vineseeker, I have actually done conferences before, even though I am more a finance guy, I did try my hand at marketing.
Here's what I learned: They are VERY costly.
I didn't have anywhere near what those pictures depict for Erhc's set-up.
I had a podium, and I had a regular sized portable display as a backdrop. And I rented it, I didn't even own it.
www.skyline.com is THE company for such things and while I don't see pricing on their web page, it does give you an idea of what is possible from Islands to little displays.
The rent at the conference center was huge for a just a little space for two people to market the company. Plus they charged for every ridiculous little thing, from having some carpeting (without which you have bare concrete, and it is a requirement to have carpeting), to having a badge reader, to getting all your leads from your badge reader on a USB drive, to you name it.
They nickel and dime for everything.
Well by the time you added up all the costs for our little dinky set-up, we had spent something like $20k for two days and not including air fare, hotel, etc., for the people manning the booth.
It would not surprise me if ERHC's set up costs 5 times that amount, and most likely much, much more. Just judging from the pictures, they had a fairly substantial set-up, in my opinion, hence I think $100k is probably on the lower end of something like that.
And for what? I don't understand. You market your company for two reasons:
1) to sell a product. ERHC doesn't really have a product and it doesn't really have revenue. So that's not it.
2) to market the company to investors. Ok. Look at the share price. Enough said on that. And besides, conferences are not the best way to market a company to investors...better to reach out to equity analysts or investment banks, or road shows, etc. Not a conference with booths? I mean what is the point?
So why are they doing this? I just don't understand the rationale.
Krombacher
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