If you want to have a successful trade show, then you must have a plan to guide you along the way. If you participate in multiple marketing events a year, then it would be smart to have a plan you can unroll every time you travel to a new location.
What Are Your Trade Show Goals?
You must have clear and defined goals for the trade show you are participating in. Are you looking to generate new sales? Are you sampling a new product? You need to work with your staff and set goals for them to meet so you can achieve the desired results.
Make A Budget
This is simple. You need to stick to your trade show budget so that you can track your return on investment after the show is over. If you overspend, the money you profited from the trade show is lost.
What Is The Size Of The Exhibit Space?
Each trade show event is different. It is important to know the size of your booth space so you can build an exhibit that uses the space efficiently. Your trade show display represents your company, so request a space that is the right size. The size the exhibit space determines how big your booth can be, what you can bring, and how boisterous your marketing can be.
Design Your Trade Show Display
You need to have a banner that fits the table or front of your booth as well as hanging sign over your exhibit area. It is very important the banner and the hanging sign are presenting the same message since they will be seen most by trade show attendees. These signs should be professionally designed and printed for the best results.
What Are Your Giveaways?
You can give things away at your booth, but do not give away things that are too valuable. You need to walk a fine line between giving away something fun and something that is useful. The goal is to give away something memorable so attendees will remember your company. It should be something with your logo on it, like a keychain, bottle cap opener or a water bottle. If you are on a tight budget, having a promotional giveaway raffle box will allow to give away free items to a selected few, and not every visitor.
Find Your Staff
You must have more than one person working the booth at your trade show if you expect to be successful. It doesn’t matter if you take new employees, or seasoned veterans, your staff needs to be trained for the event. You should not hire people to watch your booth because they have no stake in how your company performs. The people at the booth have to be social and interact with attendees at the trade show. They also have to know the product and know how to generate new leads. Going to a trade show is not a vacation, it is a lot of work. Be prepared to work long hours.
Market Your Presence At The Event
Post and Pre event marketing for your company social media, event websites and to the people that are in the area. If you want to make the most out of your trade show display, engaging in event marketing will help you achieve the results you are looking for. Repeat customers will come to the booth because they want to see what you have coming out that is new, and they might have some questions about the new products if they want to upgrade. Event marketing is a great way to reach out to old customers while marketing to new customers.
How Do You Set Up For The Show?
You need to draw up a map for the booth setup, and you must figure out how you will get the exhibit and trade show accessories to the event. Are you going to ship your materials? Or will you drive to the show yourself? Plan for shipping if the show is in a different state, carpool if it is close. And rent your materials whenever you can to save money.
How Did Your Trade Show Booth Perform?
You must have a list of how many items you gave away to customers, how many people tried your products, how many new people you met, how many sales you made, and how many people who need to follow up with? Were you able to create future opportunities? Your company can easily do the calculation, and make adjustment for each event until you have the right formula.
Follow Up With Leads
The leads you generated at the show expect to hear from you soon after the show. If they gave you their contact information because they are interested in what your company has to offer. They want to hear more about your products, following up with them will help increase your profits from the trade show.
Conclusion
Repeat this trade show strategy at every event for the best possible results. Your company looks great when it is represented well at a trade show, but the goal is to grow your business. These trade show tips can help you plan, set up and make the most out of the event you are participating in.
[…] just about anything. Once you’ve built your survival kit, be sure to include it in your regular trade show checklist and check its inventory before each show. You’ll have it down as part of your regular show […]
[…] Trade Show Checklist – This is your list of functions that your company performs for each trade show. Many of these tasks will involve budgets, marketing, show dates, times, and your booth locations. Make sure you have all of your dates nailed down as you do not want to make a date-related mistake on your marketing communications. For more information on what should be in your trade show checklist read our blog about it here. […]