If you’re familiar with the industry events known as trade shows, then you know just how valuable they can be to growing a business. Trade shows offer a wealth of opportunities, including increasing brand awareness, networking with prospective clients, and making sales.
One of the most well known is the SXSW event hosted each year in Austin, Texas, by Southwest Airlines. Startups such as Twitter and Foursquare were able to gain early traction in large part because of unique marketing tactics they utilized at the SXSW conference.
Trade shows are simply events where goods and services in a particular industry are exhibited. While more and more business is conducted online, trade shows offer merchants and attendees the opportunity to find and develop new business relationships and discover new products. If you aren’t sure how to find trade shows specific to your industry, Trade Show News Network and 10times are two sites that offer a list of trade shows in different industries.
Exhibiting at trade shows requires a lot of planning. Preparation should begin at least two to three months in advance—do not just show up and hope for the best. There is a lot of competition and it’s easy to get lost in the sea of booths and enthusiastic attendees.
With this in mind, knock your first trade show out of the park by following the tips below.
Trade shows are valuable opportunities for companies to connect with current and potential customers, generate leads, and promote their brand. However, simply showing up to a trade show is not enough to achieve success. Extensive preparation is required to maximize your trade show ROI.
Follow this comprehensive 10-step guide to learn how to thoroughly prepare your company for an impactful trade show experience.
Step 1: Set Goals
Start by defining what you want to accomplish at the trade show Do you want to
- Increase brand awareness?
- Generate leads?
- Build media buzz?
- Demonstrate products?
- Find distributors?
Having clear goals will allow you to focus your strategy and measure success.
Step 2: Select the Right Show
Research industry trade shows and ensure the one you select aligns with your goals, target audience, and product offering.
Consider the location, attendance demographics, and company profiles of past exhibitors and attendees. Also factor in booth prices and show logistics.
Step 3: Budget Carefully
Create a detailed trade show budget including expenses like
- Booth space fees
- Booth design and furnishings
- Printed marketing collateral
- Product shipping
- Travel and accommodation
- Promotional giveaways
Build in a 10-20% buffer for unforeseen costs.
Step 4: Plan Your Booth Design
Brainstorm an engaging booth design that will attract attendees and convey your brand. Maximize your allocated space creatively.
Prioritize visibility, accessibility, display areas for your products, and promotional giveaways.
Step 5: Develop a Promotional Strategy
Devise ways to draw attendees to your booth with:
- An interactive demonstration or activity
- Engaging presentations or videos
- Fun giveaways like branded gadgets, snacks, or contest entries
Promote your presence at the show on social media and email campaigns leading up to the event.
Step 6: Train Your Staff
Educate everyone working the booth on your offerings, messaging, goals, and their individual responsibilities.
Conduct roleplaying to practice interacting with attendees and inviting them into the booth.
Step 7: Create Visually Appealing Marketing Materials
Design professional print collateral like brochures, flyers, banners, and signage to display your brand and products attractively.
Make sure materials are portable and easy to distribute to interested attendees.
Step 8: Leverage Technology
Use event apps, live polls, VR demos, and social media to create an immersive, high-tech experience attendees will remember.
Step 9: Plan Post-Show Follow-Up
Collect attendee contact info and survey responses to fuel your post-show follow-up.
Prepare emails, social media messaging, phone call scripts, and customer incentives. A prompt, strategic follow-up campaign is key to converting leads.
Step 10: Arrange Logistics
Handle logistics like:
- Shipping display items and collateral
- Scheduling product demos
- Booking staff travel and accommodation
- Arranging transportation to the venue
Create detailed schedules and timelines for setup, working the event, and post-show breakdown. Assign staff roles for each task.
With extensive planning and preparation, your company will have an impactful trade show presence that meets your goals. Measure results and solicit staff and attendee feedback afterward to improve future shows.
The more strategic you are in selecting the right show, budgeting, promotion, logistics, booth design, staff training, and post-show follow up, the greater your trade show ROI will be. Invest time in thoroughly preparing and you will reap the rewards.
Follow this 10-step guide and you will be equipped to maximize opportunities at your next trade show to successfully raise brand awareness, connect with key audiences, generate promising leads, and convey why your company is the best in the industry.
Give away stuff for free
People love free stuff and they expect to score quite a bit of it at trade shows You can entice a crowd with something as simple as freshly baked cookies, or you can go a step further with promotional goods such as pens, hats, notebooks, or water bottles. Try to offer something relevant to your brand.
Don’t be shy about handing out your freebies, either. The more an attendee sees your goods, the more eager he or she will be to find your booth and see what you’re about. This strategy is great for sales because once someone has tried something, they often feel obliged to make a purchase. It’s called the law of reciprocity—use it to your advantage.
If you’re looking for a place to create great promotional materials, we’ve rounded up our favorite sites here.
No need to wait for others to ask you a question. Strike up a conversation! “Did you know our product is organic?” “How are you liking the trade show so far?”
If you’re shy, try not to overthink. Remember, the whole point of a trade show is to make connections.
1 Take lead notes
Trade shows will often have a system for scanning attendee badges that allows you to capture notes on the individuals you meet.
Another great option is a cell phone app that lets you scan business cards and attach notes. Perhaps you’re a pen-and-paper note taker, and that’s fine too. Just have some system in place to note potential customer needs and wants, so that you can recall them and address them when you follow up.
Speaking of following up, this is one of the most important parts of attending a trade show that often gets abandoned. Remember your primary goal: turn trade show introductions into long-term business relationships.
With this in mind, reach out to those you met. Reference your lead notes to craft personalized messages addressing the individual concerns and desires of each potential customer. Do this all within a few days of the trade show—you don’t want to lose momentum.
How To Prepare For Trade Shows
What makes a successful trade show?
Clearly, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes of a successful trade show. The work involves marketers, designers, fabricators, logistics specialists, and other professionals dedicated to making the right impression and connecting with your audience. The good news is you don’t have to do everything yourself.
How do you prepare for a trade show?
Let’s Dive In! Jump Into The Fun With Trade Show Labs! 0. Understanding Trade Shows 1. Pre-Event Planning 2. Transforming Booths into Experiences 3. Logistics and Layout 4. Staffing and Training 5. Promotional Strategies 6. Essentials and Emergency Kits 7. Post-Event Activities Pre-Event Checklist During Event Checklist Post-Event Checklist 0.
How to plan a trade show event?
Deciding clear goals and objectives is the next step in planning a trade show. These goals and objectives further decide the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of marketing success. Consider one or multiple goals/objectives from the below list for your trade show event.
What should I do if I want to attend a trade show?
Research who’s planning to attend, get a feel for what those people may be on the hunt for, and determine who you want to specifically seek out and talk to. You may even want to send a brief email to let them know you’ll be at the trade show and would love to connect.
