|
The Question: The Olympia is just around the corner, and you just got hired on as the man in charge of creating the Bodybuilding.com booth for the Olympia Expo. Your job is to make sure that as many people as possible visit your booth, enjoy their time while there, get a good impression of Bodybuilding.com as a company, and log on to the site later when they get home. What are you going to do? Are you going to simply set up a backdrop, hand out supplement samples and have a pro sign autographs like many other booths? Or are you going to think of something more creative and fun (while keeping costs from going TOO high)? Bodybuilding.com hired you because of your great results in the past, let's see what you can do! What would you want to see if you were a visitor? What do you think of the other booths that are usually there? What booths were the best to you in the past? What do you love and what do you hate about the Olympia/Arnold Classic/Bodybuilding show expos? (CEO's note: Your ideas will be incorporated into our actual booth for tens of thousands of people to see if they are good enough!) Bonus Question: Who do you think will be crowned the 2005 Mr. Olympia? Is Ronnie Coleman going to continue is reign and become an 8 time champion, tying Lee Haney? Or does anyone pose a threat to stealing the title? Show off your knowledge to the world! The Winners:
2. TRICK D View Profile 2. Kill_yourself (Tie)View Profile 3. sword chucks View Profile 3. muscleboy333 (Tie)View Profile
2nd place - 50 in store credit. 3rd place - 25 in store credit. To use your credit, e-mail Will @ will@bodybuilding.com for more info.
Olympia 2005. Athletes train for years on end, pushing the boundaries of their mortal flesh further and further; redefining the limits of the human body. Supported by trainers, medical staff and supplements year upon year it becomes clearer that nothing is impossible. However, the Olympia is not only an opportunity for the athletes to display their hard work to the admiring crowds, but also an opportunity for the supporting groups of trainers, equipment suppliers and supplement companies to put on show some of the things which have helped those on stage get where they are. The sum of what makes a great bodybuilder is far greater than what ultimately ends up on stage. Bodybuilding.com is at the core of this supporting cast. Its strengths lie in the fact that it combines massive amounts of knowledge and experience with the supply of a massive and diverse range of quality products. Bodybuilding.com is the complete package when it comes to bodybuilding and these are the unique strengths it should be looking to promote at its 2005 Olympia booth. While other companies look to rely on one-off gimmicks to promote their products at their booths, I believe that Bodybuilding.com can look within itself for inspiration.
Bodybuilding.com has a huge fan base on the forums, a massive amount of product available in its Cyberstore and a diverse range of experienced writers with a wealth of knowledge to share. The amount of combined experience is insurmountable by any other bodybuilding body and the diversity of this knowledge is awesome. These 3 primary and unique assets should be at the core of any Bodybuilding.com promotional venture.
Without being rude, in the past certain booths have used the most inappropriate staff at their booths to sell a vision of health when they appear to have no concept of the word themselves. Bodybuilding.com's Arnold Classic booth this year was staffed by an awesome and well respected all-star cast (Bob Cicherillo, Brenda Kelly, Laura Mak, Valentina Chepiga, and Louis "Pud to Stud" Dorman) and Bodybuilding.com should look to a similar crew to represent it come Olympia.
Freebies & Discounts
This code, when entered at the Cyberstore could give a discount - say 5 or 10% the next time that particular item was actually purchased at the Cyberstore. Not only will visitors be getting a free sample but the opportunity to purchase more at discounted prices by logging on! Audio/Visual
Bodybuilding.com could even do an offer whereby prices on the main website are cut even further over the Olympia weekend. This could apply to all customers everywhere, or there could simply be a couple of terminals set up logged on to the Cyberstore where visitors to Olympia 2005 get the chance for exclusive discounts there and then.
This would also provide a great opportunity to get people familiar with the website in general, and more likely to have a look when they get home. There could be an offer over the Olympia weekend whereby all Cyberstore shipping costs are free, so everyone can be part of the Bodybuilding.com Olympia 2005 experience, no matter where they are. Although a strong foundation, 'the beautiful people' with hugely discounted products and audio-visual support cannot be relied upon alone to promote Bodybuilding.com. They may get people to the booth but we could do more to keep them interested and get them logging on when they get home.
The muscular figure could be in Bodybuilding.com's colors and across the globe could be the Bodybuilding.com logo, behind which, again, would the names of the staff and forum members spanning the planet! A message to all visitors of what Bodybuilding.com is truly about.
The only time I have ever logged on to a website is when there has been a strong incentive too - simple advertising on boards and the side of bags never really made me want to bother - not even scantily clad women with web addresses across their thongs! Great to look at at the time, but you're not taking any interest in a website address! Incentives come in all forms, but a time tested method is that of the competition.
Ok, a corny name I know! The concept of the 'Transformation of a Lifetime' is simple - a competition for both men and women to change their lives for the better through diet, exercise, time management and adopting a generally more positive attitude to health and life. We've all been inspired by Bodybuilding.com's 'Transformations of the Week' and this would be an opportunity to transform someone with the support of Bodybuilding.com's knowledge, experience and product availability in front of an audience of millions.
Done a million times before, right? Well, not like this. At the expo Bodybuilding.com could give out application forms for the challenge asking the basic questions, but also why they would want to change the direction of their health and what they think they can gain from this. Next, an area could be set up (maybe in conjunction with a company like AccuFitness for example) where people's bf% and weight are taken along with a photograph. Bodybuilding.com even has its very own transformation star - Louis Dorman, to promote the whole event.
