Common tradeshow mistakes and how to avoid them
Every exhibitor spends money and time to maximize their trade show ROI. Despite months of planning and hard work, unanticipated challenges can derail your efforts to make the event a success. We have compiled a list of common mistakes that occur during the course of managing trade shows. With better planning, the mistakes are completely avoidable. Let’s give them a good look.
1. Booth Size
Have you chosen the booth size appropriate for demonstrating your offerings and accommodating enough visitors at any given point of time? If not, you may want to rethink how much floor size you need as per the audience size you need to make your event participation a success. A good starting point is to put down your thoughts on paper to be clear about what you want from the trade show.
If you are a new business, it is not advisable to spend a fortune on big or island booths, instead a 3x2m or a 3x3m booth would be sufficient.
2. Unattractive Design
You want to make your booth as attractive as possible to get visitors flocking to you. The design you choose is a deciding factor for visitors choosing to stop at your booth or not. Make sure your stand is clutter-free and all items are organized properly so that your booth is pleasing to the eyes. Also, when you are planning your stand design think from all the angles, how it will look. You want visitors coming from any direction to find your booth attractive.
If budget permits, you should hire a seasoned booth designer who will create a booth that will keep visitors coming to you. While you are at it, check our range of digital displays and free standing counters that will make you stand out.
3. Common Giveaways
Giveaways are one thing that can attract visitors. Since everyone at the exhibition provides giveaways you need to be a spectacle of your giveaway. If you are providing the same giveaways as others then you are no different and this could be a big drawback. Choose a giveaway that is relatable to your service/product and meets your marketing strategy. Think different, think wisely to stand out from others.
4. Untrained Booth Staff
One thing that is overlooked while planning a tradeshow is staff training. This is one of the most common mistakes exhibitors often make. Your booth staff will represent your company. If they are untrained and unprofessional no one will be interested in exploring what you have in store for them.
Train your staff on how you want them to deal with visitors. They should know each and every detail about your product/service and be ready for cross questioning. Not only that, the booth staff should work on their body language. You can also entice your staff with incentives if they achieve the set target.
5. No Follow-up
One of the mistakes exhibitors tend to make after trade shows is they fail to follow up with visitors. During trade shows, it is not uncommon for exhibitors to gather information about interested visitors. To avoid losing potential customers, follow up with them to maximise your trade show ROI. This critical step can help you gain some long-term clients, so make sure that you have a follow up plan in place.
6. No Social Buzz
In the era of digitisation, if you are not using social media, you are lagging behind those who are more prepared. Having a social media plan for creating a buzz before the trade show is highly recommended. Your target audiences should be aware of your presence including your booth number, location, and product details before the show. It will generate interest in them and encourage them to visit your booth to further explore your offerings. Social media is a great platform to keep your target audience engaged before the show.
7. Not Engaging with Visitors
The decision to attend an event comes at a significant cost that needs to be recovered by generating high quality leads. However, if your booth staff is busy on the phone or doing everything else apart from attending visitors then your presence at the event will be ineffective. Your booth staff should be actively interacting with visitors explaining your product/services. At least two senior executives should be tasked with monitoring your booth staff.
Finally, exhibiting during this pandemic requires due attention to social distancing concerns. Fortunately, at Silverline, we have a range of Covid-19 signages you can use to make your visitors feel safe and welcome. Explore them today!