13 Tips for a Successful Trade Show
So you have purchased your booth space, had your exhibit house design and build your exhibit, contracted all of your services, booked your airline flights and hotel rooms, hired your Professional Trade Show Presenter and other trade show talent, and chosen which of your employees are going to staff your booth. So now all you have to do is show up at the convention center…right?
The biggest reason that exhibitors have an unsuccessful show is because they just stand around and expect attendees to come to them. Trade shows have a lot going on in a condensed space, and you need to attract attendees to your booth. Here are some simple tips for a successful show:
- A SMILE and a POSITIVE ATTITUDE are the best accessories you can put on in the morning!
- Make sure to do PRE-SHOW MARKETING to drive attendees to your booth. The walk-bys are the icing on the cake.
- You must give attendees a REASON to walk into your booth, otherwise they will just walk on by.
- Make sure your PURPOSE for being at the trade show is crystal clear so that no attendee gets confused by your message.
- You must WELCOME attendees into your booth and be a perfect “party host” once they are inside. It is all about the first impression!
- Maintain your ENERGY LEVEL throughout the day, no matter how tired or hungry you are.
- STAFF YOUR BOOTH with the employees who recognize the value of trade shows, shows up on time, will not wander away from the booth, knows the answers to the questions the attendees will ask, maintains a put-together appearance, and are not prone to losing business cards or information that will be needed back at the office.
- Make sure that the staff of your booth has a UNIFORM APPEARANCE so that it is obvious to the attendees who works for your company and can answer their questions.
- Don’t think that you can do it all, because you can’t. Make sure to OUTSOURCE functions to companies who represent your company image.
- LISTEN to the attendees and give them exactly what they are looking for in the moment. Upselling can happen once the show is over and a relationship has been established.
- Have a designated method for getting HOT LEADS to the appropriate sales person both on the show floor at back at the office. Never let an opportunity slip away due to disorganization.
- Remember that you are REPRESENTING YOUR COMPANY from the minute you get to the airport in your home city to the minute you are in your car driving home. Many relationships have been started on airplanes or shuttles, in the cafeteria, or at dinner. And many more relationships have been destroyed during these same times.
- And most importantly, HAVE FUN!!
Some of these tips may sound obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I approach a booth only to find one employee present, sitting with his/her back to the aisle, with a scowl on their face, hunched over their computer. These are the exhibitors that complain that they had an unsuccessful show and give trade shows a bad name.
Have a successful show!!
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Thanks a lot. I was searching for the trade show presentation for last few days…a few found but those was not what i’m looking for.
Cheers
Fuad
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Emilie Barta Reply:
August 12th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
I am so happy that this article helped you, Faud!!
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This is good solid advice. I’m amazed at the number of times I find booths staffed by people who look like they’re serving out a punishment.
If you’re going to invest in a booth, plan ahead so you have at strategy for how you’re going to use the booth, and get top-quality people to represent you.
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Emilie Barta Reply:
August 12th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
As someone who loves trade shows, it bothers me to see the type of employee that you mention, Gregg. Why would a trade show manager or marketing department spend the $$ on an event and then staff the booth with people who do not take advantage of it?
Thank you for your comment!!
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Thanks! I wanted to share just this type information with some “newbies” at an upcoming important show – now I don’t have to draft a memo. I can just share this with them!
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Emilie Barta Reply:
August 12th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I am so happy you will be sharing this info with your “newbies,” Holly…please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help!!
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As a trade show strategist, I agree with your top notch advice. Now the key is for leadership to recognize that trade shows are a valuable marketing tool, and task management with executing a strategy.
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Emilie Barta Reply:
August 12th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
I think that all of us that recognize the value of trade shows have the same struggle…proving to the non-believers that trade shows are the most effective use of marketing dollars and the most cost-effective way to reach a large number of prospects in a short amount of time.
Thanks for your comment, Jason!!
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There is much truth here. I train exhibitors for both trade and consumer shows and “SMILE” is surely my latest mantra. I almost get scared walking the aisles of scowling exhibitors at most shows of late!
Pre-Show promotion is usefully considered to be a two-stage process. It should really be front of mind when doing ALL promotion in any media year-round. To consider when we’ll actually meet the people we are targetting and get them – and us – mentally primed. This way we integrate all of our marketing and the benefits are substantial when we meet on the show floor. In fact this ensures that we DO meet on the show floor. I have written an eBook on this and it is at http://www.bestofshow.com
The second part is what we generally accept as being “Pre-Show Promotion”. That is, what we actually do FOR the specific show. The normal stuff such as advertising, sponsorships, direct mail and the like is important. But there is more too that is less obvious and that also blends into “at show promotion”. Examples are securing speaking slots and using Show Organizer media contacts to secure editorial and PR. I plan of doing a book on this too. One thing at a time!
Keep those ideas coming!
Colin
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Emilie Barta Reply:
August 27th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
I agree with everything you said, Colin. Even after being in the trade show business for 11 years, I still am amazed when exhibitors don’t take the trade show seriously, don’t do the necessary pre- and at- show promotion, and don’t act like they want to meet potential customers!
Thanks for commenting, Colin!!
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I agree that you cannot just stand there waiting for people to come up to you. When I was in the property and casualty insurance business we used to ask people walking by our booth if they wanted to save money on their auto and homeowners insurance. Then we would set up an appointment or take contact information for a follow up appointment. We would also offer a drawing for something, this gave us the names, addresses, and telephone numbers for those who participated in the drawing.
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Emilie Barta Reply:
August 12th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Unfortunately too many exhibitors do nothing before a trade show or even during a trade show to attract traffic to their booth. Attendees are often overwhelmed by a trade show or pressed for time, so they are not going to approach a booth that does nothing to get their attention. It is so good to hear that your company was proactive in their trade show strategy!
Thank you for your comment, Jack!!
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This is great, solid advice. The suggestions seem so obvious, but I notice often that they are not utilized.
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Emilie Barta Reply:
August 12th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Thank you for the compliment, Jan!!
Unfortunately I notice bad booth strategy and bad booth behavior more often than not. Hopefully more exhibitors will start to realize that it is the little things that make a big impression!
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