Over the course of the next week or so Bodybuilding.com could select say, the 10 guys and 10 girls that could benefit most from a life altering experience and upload these onto the Bodybuilding.com website. Final step, get the users to vote! The 'Transformation of a Lifetime' would provide an opportunity to change the lives of one man and one woman for the better. How? Every week, month or night the pool of expert writers and trainers of Bodybuilding.com could provide personal advice on training, diet, supplementation, time management and general lifestyle strategies. The Cyberstore could provide supplements on a monthly basis (all of which could be displayed at the Bodybuilding.com booth at the 2005 Olympia) and maybe a years' gym membership too. At the same time those chosen could provide daily, weekly or monthly progress logs.
This would also show many people the diversity of Bodybuilding.com - a 'one-stop shop' for health and fitness, as well as demonstrating a long term commitment to potential customers. Who knows - the program could breed the next Louis Dorman - and someone to attract the crowds at Bodybuilding.com's Olympia 2006 booth!
This is a simple concept again based around the vast amount of knowledge available through Bodybuilding.com. The expert writers of Bodybuilding.com could come together to produce a one off magazine in which they introduce training ideas, nutritional advice and supplement information. Ideally, some of the pros could be asked to produce a short article - making the publication an opportunity to gain an insight into the lives of the pros. Maybe past pros could be asked to write a feature - with the amount of ex-professional bodybuilders bound to be walking around the Olympia, the magazine could double as an autograph book and an excellent advertising opportunity for Bodybuilding.com. Alternatively, Bodybuilding.com could produce an off-shoot publication containing the 'Best Of' from the last year or so. This could again be a compilation of interviews (for example the recent one from Ronnie Coleman) or other informative pieces stand out pieces from the plethora of those available on the web site, making it known to visitors that Bodybuilding.com is a major player in all aspects of the game, and not just a supplement shop.
Bodybuilding.com could capitalize on the power of the knowledge it has at its fingertips. Rather (or alongside) the magazine could be a series of lectures over the expo presented by some of Bodybuilding.com's own experts.
From supplementation and nutrition to workout plans and even yoga, a short but concise seminar would be a draw to the fans and allow for some expert advice in a question and answer time too. Milos Sarcev and his buddy and training partner Marcelo Caraveo could run their own live and exclusive version of the Fit Show with top training tips and an interactive question and answer session with the audience.
The Topic of the Week is a popular but often an under-competed area of Bodybuilding.com. Why? Because all of us are still learning, but some may be confident in their knowledge versus others. A topic can only be successfully written about with an adequate amount of research and some prior knowledge - a lot of the time potential writers to Topic of the Week may be intimidated by the knowledge that other may (or just may pretend to) have. However, the opportunity to write a review of Olympia 2005 puts things on an even keel somewhat. It provides an opportunity for only people that attended the event to write a review of the whole thing - good bits, bad bits, highlights, funny stories etc and a means to advertise the rest of the site to potential future customers/ users. By uploading the best articles on the site - the average fan unable to attend Olympia , will get an opportunity to read about the event from a fans perspective. Again, either the BB.com staff could be called upon for judging or an online poll could be carried out. This would again get fans interested in the site for reasons other than the Cyberstore.
This provides another opportunity to get Olympia goers onto the Bodybuilding.com site. Quite simply, the fans would have the opportunity to submit photographs which they think best sums up the show - a candid picture of a pro, an interesting backstage moment, a well timed picture of the pose down etc... Maybe the winner could be again judged through a week-long online vote and the winner given $250 supplement voucher at the Cyberstore. This would be another great opportunity to get people logging onto the site and looking around Bodybuilding.com. This would also be a great way for fans unable to attend to be able to gauge the atmosphere of the event and feel more like part of it.
 Check Out 2002 Olympia Pics Here. Check Out 2003 Olympia Pics Here. Check Out 2004 Olympia Pics Here.
Everyone loves to be able to take part in a physical challenge, particularly aspiring bodybuilders - just look at the success of the Animal bench press challenge.
 Click To Enlarge.
At The Animal Bench Press Challenge @ The 2004 Olympia.
Or how about in small 2 lb. bags from one spot to another in one go. The prize? Your weight in whey! If that's too much, maybe a voucher for Bodybuilding.com or a customized t-shirt as described later. The sight of people staggering around with mounds of protein powder is bound to create a fever around the Bodybuilding.com booth and draw the crowd's interest in Bodybuilding.com as a whole.
This put this on an even keel for everyone and undoubtedly increased the popularity of the event. Something similar would be a dipping challenge - a contest to see which man and woman could perform the most un-weighted dips by the end of each day. A little too obvious? Well, in order to create a bit more excitement Bodybuilding.com could mount the parallel bars in the back of a pick-up truck, a 1954 Chevy for example! Give it a custom Bodybuilding.com paint job and the crowds will flock over to take part. This could even be used in promotions in the future.
Click To Enlarge.
Dips On A 1954 Chevy Truck? Got a little more to spend? Fit it with a hydraulic system and let the Dip-Mobile get in on some dipping action itself. Even set up a set of decks in the back and get a DJ to mix while the whole thing is going on! I understand this probably blows the budget slightly but it's certainly a fun idea and one that I, as a visitor, would remember for a long while after the event.
