Harry s 21 Trade Show Tips

Transcription

1 Harry s 21 Trade Show Tips

2 1. BUDGET: Display: The cost of acquiring/refurbishing your physical display. Booth Space: Accounts for 36% of exhibiting companies budget. Shipping: Whether shipping your display and accessories by a 2 nd party or bringing it with you there will be associated costs. I&D: Can you erect your display yourself or will you have to use show labor? Electricity: Does your set-up require power? Will you have to use show labor to install? Check your showbook for details and related fees. Drayage: You may be subject to union charges to transport your display/equipment from the loading dock of the show site to your booth space. Again check your showbook! Furniture, Carpet, Fixtures: The show decorator has carpet and furniture for rent. Depending on how many shows you do per year, it might make sense to purchase. Keep in mind that there are also associated storage, shipping and drayage costs if you ship your own accessories. Travel Expenses: Do detailed research of the potential costs that come along with attending industry events: food and lodging, incidentals, and personnel hours. Audio/Visual: If your set-up has special IT needs, determine in advance (whether you re renting equipment or bringing your own) who is installing and operating it as well as any special services you might need. The best practice is to do a dry run ahead of time. 2. PICKING THE RIGHT SHOW: If your bailiwick is industry specific, search out the types of shows that give your products and services the best exposure. Doing an online search for events in your industry is easy or, you can glean from your competitors, industry colleagues, and association periodicals what shows are most effective. 3. KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE: No amount of research is too much when gathering information on your potential clients. Every detail is critical in tailoring your trade show marketing message. What types of shows are they attending? What are they looking for in a vendor? What do they need? Who are they already getting it from? What s their history within that industry? Do your homework! How do they present themselves at industry events? 4. DISPLAY DESIGN: That structure we call a display, or exhibit, is a physical representation of what your company does and believes. Whether you re selling nuts and bolts or cutting edge software, that structure must telegraph who you are and why it s advantageous to partner with you rather

3 than a competitor. So, as you re contemplating the design/layout of your booth, make sure your corporate message is consistent with your display s appearance. Trade shows are a bit of a beauty contest so don t be the ugly duckling. Homemade/last-minute/worn and out-of-date displays negate your integrity. 5. DECLUTTER!: As a rule of thumb, less is more in trade show marketing. If you jam your booth with every widget you offer, your message could get lost in a sea of physicality. Your booth should be open and inviting as much as possible with an underlying hint of would you like to know more? 6. BOOTH PERSONNEL: If you want to get the biggest bang from your trade show presence, take great care to assure the folks manning your booth are trained and knowledgeable because in the end, what they convey will determine your success. Here are some booth etiquette tips: No eating or drinking. (A bottle of water to wet your whistle is fine.) No prolonged sitting. (Try stools to take an occasional break from standing.) No cell phones or laptops. (Unless it s absolutely critical and related to conducting trade show business refrain from phone or internet use. It spells I m bored to a potential contact. Return messages and check during regular breaks away from the booth. Also be sure you re well-rested before the event!) 7. CLOTHING: Depending on what your business is about, try to wear something that will be appropriate and comfortable for the long haul. Your company may opt for a uniform concept or attire that supports the theme of your presentation. 8. VIDEO: A growing number of companies are adding video to their trade show marketing. In our opinion, it s an excellent avenue if properly engaged. A slick, informative video presentation can speak volumes about who you are and what you do. Conversely, a poorly designed and produced clip can do a world of damage. Our advice: Hire an expert! 9. GIVEAWAYS: Swag is a trade show tradition that will never fade. The trick is picking an item that the user will hang onto for a long time, and maybe even pass on to someone else. Pens, pencils, notepads, and thumbdrives (with your info/catalog embedded) still deliver returns. You can also piggy-back a more substantial giveaway with a drawing. 10. LITERATURE: Here s a trade show mainstay that s waning. The exit stats of most shows indicate that 75% of the literature handed out at events never gets further that the nearest trash can. Our advice is to save grander literature packages for truly qualified, interested parties. Mail it to them after the show. Any handouts at the event should be simple, small and low-cost.

