by Chris Kappes
Every industry has pioneers. Consider contemporaries Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Reed Hastings, Jeff Bezos, and their impact on humanity.
Fred Kitzing is NOT a name you likely know. But his philosophies are regarded as “best practices today,” helping transform the tradeshow-event industry and perpetuate the marriages of organizations like Freeman-Sparks, GPJ-Project Worldwide, Nth Degree-Fern, and others.
How?
Some background.
Fred Kitzing was CEO of Kitzing, Inc., the nation’s first Tradeshow Marketing Agency in the 1980’s. A rogue entrepreneur, fine artist, philosopher, designer, marketer, salesperson, innovator and rule-breaker, Fred was our industry pioneer. He created and curated “omnichannel marketing” solutions for tradeshows before the term was coined, defined and fashionable.
A student of famous Chicago architect, Louis Sullivan, Fred applied Sullivan’s architectural philosophy “form follows function.” The exhibits his agency designed/produced were “machines for selling.” Little ornamental or “design for design” sake. His focus: practical exhibits featuring live product presentations and trained exhibit personnel to engage and qualify guests. Kitzing exhibits were NOT monuments celebrating corporate ego.
Fred’s favorite motto: “exhibits don’t sell, people do” was expressed as integrated tradeshow marketing solutions for brands that included preshow promotion, live demonstrations/presentations, exhibit staff training called: “You Make the Difference,” and lead measurement services.
Unlike other exhibit firms at the time, Fred employed marketers, script writers, actors, magicians and more. His “curriculum” was not always embraced, but for his clients, the strategies, although unorthodox, produced results. For a wood burning stove company, Kitzing created an exhibit that promoted: “Make more money with XYZ stoves.” Fred reasoned that visitors are drawn to the personal benefits, not product features. Another Kitzing exhibit for a floor stain company promoted its scratch resistance and durability by featuring a skater roller blading on the interior of a spinning wheel. No scratches visible.
Our industry took notice.
Live Marketing starts a business featuring live presentations.
Allan Konapacki (a disciple of Fred’s) opens an “exhibit staff training company” to train booth staff.
Exhibit Surveys (now a Freeman company) provides tradeshow performance analytics for shows/exhibitor companies.
Over the decades, these services, and complimentary agencies, have consistently been incorporated into the business models of Freeman, GPJ-Project Worldwide, GES-Spiro and others. Why? The power (and preference) of F2F engagement is amplified when omnichannel strategies are synchronized. Buyers want brand access when, where and how they want it. Not how the brand wants to deliver it.
So, what started out as a proof of concept is today being incorporated and advanced by leading tradeshow and event marketing organizations. If we continue to practice what we preach, our exhibiting clients will succeed, and the industry will prosper.
I worked 14 years at Kitzing starting out as a “green-horn” account coordinator to account manager to account executive to VP to EVP. I credit all I know to Fred and his teachings.