At the 2004 Arnold Classic Animal (yes, them again) brought in a tattooist and offered a free 100% real and permanent tattoo of the Animal 'A' logo to anyone interested.
Click To Enlarge.The Lad Showing Off His Animal Tattoo. The queues were so long that a huge amount of people that had signed up simply couldn't be fitted in over the weekend. I'm not suggesting that visitors to the 2005 Olympia expo should leave with a BB.bom logo tattooed on their arms (although this would be an awesome marketing tactic), it goes to show that people love to be part of the action and be a real part of the event. I've noticed from pictures that some of the people staffing the Bodybuilding.com booth have been given snazzy and quality vests and t-shirts with the BB.com logo across them. Selling or giving away tops like this as prizes would be great for fans to get a piece of the action. What could make this really special is Bodybuilding.com hired staff and equipment to be able to emboss the tops with personalized names - like you do with basketball vests and football (soccer) shirts. Suddenly a top which may only be reserved for the gym becomes a fashion accessory, spreading the Bodybuilding.com name with them. Bodybuilding.com could even commission a new range of limited edition clothing commemorating Olympia 2005. These could range from vests to hockey style shirts and could, again, be either given away as prizes or sold at the booth. The ability to customize these tops would make them even more special.
To View Some Awesome Bodybuilding.com Clothing Click Here.
What do you think of the other booths that are usually there? What booths were the best to you in the past?
In all of the expos I've been to in the past (bodybuilding, cars or even house design!) the booths have pretty much always been the same. Good looking women and average looking guys giving away teeny tiny little sample packets, mementoes and magazines and celebrities surrounded by their fans.
Click To Enlarge.Oh Yeah! The booths that have always stood out are the ones that are staffed by friendly (or even famous) characters combined with a slick and modern design. As much as I like the free stuff, when I get home the company that gave me a quarter packet of chewable creatine or an eighth of a protein bar is usually the last thing I remember. In contrast, the booths that I have disliked most are the ones in which the staff either can't be bothered to do their job or have no staff present at all. Personally, I respect a company a lot more when I can see the effort and thought that has been put into their booth. Although lots may not like their products, Animal usually come up trumps in this regard.
What do you love and what do you hate about the Olympia/Arnold Classic/Bodybuilding show expos?
When it comes to any expo, I love the atmosphere and knowing you're in the company of thousands of fans just like yourself. Walking past people that you admire and being able to talk to them is a fantastic experience. Although this may sound contradictory to the first point, I hate the mammoth crowds! The buzz and excitement in the air is amazing but those pointy elbows are a lot less fun.
 Click To Enlarge. I Can Do Without The Crowds. Although I have already mentioned this, I also dislike booths which provide samples open so that you have no choice but to consume them there and then. Sometimes the last thing you want is a slice of half melted and pre-fingered protein bar.
Who do you think will be crowned the 2005 Mr. Olympia? Is Ronnie Coleman going to continue is reign and become an 8 time champion, tying Lee Haney? Or does anyone pose a threat to stealing the title?
This is a very difficult question for many reasons. Firstly, there's the new IBBF judging criteria. Personally I would hope that unless Ronnie Coleman has done a lot of work, particularly in regard to his belly, the competition will be flung wide open. That is only, of course, if the new criteria are strictly adhered to.
In regard to shear size and physical presence, Ronnie should win - after all Dorian Yates' reign ushered in a new era of mass monsters of which Ronnie is supreme. Then again, how about the fact that he is going for his 8th title when Jay Cutler has come so close in the past? Jay's also made it clear on his web site exactly what he thinks is going to happen come Olympia.
"On October 15th, 2005 I will arrive at my destiny"
Jay Cutler's Website
Remember, even Lee Haney retired his reign when Dorian Yates became a serious threat to his title and Jay has come oh so close in the past. But then there's the mysterious politics that lurks in the shadows of the IBBF and Mr. Olympia to take into account. Looking at all angles, I feel that Ronnie will go on to win this year, although it will be tight. I think he has the will, determination and physique to go on for number nine too and then call it day - when he's firmly on top! ...all hail old King Coleman!
After being at the 2005 Arnold Classic expo, I was amazed and overwhelmed by the number of booths and the crazy things that were going on at them. The army had a pull-up challenge, Animal had powerlifters lifting insane weights in a steel cage, MuscleTech had many pros like Branch Warren, Jay Cutler, Johnnie Jackson, and others signing autographs. More vidoes of the pros at the expo here.
 Branch Warren. Twinlab was giving away samples, and the list went on. As I walked down the aisles with bags and bags worth of supplements I ventured to one of my favorite booths... Bodybuilding.com. This is where I met Bob Cicherillo. Bob was totally nice and I was given a t-shirt and some supplement samples. The booth was awesome. Here is a picture of Bob and me at the bodybuilding.com booth.
 Click To Enlarge. Bob Cicherillo & Trick D.
To separate ourselves from the rest of the booths at the Olympia we need to think big but cheap. Right now Bodybuilding.com has used Louis Dorman and Bob Cicherillo in the majority of advertisements. We really need to have them at the booth.
