Trade shows offer a great opportunity
to showcase your company's product or services. A brochure
can explain your selling points, but a trade show can
demonstrate them in action. These events also let customers
and potential customers see a side of you they can't
see from a website -- your enthusiasm!
Here are five key strategies to help you get the most
out of your trade show events.
1. Conduct a Mental Rehearsal
Mentally rehearsing your trade show event can do wonders
for your preparation. It will help you make a list
of required materials and give you an idea of who to
bring along. If you're the actual event planner, start
out with some individual brainstorming. This will help
you organize your thoughts before rounding up the troops.
Go through the entire process (as best you can in your
mind) and jot down notes along the way. Think about the
setup process, what materials you'll need on hand, what
kind of inquiries you might get, how you'll manage your
leads, etc. When you've done all that, it's time to gather
the team and start filling in the blanks.
2. Stack Your Team
Choose your trade show team members carefully to ensure
a good mix of talent. You'll want some of your outgoing
personnel to handle booth visitors. And you'll want
some subject matter experts to help you respond to
the more in-depth questions. Having the right people
on hand can make the difference between capturing the
big leads or losing them.
3. Adopt the Proper Mindset
Companies who are genuinely enthusiastic about their
products or services pass that enthusiasm on to their
customers (and potential customers). So before going
to the big event, get your team into the proper mindset.
Do some refresher training on your products or services
so everyone will be comfortable discussing them. Prepare
some talking points on how you're different / better
than the competition.
You should be excited to spread the word about your
company's offerings. If you are it will show, and people
will want to be a part of that excitement.
4. Offer Live Demonstrations
There isn't a product brochure in the world that can
take the place of a product trial. So whenever possible,
offer some test spins, trial runs, or samples of your
product or service. Trade shows give you the opportunity
to showcase your product or service "in the flesh." Take
full advantage of that opportunity.
5. Offer Unique Takeaway Items
It's rare for people to actually sign up for services
or purchase products at a trade show. Trade shows are
more of an information-gathering event. The value of
such an event comes from capturing leads you can follow
up on, and from making a good impression so people
might even follow up with you.
To help people remember your company, be sure to have
some literature on hand. It's also customary (and helpful)
to give away company-branded items like mugs, shirts,
mouse pads or pens. After a trade show, when the "dust
settles" and the attendees are back home, they'll
look through their materials to recall who they visited.
This is the golden moment when you want them to remember
you!
Brandon Cornett is a writer and trade show veteran from
Austin, Texas. Recommended resource: If you need a source
for unique trade show giveaways and other promotional
products, I recommend visiting the friendly folks at
Big Shot Promotions. Visit them online at http://www.bigshotpromotions.com
