Plan Your Trade Show For Success

In business, planning is the single most ignored area. Many people start a business, get funding, decide upon a product and decide to advertise at a Trade Show. They have the idea that, "If I just get the product 'out there', people will beat a path to my door"

WRONG!

Planning is the key to EVERY business. You plan how you will get funding, you plan which product will serve a need for a large segment of the target market, you plan your business location. Why would you think you do NOT have to plan a Trade Show display?

In a previous blog, I covered the planning calendar. Use the calendar as a guide, for your planning. Add or delete steps as applicable.

During your planning sessions, especially if you are new to Trade Shows, you might be prone to make certain mistakes. I am happy to share my experience, with you, to prevent you from making mistakes that could cost you money.

Some of the major mistakes are:

1 - Not researching a show, in-depth, to determine whether or not it draws YOUR particular target audience.

Many people just look at the number of attendees, from previous years. It is necessary to know the type of attendee the show attracts. Get demographic information, before commiting to a show. What good are a million visitors if they are all in the <35K/yr> bracket and you are selling yachts?

2 - Waiting until the last minute and winding up with a horrible location.

Once you decide upon a show, you must make sure to get all paperwork and fees, in to the promoter, long before the show deadline. The earlier you get your application in, the more likely you are to get a good location. Waiting can get you hidden, in the back of the show, behind a column.

If you are allowed to choose a location, always choose an area close to the main attractions, escalator or elevators and the largest vendors. These locations will provide the greatest amount of traffic.

3 - Choosing a "Run-Of-The-Mill" display that has nothing to attract traffic to your booth.

You MUST have flash, drama, video and interactive displays to not only attract traffic, but to keep them in your booth long enough for you to get your message across. Consider entertainment, promotional giveaways, hourly prizes, free coffee, comfortable chairs for your visitors to take a break from walking, etc. Use your imagination. What would make YOU stop and stay in a booth displaying your product or service?

If your business cannot afford to purchase the display that will generate the most revenue, consider renting.

A table with a drape might as well be a coffin with a drape!

4- Match your Booth Staff with your prospective clientele.

If you are exhibiting at a Medical Convention, you would not use non-medical personnel in your booth. It is imperative to match your staff to your market. How will your sales staff know a qualified prospect, if they have no clue about the marketplace?

5 - Identify your key prospects, before the show, and train your staff on how to qualify your leads.

Invest in software, before the fact, to aid in training your booth staff. Most software can be used, at the shows, to continue to qualify your prospects.

6 - Do not use the antiquated "prize drawing" as a marketing tool.

Prospects have seen this used for the last 45 years and your qualified prospect will not fill out a drawing form. Drawings just attract people looking for "freebies".

7 - Don't wait to contact your qualified prospects.

After the show is over. Have qualified sales staff contact your hot leads within one week of the shows ending.

8 - If the show was good, re-register for the following year, before leaving the show.

Most promoters will give their current exhibitors first choice on locations, for the coming year.

A few more suggestions:

A. If you are planning to set up your own display, check to make sure that the Unions will allow self set-up. If you must pay for union workers to set-up, you need to know this and plan your show budget accordingly.

B. Research other events, in the area, happening during the show. They can severly impact a shows attendance.
(We once did a show, in Long Beach, and found out that a marathon was scheduled concurrently that cordoned off the surrounding ten blocks. The show had NO VISIOTRS and the vendors wanted to lynch the promoter. With a little research, we could have avoided THAT disaster!)

If you plan your show and work that plan, you should have a profitable experience.

Good Luck.