 Click To Enlarge. Bob, Louis & Friends At The 2005 Arnold Classic. What we should do is to have a life size cutout of what Louis Dorman did look like before the awesome transformation and have him sit down right beside it so that people can see living proof of the big changes that can be made using Bodybuilding.com's information and supplements. Bodybuilding.com should also have samples of all supplements Louis recommends to people looking to lose weight. Bob Cicherillo should be given his own table at the booth where he can sign autographs. To draw attention maybe we can get a cutout of him at the 2002 Night Of Champions where Bob had his best finish (2nd; his best conditioning to date in my opinion). This cutout can be a bit larger than life so it stands out in the crowd of booths. Also any models, fitness models, or athletes that BB.com endorses or has close ties too could pose or help with handouts and autographs at the booth.
Bodybuilding.com should give out shirts and hats with their own logo on them. This way it is like a walking advertisement when someone wears the shirt around town. They should give small samples of supplements that are popular today and also give a business card with a discount code on it so that they can save 5% off their first purchase. This would encourage first-time buying. Bodybuilding.com should also have a drawing every 2 hours or so for a big tub of protein, or another item. Bodybuilding.com will ask people their name, address, and email address, and they will submit it into the big box that will be drawed from. Bodybuilding.com should probably tell the people that if you give your email address, you would be sent a code to save 5% off your first purchase, to encourage giving BB.com email addresses. Then BB.com can email the customer periodically on giveaways and discounts going on at the site. This is a form of marketing that has helped businesses all over the Internet.
Bodybuilding.com should sponsor some type of contest. This contest could be something like... show me your 6-pac contest where a group of celebrity judges (Bob Cicherillo, Louis Dorman, etc) will vote on who has the best 6-pac at the 2005 Olympia! Bodybuilding.com will take a digital camera picture of anyone who wants to register for the contest, and the winner will get a 100-dollar gift certificate to the online store. Although 100 dollars seems like a lot of money, it really isn't. When doing gift certificates the company only has the loss of the wholesale price they get the products for. So if someone orders 100 dollars worth of supplements, the company doesn't lose the full 100 dollars, only a portion of that ($100 - Bodybuilding.com's wholesale price for supplement = loss). Bodybuilding.com could also have a bicep curl competition for woman, men, and children. In this contest men would have to see how many times they could curl say 80 pounds in 1 minute. Women would use 40 pounds, and children 20 pounds. The winners would get a gift certificate to the online store.
At the 2005 Arnold Classic there were things I loved and things I hated about some of the booths. My favorite booths at the 2005 Arnold Classic were:
Have you never seen the expo booths? Check out videos of all the major booths here.My favorite booth was probably MuscleTech because of how nice Branch Warren was. I had a nice talk with him and he answered all the questions he could for me; he was a very nice man. Bodybuilding.com would come in a close second. There were a few great booths but there were many others that weren't as good. VPX totally disgraced women with their booth at the 2005 Arnold Classic. They had about 40 girls in almost no clothes talking to all the guys. We brought several girls with us on the trip and they were disgusted by the way VPX was. Everyone has to remember that there are many women that come to these expos too, and they need to be represented. There were several small booths that irritated me because of the haggling they tried doing. As a visitor I want to get good deals, meet pros, and get free supplements. I am pretty sure those three things are on the majority of all visitors' minds. The expo is a great way to find out about new things and to get information to read about almost anything. Nothing feels better than to shake hands with a bodybuilding icon and get your picture taken with him. I was lucky enough to meet Dorian Yates at this years Arnold Classic. It was a thrill and I am glad I got to do it.
 Click To Enlarge. Trick D & Dorian Yates.
I have been known to be a pretty good predictor. If you check out the topic of the week for the 2005 Arnold Classic back in March you will see that I predicted the top 6 almost in exact order (I said Darrem Charles would be 5th and he was 6th I do believe). I also am the IFBB columnist for Ironmass.com and have written a contender article on their Website. This year the champion will be Ronnie Coleman for the 8th time in a row. There isn't a man that can match his size and conditioning. He has the best back and legs in the game, not to mention no weaknesses except his stomach. No other man in the contest has his bodyparts. Jay will finish bride's maid with Darrem Charles possibly landing at 3rd. I believe Darrem will take his momentum into the Olympia and will finish 3rd because of the new judging criteria. Ruhl will finish somewhere in the top 5 and will come in sharper than ever because of the year break he has taken.
In the past couple of years I have been attending the expos at major bodybuilding events. They would consist mainly of the Arnold Classic, Mr. Olympia and of course the GNC Show of Strength. They were all absolutely awesome. The intensity, the crowd and the best part would be getting to meet the pros in person and looking at their massive physique that just makes you want to head to the gym.
Meeting The Pros
I do understand that pros would usually be booked up by other companies so it is not easy to get more of them. But the more pros will only do good for the booth. Getting the pros to sign things is a usual sight and should definitely not be forgotten. Mud Wrestling
What better way to make use of the chicks than to let them wrestle! Having a mud wrestling event to spice things up a little will definitely draw a crowd for sure. So when the crowd comes along, your booth will get the recognition.
This is just a part of what goes on for entertainment purposes. Just like the huge crowd that Flex Wheeler pulled in by having a fight demonstration.
