determine when to hold events?
3. If you are pitching an event to a potential client, What are the most common reasons
they may be reluctant to attend ECRM events?
4. Who are some of the top clients that attend regularly?
5. What are some of the questions confused buyers ask? how do you handle them
before they attend an event?
6. How else do you rally in new customers?
7. What is the greatest challenges to sellers that ECRM has solved?
8. Do you have a more successful industry? and why?
9. Can you tell us your entire process about how planning goes?
10. Can you give estimate about how much product you sell using ECRM compared to
a regular trade show?
Phone Interview with VP of Content, Joe Tarnowski
1. What are some key messages you use with sellers/ buyers?
2. Describe an ECRM branding approach that usually gets clients hooked on attending
events
3. How would you describe ECRM in 1-3 words?
76
Panacea
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What are somethings you hear clients continuously say about ECRM, good or bad?
Describe the overall brand of ECRM, as you view it and how your feel your client views it.
What kinds of strategies are you using to create these partnerships with your clients?
Can you explain what ECRM does in 1-2 sentences.
Whats the best way to make personal connections?
Phone Interview with VP of Retail ECRM Employees
How do you pitch ECRM events? Can you pitch it to me?
When you pitch ECRM events, does the pitch tend to go better over the phone or at
in-office visits?
What is a misconception people have had about ECRM events?
What are the top three characteristics that make ECRM events stand out compared to
other events?
How would you describe ECRMs culture and brand in general?
Can you elaborate on your procedures for best practices with your retailers?
Do you share the type of best practices that you offer when you make the initial pitch to a
potential client? Where in the process do you discuss what you can do for them?
How does the pre-qualifying work? How is this process done?
How is follow-up communication usually conducted by ECRM?
What do you look for in a retail partner?
Describe ECRM in a phrase or three words. How would you describe ECRM to someone
who doesnt know about it?
Initial Client Meeting with Billy Chapnik and Rachel Shultz
What is one of ECRMs largest shows?
What is ECRMs largest industry?
What in-house capabilities does ECRM have?
In what ways does ECRM advertise or create awareness of ECRM events?
How many suppliers are typically expected at each show?
Phone Interview with Dana Fox

1. How does ECRM use LinkedIn to spread awareness of its events or ECRM in general?
2. What specific trade publications does ECRM advertise in, and what kind of advertisements
are published OR what do the ads say/look like?
3. We understand that ECRM Connect is made available to all clients. Can you explain the
purpose of the software and what it does for sellers and buyers alike?
4. What are some recurring trends you hear about ECRM from the big retailers? What type of
feedback do you hear most about ECRM from clients or potential clients, both positive and
5. negative?
6. We heard from a sales manufacturer that ECRM does shows specifically just for Sams
Club. Can you elaborate on what exactly this partnership consists of?
77
Panacea
Buyers
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Phone Interview with Mat Matsunaga, Buyer/Merchandiser for Ahold

Can you tell us your pitch? So we can get an idea how you sell ECRM services.
What was your initial reaction to ECRM events?
What do you consider a successful tradeshow?
Is there anything you would change about technology at ECRM events you would want or
change?
What technology do you use the most?
How many trade shows do you attend a year?
What did you first think of when someone approached you to go?
Have you talked to other retailers about ECRM?
what would you suggest for ECRM to reach out to more retailers?
How much purchasing actually happens at a show or out of an ECRM event?
Can you break down ECRM in one or two sentences?
Do you like the extra events on the side? Like the cocktail parties and happy hours.
What was a bad experience youve had with ECRM?
How do you describe customer service overall?
Can you describe another time when ECRM went above and beyond for you?
Phone Interview with Paul Jarrett, Co-founder and CEO of Bulu Box
Can you give me background on why you choose to use trade shows?
What are the top 3 goals you want to get out of a trade show?
So after ECRM first reached out to you the first time, what was your initial thought about
this time of event?
When you said it sounded too good to be true, can you elaborate on how the pitched it to
you.
Are there any pros in traditional trade show? Then pros/cons of ECRM event?
Do you find the technology ECRM provides is helpful? How do you use to your
advantage?
What is a way for a company to really draw you in and grab your attention?
How would you describe ECRMs branding?
What are some of ECRMs best selling points?
What are some additional recommendations you would give ECRM?
What is a follow up message ECRM uses?
What are some of the key highlights that you are consistently sharing?
How many ECRM events do you go to a year?
Why do you continue to go back to ECRM events?
Did you face any roadblocks while attending an ECRM event?
78
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Panacea
Phone Interview with Eric Bray from Goya Foods

