How to Make a Trade Show Successful

Companies spend thousands of dollars each year exhibiting at industry trade shows in the hopes of gaining new customers and sales. Savvy trade show exhibitors know the tricks involved in making a trade show successful, but for those just getting started, here's how the experts do it.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Direct Mail Pieces
• Sell Sheets
• Promotional Items
• Bonded Paper
• Card Stock

1. Make arrangements well in advance of show dates to take advantage of any early-bird discounts and save yourself a headache at the show. Call to confirm arrangements and arrivals of shipments one week before the show, just to be sure.

2. Purchase lead retrieval services if they are available from show management or contract agencies. Lead retrieval systems often come in the form of card readers, which can be used to gather important company information about visitors to your booth.

3. Offer a unique promotional item. This item is usually personalized with your company name and logo; try to offer an item that's useful, so that your prospects will keep it in front of them, or edible, so that prospects don't have too much to carry home in suitcases.

4. Obtain a list of preregistered attendees before the show. Mail them a letter or direct mail piece that will inform them about your company's products and services and give them your booth number and location.

5. Arrange your booth to allow easy access to customers and prospects who will want to browse your booth. A table or counter in front of a booth usually discourages a lot of booth traffic.

6. Take only your best company representatives along to staff the booth. They must be on their feet all day - greeting, smiling, talking and selling - so you want people with product knowledge, energy and enthusiasm.

7. Make company product literature readily available. This allows prospects with limited time the opportunity to get information about your company and peruse it later when they have more time.

8. Follow up after the show with a letter (thanking your prospect for stopping by the booth) and a company brochure. After your prospects have had time to receive this packet, it is appropriate for a sales representative to call and discuss their potential needs.

Tips & Warnings

• Get your company and product information printed in an easy-to-read, 8 1/2 by 11-inch sell-sheet format, on heavy, but attractive, card stock. Using this format will prevent the piece from being lost in an attendee's show materials, and it fits easily into files once the attendee is back in the office.

• Send any additional materials in your follow-up mailing, including materials on related topics that may be of interest.

• Smile and have fun at the show. Trade shows are great ways to attract new customers and grow your business; your enthusiastic attitude will be infectious, encouraging more people to visit your booth.

• Be careful not to let a great gimmick, game or giveaway overshadow the real purpose of exhibiting at the trade show, whether it be increasing sales, customer base or industry awareness. If you intend to set up ovens and bake chocolate chip cookies in your booth, be prepared to talk to a lot of hungry cookie lovers instead of decision makers interested in doing business with your company.

• Be careful not to overstaff your booth. If you have a 10 x 10-foot booth, two people are usually more than enough coverage; any more staff and you will start to scare off prospects who get the impression your booth is too crowded.