The Fit Show
Be sure to tell them to check out the site after you have filmed them. The fans would be become excited to check out the site because they not only want to relive the memories at the expo, they would also want to see themselves in the episode. Arm Wrestling
As I mentioned earlier I understand that it might be very difficult to organize something like that especially because the top names in bodybuilding would be booked long ahead of time for a list to things to do on that day. So if the initial idea is not able to be carried out, no problem. You can start a contest. For anyone that spends more than a certain amount of money, say $200, can get a chance to refund their money. Here is how this will work. Those that spend more than $200 will write their names down and other information and they will wrestle with other people that also spend more than $200. The final person that wins based on a knockout format, will get to wrestle Bob Cicherillo. If Bob Cicherillo wins, BB.com will refund him/her half the amount he/she spends as a consolation prize for getting this far. If Bob Cicherillo loses he/she will be refunded all the amount spent on purchase at the BB.com booth. So in this way people will be drawn to the fact that they could buy supplements for free because all they need is to win an arm wrestling match. (P.S. The $200 mark is a rough estimate for this example. The actual figure has to be high enough so that not everyone that purchases something will get a chance to enter.) Celebrities
It doesn't even have to be movie stars. Some examples would be Hulk Hogan, Dave Batista, John Sena, UFC fighters and K1 fighters. With these type of people there even the wrestling fans would show up to watch them. Who knows they might even be hooked onto bodybuilding from there. Music & Dance Have fitness models do dances on an elevated platform with a pole to attract more customers. I am not talking about striptease dancing but sexual dancing with skin hugging attire. This would create a stir and while people are watching get the dancers to throw out samples of supplements that need to be promoted. Lets compare 2 situations:
Which would you prefer? Sounds logical to have it from the chick right? The thing is by throwing out these free samples it will not actually get to reach everyone. So yeah, you have to have a hot stud and hot babe, standing there giving out samples also.
Lucky Draws
Appearance Of Booth
Simplicity is the key here. So not have a backdrop that is filled with words on what BB.com is about. Let the customers be mystified and explore the site for themselves. Maybe a good slogan could do the trick too. Something like,
"Everything About Bodybuilding In One Place."
Something like that would be cool. Never let the staff be seen slacking around the booth. It doesn't create a good impression. I know it would be hard staying fresh the whole day, so if the staff needs to rest do it somewhere else, not within the booth area. Always have babes there and a little flirtatious behavior from them to gain attention also wouldn't hurt. But be careful not to overdo it. We must bear in mind that it is bodybuilding expo not a playboy mansion. Power Lifting Challenge
Food
 Click To Enlarge. Spice Up That Chicken... With Beef! You can even have manufacturers their to promote their brands. Brands that you are using. Teach people how to use these products to add taste and delight into their good old fashion chicken. After every demonstration on how to cook the food, get the fans to try some of it. The smell alone will help draw more customers.
Seeing those people bench a mountain of weights makes you feel so small that you want to start working out right away. I guess, in a way, people want to be associated with the "animal" to feel a sense of accomplishment by being hardcore.
I could often see a bunch of people lining in a queue for something apparently very huge. But from the back I don't what it is. And there is no indication of what it might be. So instead of queuing up I opted to go check out the other things only to find out that long queue was the place to get Ronnie Coleman's autograph. What a waste.
  Click To Enlarge. If Only I Had Gotten In That Line! Other times when I do queue up, half an hour later I find out that it is a queue to buy something. So make sure that if the booth is expecting a queue in certain areas, put up huge indications of what the queues are for and also gates to guide the queue lines.
Many people think that Ronnie Coleman is going to be gunned down by Jay Cutler this year. They only say that because they have not seen Ronnie Coleman before. The guy is from another planet. His mass and muscle definition is outrageous. The only person that has his mass or possibly more mass and width is Markus Ruhl. But too bad for Markus he does not have a back like Ronnie which could easily be used as a table. Since there will be stricter rules on outstanding guts this year, Ronnie might run into some problems here and there. But even then no one can take him down. He is unstoppable. So I predict Ronnie Coleman to tie Lee Haney for the Mr. Olympia. To make predictions about next year will depend on how the contenders look this year.
The 2005 Olympia is going to be another huge event in the bodybuilding world. The Olympia is the biggest bodybuilding competition out of all of them- bodybuilders in the Olympia are the best bodybuilders in the entire world! Since bodybuilding is becoming more of a mainstream activity, there should be more and more people there each time. Not only that, but this will be a huge event in bodybuilding and attract more bodybuilders than any other year for that reason! This is a perfect time to let people know about www.bodybuilding.com, a great source of bodybuilding information and bodybuilding-related products.
Because of this, Bodybuilding.com is going to need to do something to bring extra attention to their booth. Something that no other booth will have thought of! This way, visitors to the Olympia will walk away with the name "Bodybuilding.com" fresh in their minds. So what can be done to make sure people will want to log on to bodybuilding.com the second they get home? Well, there are a few things that can be done, without spending ridiculous amounts of money. This article is going to go into several ideas that will attract visitors to the Bodybuilding.com Expo and show them that Bodybuilding.com is a quality store and web site! There are a lot of things that can be done, like handing out sample items and shirts, having contests, having top bodybuilders show up, and more.
There are a lot of things that people attending a bodybuilding show would appreciate as handouts. While a free scoop of protein might not save a bodybuilder tons of money, it will still be different from the usual, which is always a good thing. There are a few supplements out there that have immediate effects as well, and just one use can have a potent effect in improving a workout, so handing out samples of things like that is very helpful. For people that are from out-of-town, a place to work out will be a big help. These are a few ideas that I had in mind for handouts at the Bodybuilding.com expo booth.
