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ByLeo Victor

Top 5 Must Do activities for a successful trade-show

Trade-shows can be fun, exhausting, exciting and frustrating all at the same time. For exhibitors, they are a substantial investment of time and money that should lead to more business for their companies. To prepare for a trade-show, there are a lot of things that have to take place. Assuming you have the logistics nailed down (which is no small task), getting the sales / marketing team prepared to attend is a key element to making the most of your investment. You can probably find dozens of things to get done for a trade-show; these are our Top 5.

  1. Plan what success looks like. As obvious as this is, when you are in the flow of one trade-show after another, the reasons for doing them can easily get lost. It is unlikely that the primary metric of success is “sales”, but the goal of a trade-show, or any marketing activity, is to improve sales. The real question is “what role do trade shows have in growing your business?” Some of the elements may be new leads, enhance current relationships, exposure for new products / services, future meetings, or gaining more information about customers and prospects. Once you know what the elements are, then attach a number to it. 100 new leads; 25 complete customer profiles; 4 follow up meetings, etc.
  2. Pre-show outreach. There are a number of actions to take and depending on your trade-show and success metrics, some may be more important than others (some may not be needed at all).
    • Create a social media hashtag for your company at the show and start sharing information about your plans and ask other about theirs.
    • Follow and comment on the show’s social media profiles / pages.
    • Post photos of those from your company who will attend. If you will be wearing branded apparel at the show, wear it in the photos.(consider ordering extra shirts to share with key customers / prospects).
    • Connect with key customers and prospects before the show to arrange meetings, or at the very least, invite them to stop by your booth.
  3. Create your “value add” for the show. You know why you are exhibiting, but why are attendees attending? Is it to simply learn more about the industry, network with other attendees, just have fun, or create a short list of suppliers? By understanding why they attend, you can identify your own value add for them.
  4. Plan your attraction, give-a-way, promo item, or “event”. Your value add may be spot on, but if you can’t grab attention on the exhibit floor, no one will get a chance to learn about it. If your attention “getter” is a giveaway, here is a piece about how to determine what the gift ought to be. You may opt for an “event”, or a booth where people can get a message, or a drawing for something big. The point is, you have to get people to stop, so don’t just “throw some pens on the table.”
  5. Plan your follow up. Don’t wait until the show are over to decide “what’s next.” Based on #1 above, you should define the steps you will take immediately after (or even during) the show. If you are calling, emailing, sending something to those who stopped by, let them know what to expect, to look out for it. don’t leave them wondering. By planning out the followup ahead of time, you can clearly let people know what’s coming and you’ll be able to execute on it more quickly.

 

Trade-shows take a lot of resources for exhibitors. By laying the groundwork ahead of time, companies can make the most of their time on the exhibition floor and see their efforts pay off down the road.