Exhibiting at trade shows is a great way to show off your latest product in the market and introduce your brand to your competitors in the industry.
So whether you are a veteran, a sponsor, or a newbie attendee in a trade show, we have created this guide to help you make the most out of every trade show you participate in.
Secure a list of attendees
One of the most common mistakes that newbie marketers tend to make is not securing a list of attendees prior to the event. Despite the fact that trade shows are hosted in an open ballroom where lots of potential attendees can go in and out, it is still better to personally invite and secure meeting slots with a few people. This way, even when the entire program has a low turnout, your booth at the trade show would not be vacant and would always have a visitor.
Also, you have to keep in mind that despite the trade show having a large number of attendees, it still would not matter if you have low foot traffic in your booth. So to reach a much wider audience and be able to introduce your latest products properly, you should at least secure meeting slots and one-on-one product launch sessions with a few people.
Maximize your Space
Trade shows are often a congregation of different businesses from the same or related industry. That said, you have a lot of competitors from the same industry exhibiting or hosting their own booths as well. So in order to stand out, you need to find the most optimal location for your booth.
Depending on the program and the nature of the event, the optimal location tends to vary. For example, if the headline for the program is a really famous person, then it might be beneficial to position your booth near the stage for the program. If in case the main highlight of the trade show is the food expo, then you have a better chance of gaining more visitors if you position your booth near the food expo.
Oftentimes, these prime spots are easily sold out. In turn, you should always be on the lookout for early-bird promos or presale slots for exhibitors.
Novelty Corner or Gimmicks
Another way to stand out among your competitors, which is essential in tradeshow marketing, is to be different, even if it means resorting to gimmicky strategies. Examples of these gimmicky strategies are having a ball pit, charging station, massage area, chocolate fountain, DIY corner, and many more inside your booth.
While these activities or novelty corners are completely unrelated to your brand, these are powerful enough to catch the audience’s attention and increase visitors to your booth.
Remember that you have a lot of competitors vying for every attendees’ attention. So by simply bringing something new to the table, you have a better chance of getting more leads at the trade show than your competitors.
Other than that, attendees are more likely to remember you or your brand even after the event because they experience something different whilst they are checking out your booth.
Have a Winning Team
No attendees would want to visit your booth if your event team comes off as unapproachable. So to ensure that you have a winning team on the actual event day, you should handpick and train your team days or weeks ahead of the event.
Doing so would help ensure that everyone in your team knows their responsibility. On top of that, you would easily know whom to turn to in case you face any problem along the way.
In addition, having strong communication skills is vital in any professional setting. It is essential to ensure that your team is well-prepared and trained to effectively communicate and represent your company. To further enhance their skills, you can explore additional resources such as public speaking seminars here, which can provide valuable insights and techniques.
By investing in training and development, you can equip your team with the necessary tools to communicate confidently and effectively.
If you have the resources, you can even get help from a brand ambassador agency. This way, you and your team would not have to shoulder all the responsibilities and you can simply focus on the promotional and marketing campaign of your booth. It would make the entire planning a lot easier.
Get more leads
It is no secret that one of the biggest gains you can have from exhibiting at a trade show is leads. Given that attendees in a trade show can be unpredictable and can come from different walks of life, you might gain a few leads outside your target group.
So with that in mind, try to get more leads as much as possible. For instance, many brands often provide incentives to potential customers in exchange for their contact number, email address, a quick demo of their product, and others. This way, they can easily introduce their brands to these new potential customers and even update them if they have any new products in the market.
One of the easiest ways to secure these leads (beyond having friendly, personable staff man your stand) is to get them to act upon your incentives on the spot. For example, you could offer them a significant discount or free product if they sign up for your mailing list or follow your brand on social media.
You can make this easier for everyone involved by ensuring you have an Ipad or laptop to hand at your booth so that they can use this to input their details and sign-up. This way, they’re less inclined to say they’ll do this later (when they could forget), as you’re making it as easy as possible for them to sign up. As such, in addition to making your booth look as eye-catching as possible, you may want to rent a macbook pro too! This is much cheaper than buying new equipment that may only be needed during trade shows!
Your macbook can also be used to play videos of your products or services, which can once again capture the attention of tradeshow attendees.
All in all, exhibiting or participating in a trade show can be a lot of work. But, if you do it right, you might get more than you bargained for and even break into new markets you have not reached before.