SciViation Neurostim and ErgoPharm AMP might be some of the best stimulants out there, but there have already been tons of samples of those products sent around. When choosing gimmicks for the expo booth, you have to be unique!
Bodybuilding.com representatives can hand out sample packets of amp'd to other avid bodybuilders!
Sample packs of XYience NOX-CG3 would help out anybody attending bodybuilding.com's booth.
For maximum convenience, I recommend handing out free RTD (Ready-To-Drink) shakes. There are two that come to mind. Musclemilk RTD shakes
This doesn't require the bodybuilder to bring around Tupperware, shaker bottles, or anything like that - just a disposable bottle - so it is very bodybuilder-friendly. LeanBody RTD shakes
I received one of these in with my order a few days ago, and it was really convenient for me, even though I just drank it at my house while watching television. It's amazing how these things taste and look like those chocolate milk or juice boxes that I drank as a kid! This made my experience drinking the LeanBody RTD shake even better. Therefore, handing out sample RTD shakes would big a big help for all of the bodybuilders visiting the show. Remember, though, one per customer!
I think that Bodybuilding.com should find a good fitness center or hardcore gym which is somewhere near the Olympia, and buy several one-day gym passes to hand out to visitors. The passes could say something like, "Thanks for visiting our booth. from, Bodybuilding.com" This would remind visitors about Bodybuilding.com, and also be extremely helpful. Sometimes people miss out on the Olympia because they don't want to miss workouts, so free gym passes would mean a lot to them.
Meeting top bodybuilders can be very inspiring, and there are a lot of people who attend these expos just to meet their favorite bodybuilders. It is unfortunate for Bodybuilding.com that we can't get Mr. Olympia himself for our booth, but we have some other fitness names to invite. Bob Cicherillo is a professional bodybuilder who has always done bodybuilding good by being there at the expo. Louis Dorman has also done a great job of showing what bodybuilding can really do. Russ DeLuca made a good representative in the 2002 Olympia Expo too.
These competitive bodybuilders and fitness competitors could do things like hand out samples and autograph pictures, which would show that Bodybuilding.com is very generous and backed up by successful bodybuilders and fitness competitors.
While this might annoy a lot of professional bodybuilders from being constantly asked, causing them to give choppy answers, Bodybuilding.com representatives could take a few minutes per person to give out real quality advice. A small area to be used as an advice area would attract a whole bunch of customers because advice from someone successful always goes a long way. If someone wants advice on improving their physique, it would only be natural for them to go to somebody who has already succeeded in that.
The Bodybuilding.com Fit Show has definitely improved their reputation. Holding a raffle is always exciting at an event like the Olympia Expo, so Bodybuilding.com should hold one, making the prize one workout with Milos Sarcev on The Fit Show! Raffle tickets could be sold at an equal price to the gym passes too, so that it evens out and possibly makes some profit.
Everybody likes free clothes! Everybody has the past Bodybuilding.com shirts with the little logo on them. I think that Bodybuilding.com can make some more shirts with pictures on the back, or sayings. There could also be a special edition Olympia Bodybuilding.com shirt, with the Olympia logo on it and Bodybuilding.com's logo too.
Bodybuilding.com doesn't need some gimmick, their quality speaks for itself. Overall, while Bodybuilding.com could use lots of different gimmicks to draw people in, I think that Bodybuilding.com's quality speaks for itself, and they should use their quality of service and low prices to get people to be drawn in - not a ton of gimmicks. I think that a nice, simple backdrop with enough room for the Bodybuilding.com representatives is all that we need nothing out of the ordinary. We shouldn't be using our expo as a jungle gym like other companies have done in the past, otherwise people will just think of Bodybuilding.com as a big joke.
Looking back at past bodybuilding expos, there are just a few things that I would make sure to completely avoid doing if I were in charge.
When doing a competition like this, it would be easy for people to cheat and use bad exercise execution, which defeats the purpose of the competition. If there is a contest like this, I would make it a repetition contest, for example to see who can bench press 150 pounds for the most reps.
  Click To Enlarge. Oh Yeah, I'm Terrified.
I haven't attended any bodybuilding expos in the past, but here are a few that I read about that seemed like lot of fun and why:
They had a power cage and some dumbbells and a few benches in there. They hosted a bench press contest, which I don't think is all that safe, but still a lot of fun. I liked the creativity here a lot.
ISS makes some delicious flavors for protein, so showing this to visitors by giving out samples is a great way to increase business.
Also, Dorian Yates himself made an appearance, and because he had been Mr. Olympia for several years, this would attract a lot of customers that want to meet him. While he isn't as big as ever, he is still a friendly guy who can back up a product if he wants to!
I like how they put testimonials up in big font on their booth - this is a great way to show visitors that they are really a quality web site and they deserve their positive feedback.
The best part of the bodybuilding expos like the Arnold Classic and the Olympia has got to be the way you can meet other people with common interests and get motivated by them to work out harder. A lot of people on the message boards can meet other people and get in a workout together. A lot of times these workouts are really motivating and intense, some of the best workouts of the year. For example, one time Derek Charlebois was telling me how he set a personal best in the rack deadlift while he was working out at a Gold's Gym with a few bodybuilding friends when they got together for the Olympia. I also like how the place is surrounded by a healthy atmosphere, and everyone there is very upbeat, because that's just how people who eat healthy and work out hard act!
