Make these 5 points your 2020 Exhibition Resolutions

Trade Show Schedule

As it’s the start of the year you need to create your own schedule with trade show dates, locations, booth sizes and display equipment.

You need to identify what role the trade show serves in your overall marketing and sales strategy. Start organising staff travel and accommodation and also confirm shipping for your larger items. Smaller items are lightweight and portable and can be taken with staff on their travels.

Your schedule shouldn’t just be around the show- there is three elements to each show, Pre-Show, During-Show and Post-Show- Each element needs to be considered separately.

Basic Trade Show Etiquette

A good booth design alone wont sell your product. The vital factor of your tradeshow success are the people.

Train your staff, they are the ones connecting with potential clients and customers, converting leads and most importantly, building relationships. Your staff will make or break the show.

Greet each attendee with open body language. Start with shaking their hand then proceed to ask open-ended questions. Find out what they need and then respond in a way that sells your product in that light. Although it may seem obvious, greet each attendee with a smile. Smiling conveys trustworthiness and approach-ability which creates a better, friendly atmosphere at your booth.

Dress to impress. This doesn’t mean your staff need to wear their best business suit and tie but how they’re dressed will make an impression on attendees. Their attire must be a clear representation of your brand, reflecting the quality of your product and service that can be expected.

Make sure you have a rotation policy for the day. Each member needs to be refreshed and ready to represent your company. Breaks are good, but make sure the booth is never left unattended.

Coordinate

It is important to book your travel and accommodation, but often overlooked is parking. It is important to remember the small stuff; passes, ID badges and parking. The last thing you want is to be walking 3kms with heavy equipment or getting landed with hefty parking tickets.

Speak with others that have attended the show, there is always plenty of things to learn from others.

Follow Up

When the tradeshow ends doesn’t mean the work is over, rather this is where the most important work begins. It is a wasted opportunity to leave leads. Make contact quickly after the event, take advantage of those leads, and maximise your ROI from the trade show.

Learn

Finally, like with any business activity, take note of what worked in 2019 and what didn’t work so you can improve for 2020. Experiment with different approaches and keep all parts of your strategy on brand down to the smallest details to cut-through the noise at any tradeshow.