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Trade Show Success
Make your exhibit work for you
By Paul Montelongo
So you have made the decision to showcase your business at an industry trade show. Now what? Trade shows are a multi-billion dollar business in this country. There is a good reason. Exhibitors reap huge dividends on their investment of money, time and energy at an industry trade show. Making a commitment to place your business in front of thousands of visitors in a three to five day period can be a rewarding experience or it can be a real drag, if not done properly. How do you have a successful trade show experience? What will influence people to visit your exhibit and buy from you instead of your competitor just three booths down the aisle? Here are some tips for making the most of your exhibitor space and your valuable time at the trade show.
1. Get Clear on Your Objective. Why in the world would you spend thirty to fifty hours of your valuable time to be away from your family or your normal method of doing business? What is your objective? A retail business may have the strategy to sell their goods during this time frame. With thousands of potential buyers passing by your booth around the clock, you may have the opportunity to sell more products in a shorter time span than usual. It is sort of the “cattle call” mentality. Lots of warm blooded folks passing through with cash on hand and ready to unload that cash. If your business is more service oriented and requires more planning with a customer to actually engage them in a contract, your objective may be to get as many leads as possible during the show. In this case, you are trying to establish rapport and generate an interest in your service. If your business product requires lots of time to make the decision to buy, you may use the show as a way to get more visibility, name recognition, and establish your credibility in the marketplace. In each case, know why you are there and precisely what you wish to accomplish with your trade show exhibit.
2. Attract Attention. Visibility of your exhibit is great. Having folks stop and actually spend time at your booth is better. You can attract attention to your exhibit many ways. Have snacks and drinks for the public. Offer give-aways in exchange for lead info rmation. Have a registration and drawing for a grand prize and display the grand prize at the booth. To the extent possible, have your product in the booth. Have photos or models of your product. The more a visitor can see, smell, touch, taste or hear, the more curious about your product they will be. Offer a free CD or cassette tape describing your product. Have gadgets, carry-all bags, pens, pencils, cups, samples, notepads or anything that is easy to carry and that will fit into a bag. Have your name plastered all over these items. Be creative. Have a free shoeshine, a chair massage, a blood pressure machine, a golf putting surface or just a sofa for tired and sore feet to rest. Do what you must to get people to stay around your booth as long as possible.
3. Have Your Stuff Ready. Have your marketing and promotion material ready for a visitor to easily pick up. Have plenty of your stuff available. Brochures, business cards, testimonial letters, thank you cards, photos and flyers should be placed conspicuously on a table in the front of your booth. Your material should be of professional quality and visually attractive. Consider having a television to continuously play a promotional video of your company.
4. Cooperate with Other Exhibitors. If you are going to be there for three to five days, you may as well get friendly with other exhibitors. Their product or service may be the solution for a visitor to your booth. When you offer this solution to your visitor, it makes you look good too. And the other exhibitor will probably reciprocate. This may lead to creating new business alliances to generate more leads and sales beyond the trade show. Observe how your fellow exhibitors operate their booth. Often times, the marketing strategies of one kind of business can be employed in a different type of business with just a little ingenuity.
5. Be Friendly and Professional. You would think this should go without saying, but be friendly and professional with passersby. Look like you enjoy being at the trade show and that you are really proud of what you do. Stand in front of your booth and offer a genuine smile to every visitor. Avoid the temptation to sit in a comfortable chair in the back of your booth and wait for passersby to approach you. Being out in the front of your booth is best as long as you are not pushy. Visitors to a trade show know that they are going to get bombarded by exhibitors with all sorts of sales pitches. Distinguish yourself as different by showcasing your good manners. A friendly and welcoming spirit is much more attractive to visitors at a trade show. Dress a little better than what is required. If you have your employees staff your booth, train them to represent your company in a dignified way. Rotate your staff as often as possible in order to keep everyone fresh and alert.
Being an exhibitor at a trade show can be exciting and financially rewarding. Your success depends on booth creativity, your interactions with visitors and maximizing your exposure. One more thought: Follow up on all those leads immediately. A visitor’s interest and enthusiasm diminishes with each passing day after the show ends. Make sure your hard work as an exhibitor at a trade show pays off by turning those leads into sales.
Until we have the honor to meet in person, remember, “Success is YOUR choice, choose well.”
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