I can't think of too many negative aspects to these bodybuilding expos. The only one that could be offensive is the one year when VPX had close to 40 fitness chicks in really inappropriate clothing. That would make me uncomfortable if I attended an expo that had people doing that. I also would not like to be around some pros who have been known for being really snotty, like Lou Ferrigno, and doing things like charging kids money for autographs.
This year is going to be a big year for the Olympia, because the current champ is going to try and get his eighth win in a row! This will give him more successful years in bodybuilding than Lee Haney had. It is pretty clear that Ronnie will win again this year. Even in the 2002 Olympia, when Ronnie came in 15 lbs. lighter than usual, he still stomped out competition. I am sure that he won't be 15 lbs. behind this time, either. His muscle size combined with the impressive conditioning usually is what makes him the champ. The fact that he won even while in his worst conditioning in the 2002 Olympia shows that nobody can steal the title from him.
Last year in the movie "Battle for the Olympia 2004", he said something like "If anyone can beat him, it's me." It also might be Jay's last chance to defeat Ronnie in a bodybuilding competition, because Ronnie might be satisfied after his eighth win and retire, so that must make Jay work extra hard.
He always comes in with great conditioning. Darrem Charles also has an extremely aesthetic physique - a 27 inch waist and 22 inch arms isn't something that is all that common! If Dexter Jackson competes, though, his conditioning will beat out those two. His back is also incredible. It's just too bad his height takes away from his looks on stage. He might not be competing this year, though, because of something big that's going on in the bodybuilding world. Overall, it is probably an accurate guess that Ronnie will be Mr. Olympia. He should definitely win. Jay Cutler should take second, and Darrem Charles is my prediction for third place. If the Olympia judging is similar at all to that of last year, then I think that these predictions will come true.
This article went into several ideas that will help Bodybuilding.com win the hearts of visitors that come to the 2005 Olympia. There are a lot of ideas that always work, and my presentation of them should be a big help and make the bodybuilding.com expo more successful. Because more and more people are showing up to these events each year, Bodybuilding.com needs to do more and more for their booth too! Visitors to the Olympia should be walking away with the address to Bodybuilding.com fresh in their minds so that as soon as they get home, they log on and get a taste of the great source of information and products that it is. The Olympia is the most important bodybuilding competition worldwide, hosting only the best physiques in the world. This is why the 2005 Olympia is a great place to let people know a web site where they can use the information and store to reach their goals - www.bodybuilding.com!
Visit supplement company # 1's booth. Pick up a free sample packet, and maybe try their newest protein shake. If you're lucky, grab a few words with a pro or even an autograph. Walk around a bit. Repeat. Sound familiar? Now while this isn't exactly my or anyone's idea of a hard day, nevertheless it gets repetitive, even boring after a while. However, not all booths have to be the same! I've thought of a few ideas that could spice up our booth, and attract lots of people. In this article, I'm going to discuss these ideas and how to make Bodybuilding.com's booth the place to be at this year's Olympia expo. I'll talk about a few things that will make our booth more interesting and enjoyable. I'll also discuss some of the other companies' booths, and major bodybuilding expos in general. I'll even make a few predictions on the Mr. Olympia results! Now, let's get started with some ideas to set Bodybuilding.com's booth apart from the rest of the pack!
Almost all of the booths look pretty similar, making it harder to attract attention to your own. A boring sign with your company's name on it isn't anything special. Remember, flashy colors and pictures will attract attention more than a plain logo. You could even have bodybuilding clips and animations playing. An easy way to advertise the Bodybuilding.com forums is to add the URL to a banner, and saying "Join the Community" or something to that effect. You don't need to stop with banners, either. Hanging heavy barbells and simulating a hardcore gym environment can really define you as a serious company!
One way to make people excited for the night show would be to have an animation playing, showing each of the past Olympia winners on a separate frame and the years that they won. After Ronnie Coleman's picture, in big letters it would say "Who's Next?". The audience wants a tough competition, make it seem like there's a good chance of another competitor beating Ronnie! The magazines do this a lot in the ads for the Olympia. They post captions and quotes from other competitors claiming they'll destroy Ronnie this year. They want to see a fight, not an easy win!
Another idea is to have a small area with a bench, power rack and some weights. Every hour or so, there would be a casual, raw competition in one of the big three lifts. The top few people could win some free supplements! Also, it would attract plenty of people to watch and compete.
It would be fun, but people would still have to sign a waiver, so if someone did get injured Bodybuilding.com wouldn't be liable. Crowds would gather to watch as well, and that would attract even more people.
Here's another fun idea. There would be some cards with questions about past Mr. Olympia contests, and bodybuilding in general. If someone wants to test their knowledge, they would go up to a table with another visitor. When a question is asked, the first one to ring the bell answers. If they answer correctly, points go to them. Whoever ends up with the most points wins some small prizes.
It's no new idea to have pros signing autographs at your booth. However, it still can't be overlooked that many people would love to meet IFBB pros! You can also kill two birds with one stone by having the pros offer the fans they meet a free supplement sample. People like free stuff, so small, inexpensive items like the following work great for giveaways:
If not, offer a coupon with a discount number on it, so with their next order to the Bodybuilding.com store, they'll receive complimentary straps! Straps can be useful for certain heavy lifts.