4 11. QR CODE: If you don t have a QR code get one! There are an estimated 100 million smart phone users in the U.S. today and trade show attendees are snapping QR codes right and left. AND - make sure your website is upto-date and attractive! 12. PICKING YOUR BOOTH SPACE: Believe it or not, the right booth location is nearly as important as picking the right show. In your show information (or showbook) there should be a schematic of the hall layout. Locate the main entrance. Try to imagine yourself walking through those doors. Now put yourself at the tip of a triangle with your left and right fields of vision (without turning your head!) serving as the sides and dead ahead as the base. This, if at all possible, is where you, ideally want to be. Other great locales would be along main isles or adjacent to food courts and announcement podiums. 13. SHOW REGULATIONS: Don t underestimate the importance of thoroughly reading your showbook. Within is a list of show regulations that can greatly impact your success and your wallet. Many shows have strict guidelines regarding display height (backwall and side rails), signage, and overhead structures. (Check your showbook for regulations.) 14. PRE-SHOW MARKETING: If you want to stand out in a crowd at your event, better consider chumming the waters ahead of time. Invite all of your clients (and potential clients) to visit you at your booth. Draw them to your booth by creating a buzz about how informative and beneficial it can be for them. It s also a perfect time to launch a new product or service. 15. LEAD RETRIEVAL: The classic method was to put out a fishbowl, collect business cards and offer a prize through a drawing. That still works, but the most efficient way is a card reader that scans visitor badges and stores that data. These can be purchased, or are available for rent through the official show provider. Data is given to you on a jump drive at the end of the show. 16. POST-SHOW FOLLOW-UP: Here s where many exhibitors miss a golden opportunity. You should make a follow-up contact with your visitors within 24 hours of the show s closing if not sooner. The longer you wait, the more forgettable you ll be. Many exhibitors download their visitor list into an auto responder, which sends a Thank You note to attendees. You can even have an animated message created that has a caricature of you delivering a more personal message. Don t delay the 2 nd contact! 17. FIRE CODES: In most exhibiting venues there are strict Fire Codes regarding lighting and display materials. Your showbook should cover this, but it s an important question to first address with your display designer/ producer. They should be adhering to the strictest, nationwide industry standards regarding fire regulations.

5 18. TO SHOW, OR NOT TO SHOW: Many, many companies benefit from exhibiting at trade shows, but when is it not a good idea? Capacity: If you already have more business than you can handle and you re not interested in future growth congratulations! You re in an envious minority. Focus on your existing client base and handout bonuses! Growth: When financial restrictions are an obstacle, don t attempt to expand your operations if you can t handle the possible influx. It will do more harm than good! Focus: Unless everyone in your organization is 100% onboard for the Trade Show Express (including upper management), put the brakes on till there s a complete consensus and a battle plan to achieve the desired results. Bad Fit: Although there s a trade show for nearly every business model, some folks just aren t likely to find the right venue or to benefit: hate groups, prisons, gas stations, or bait and tackle shops. 19. BOOTH SECURITY: Use common sense to protect your valuables. Most of the theft at a trade show occurs from competitors, rather than the crews working at the exhibit hall. Intentionally mislabel boxes as printed matter or pens, pencils, etc. While locking storage is available for most exhibits, they are designed to be portable, and it doesn t take much to get the top off a podium and get what is inside. Don t leave valuables in the booth. Security can be hired if necessary 20. EMERGENCY BOOTH SUPPLIES: As prepared as you might be for your show, unexpected circumstances arise. Have extra giveaways, in case demand is higher than you anticipated. Velcro, duct tape, cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer, extra connectors, special fasteners, light bulbs and extension cords are among many things that can and will come in handy in an emergency. 21. INTERACTING WITH PROSPECTS: The number 1 rule is listen. Listen attentively. Until you know your customer s needs, you don t know how your product or service will be to their benefit. Keep your sales pitch short. Maintain eye contact Take notes. Use a pre-formatted form, or use the customized lead retrieval software so that you remember their interests.

6 Bonus Tip Call E 2 Exhibits for all of your trade show needs. We are always available to answer any questions you may have regarding trade shows. In this age of the internet, it seems as if all companies that offer trade show related products are the same, but our customers have told us it is our experience and expertise that keeps them loyal to E². New research shows that it takes an average of 4.5 sales calls to close a sale without an exhibition lead, and only 3.5 sales calls to close a sale with a lead from an exhibition. Closing a sale with a potential customer from an exhibition versus one found in the field saves an organization approximately $795 per new customer! In addition to the many other valuable aspects of face-to-face marketing on the exhibition floor, it remains significantly more cost effective today to generate sales leads at exhibitions than it is to generate those leads through other means. Center for Exhibition Industry Research 1925 High Meadow St. Johns Island, SC