With more than 2,200 products, what are the pros and cons of bringing all of those
different products to a traditional tradeshow compared to an ECRM show?
Do you find that the other trade shows you attend distribute as helpful of a customer
list as ECRM?
How did you initially hear about ECRM?
What made you decide to go with ECRM?
How have you benefitted from ECRM events that you wouldnt have otherwise?
Do you like and/or find ECRMs night time events beneficial?
Have you ever referred anyone to attend an ECRM event?
When you explain ECRM events to colleagues, how do you put into words what it is?
Do you think you have enough time and resources to pitch your products in the
15-minute meetings ECRM sets up for you?
Is the buyers profile you receive before every show unique to ECRM?
How do you decide which trade shows you attend, and approximately how many do
you attend per year?
Phone Interview with Nilda Oyola from The Majestic Drug Company
What are the pros and cons of a traditional trade show and an ECRM event?
Do feel that you have an enough space, time and resources to create a wow-factor at a
traditional trade show versus an ECRM event?
What was your initial thought when attending an event?
Why did you know what to expect from an ECRM event?
How do you feel about the nighttime events?
What is the most beneficial thing ECRM provides you?
What improvements can ECRM make and why?
Do you feel that 20 minutes is enough time to pitch your product to the buyer?
What is the most effective way to reach sellers and what do you do on social media?
What are the key messages sellers listen for when deciding where they go?
What are examples of negative experiences at ECRM events?
What are the trade publications your company pays attention to?
How many ECRM events does your company attend per year?
What other trade shows does The Majestic Drug attend or are ECRM events your only
event?
As a seller, do you have any input on who you meet during events?
Destin, Florida Interview
What was the process to get here, who was the key decision maker that got you here?
Do you know what ECRM stands for and what they do?
Do you like the Connect 3.0 app? Why/ why not?
Can you tell me what ECRM is in 1-2 sentences?
What are some of the keywords that stand out in the sales pitch?
Can you tell me about your experience at an ECRM event?
a. How have you benefitted?
b. What sold you to come to the event?
c. Would you recommend, why/why not?
79

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Trade Show of

Presented May 1, 2015

Founded in 2015, we are an integrated marketing

a solution or remedy for all

the panacea for all corporate ills

We specialize in new media, information design and B2B communications.

Primary research report

Secondary research report

ECRM challenged Panacea to seek a better way for ECRM to communicate

Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM) was founded in 1994 to move

able to get in front of

ECRM is a global leader in retailer

what ECRM does

ECRM has been promoting a more efficient way

ECRM offers clients a one-of-a-kind buying and selling experience, in a

Each seller arranges a private room showcasing their available products

To increase awareness among potential buyers and sellers of ECRM in the

To convert 15 percent1 of ECRMs current clients to become users of ECRMs

To secure five feature placements of ECRM case studies in medium to

Sellers and Buyers

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

Better convey ECRMs credibility, specifically within the grocery

Develop ECRM as a thought leader in the grocery industry

Build credibility of ECRMs overall branding in the grocery industry by

Position ECRMs current technology as an integral component of

Engage primary audiences on social media in real-time in an

Primary Research, Key Quotes, ECRM Employees, Billy Chapnick

PITCH MATERIALS FOR ECRM EMPLOYEES

Objective - Increase awareness among potential buyers

Primary Research: Focus Group, Key Findings, Difficulties

Panaceas secondary research showed a lack of significant presence in trade

Objective - Increase awareness among potential buyers

Primary Research: Implications, Phone Interview with Sales Manufactures

Objectives - Enhance relationships with current clients

Primary Research: Destin Florida Research - Apendix: Word Graph

See Primary Research, Sales Manufacturers Interview, Key Findings.

Increase social media efforts, specifically on Twitter, by creating and encouraging

Evaluation will be based on benchmarking where social media conversation is at

See Primary Research, Sales Manufacturers Interview, Key Findings.

Objective - Convert clients to become Connect 3.0 app users

Through primary research conducted at an ECRM event in Destin, Florida,

Enhance relationships with current clients

Increase awareness among potential buyers

Change in awareness will be evaluated by the following criteria, agreed upon by

Convert clients to become Connect 3.0 app users

Secure trade publication placements

August 1, 2015 - May 30, 2017

September 1 - October 31, 2015

June 1st - August 30th, 2015

January 1 - March 31, 2016

December 2015 - May 2017

April 1, 2016 - May 2017

September 1, 2015 - June 2017

September - October 2016

Distribute fourth infographic/

December - May 2017

Evaluation will take place for

ECRM is the trade show of tomorrow.

ECRM is the trade show of tomorrow.

WE ARE THE ONLY EVENT THAT CAN

Stephanie Nicklos, Sales Manufacturer, Grocery

Key Findings - phone interviews with sales manufacturers

Phone Interview with VP of Content Joe Tarnowski

We do not guarantee sales, we provide the opportunity.