If I were a visitor, I would want to see a friendly, knowledgeable staff that has experience with the products they're promoting. I would want to be able to ask questions, get detailed answers, and have each aspect of new supplements explained.
If I ask "What's the advantage of CEE over regular creatine monohydrate?" they should be able to answer properly rather than saying "You'll gain 10 pounds of muscle in a week!". If the representatives were armchair quarterbacks who only care about selling, it doesn't say much about the company. I'd like the staff to hand out quality advice that will actually help people's gains. Nothing like a real, down to earth chat with some other serious bodybuilders. The representatives should be living examples of what the company wants to promote. A hardcore company like Animal wouldn't be well off having a Richard Simmons look-alike preaching the effects of their newest products. On the other hand, a health and wellness company that specializes in multi-vitamins for elderly people shouldn't be represented by massive bodybuilders or powerlifters. Also, you should definitely be able to sample the flavors for each supplement, so you know what to buy and what not to buy. The design of the backdrop and booth should be visually appealing as well. People should be drawn to the booth, because of the awesome banners and backdrop.
I feel that a good amount of the booths at the Olympia expo are practically the same, the only difference being different supplements and colors. I like how you get the chance to meet your idols, and usually the staff from the company. Some of them turn out to be pretty cool people, and also very knowledgeable. I don't like how some of the pros are charging for pictures or autographs! They should be happy to meet a fan. I think it's good to be able to sample the supplements from different companies, because it gives you a good idea whether or not you want to buy something. It can save you some money if the product you were going to buy 10 lbs of turns out to taste like something from a nightmare!
I think Animal's booth has been the best in the past, because of the whole lifting environment there. Everything about it screams "hardcore!" Most of their representatives are experienced bodybuilders themselves. If I can choose between a company created by a businessman who's never lifted a weight in his life, and a company created by massive bodybuilders I'm going to go with the second option. They're also quite generous with their free samples. You can try out all their supplements, and they'll give you a free, expansive training manual if you want. Of course, it's also great to watch those insane amounts of iron get hoisted around like nothing in "The Cage"! The Cage is a hardcore gym style arena in which people basically lift massive weights. This is always exciting and attracts loads of people.
We'll start off with the good stuff...
Now The Bad
Who do you think will be crowned the 2005 Mr. Olympia? Is Ronnie Coleman going to continue is reign and become an 8 time champion, tying Lee Haney? Or does anyone pose a threat to stealing the title?
There's not much doubt in my mind that Ronnie will win again this year. He's in a league by himself now. His mass, detail, symmetry and definition are unmatched. I'm not sure how much the IFBB's new "no gut" rule will come into play yet however. It's a big rule, but the stomach is only one body part. If the IFBB is dead serious about enforcing this new rule, Ronnie may have some trouble against some of the smaller, more aesthetically pleasing bodybuilders, but like I said, a bloated stomach is one thing; Ronnie is still king in many other body parts. He's also not the only one with this problem. Markus Ruhl, Gunter Schlierkamp, Gustavo Badell and a few others are developing big guts as well. As for Jay Cutler, there's not much competition here. Jay Cutler has a great set of abs, which is very important, but it's the whole package that counts. Some say his quads are better than Big Ron's, but that's not true. While they're more aesthetic, they're quite a bit smaller than the champs'. Questionably, he also holds the advantage for triceps, and calves, but I don't think that will be enough to beat Big Ron. Ronnie still has better quads, hamstrings and glutes, as well as a far better back and traps. His biceps, delts and chest are better as well. Jay is a great bodybuilder, but still just 2nd place. I think the results for the top 5 will look like:
As for breaking Lee Haney's record, I think Ronnie can make it to 10 Sandows if he wants. It's all up to whether he gets injured, or sick. If everything goes well for him, I think he can hold the title until he decides to retire, and he's not showing any signs of slowing down!
With luck, this year our booth will be the most interesting booth at the Mr. Olympia expo! Now that we've gone over all these ideas, hopefully Ryan can get something out of it! If we have the friendliest staff, the coolest pros, the best giveaways, and awesome contests, I'm sure we'll get loads of visitors that will want to come back. Hopefully we have a good, controversy-free Olympia this year and the placings are all fair. There seems to be a few changes taking place, what with the IFBB's new rules, a large increase in prize money and the revamped challenge round. You may not agree with my predictions for the Mr. Olympia results, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the show anyway. Good luck everyone, and come October we'll see what the Olympia has in store!
Pro's
Con's
Comments
Pro's
Con's
Comments
Do You Have A Great Idea For Our Booth?
Share your ideas on the Bodybuilding.com Forum. Over 100,000 members and you will receive discounts on supplements and it is FREE! Learn more here.
Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
Related Articles
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
That's just for starters. One of the most impressive things at any expo is a booth which simply puts in the effort for its customers. A slightly more expensive and effective approach to the backdrop idea would be an enormous feature sculpture of Atlas, the mythological Greek Titan, holding the world across his shoulders.
This would truly be an inspiration to Bodybuilding.com users and allow people new to fitness to be able to chart their progress alongside the Challenger's, and to see the same ups and downs in life and fitness that we all experience.
Sign in for more FREE features and tools!
|
|
Give Us Feedback:
Report A ProblemSite Feedback |
Follow Us:
|
Bodybuilding.com Newsletter
Receive exciting features, |
