A major trade show requires considerable advance
preparation and, if you aren't ready, can
present a logistical nightmare. You must develop a solid plan and
monitor your progress vigilantly.
Evaluate and select trade shows carefully.
Participating in a show can require a major investment of
time, money, and resources. Be tough in your evaluation of a
show's worthiness. Are the attendees likely
customers for your organization? Exposure to a few hundred very
qualified targets is better than exposure to thousands of
generalists who are very unlikely to be interested in your
business.
Read the show manual.
Before you do anything, contact the organizers of the show
to find the show's manual. Everything you need
to know about the show should be there, including a proposed or
final schedule, registration information and forms, floor plans,
exhibit specifications, invitations for potential speakers, and
other important details.
Identify your goals.
Be specific about the things you want to accomplish as a
result of your participation in the show. Do you want to increase
visibility, gain exposure to a large number of customers who
might be interested in your products, or check out the
competition? Concrete goals are important to determine the value
of the trade show to your organization.
Define measurements of success.
For each goal, determine a way to measure its success. Make
these measurements as specific as possible. You could plan to
hand out 1000 brochures, obtain contact information for at least
200 prospects, and take a key editor out to lunch. These
benchmarks will help you decide whether the show was worth the
expense.
Put your show plan in writing.
The plan should include a workable schedule, a
comprehensive list of preparation activities, and an individual
assigned for each task. You cannot leave things to chance, or
else Murphy's Law (Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.) will surely
prevail!
Develop a key message for your booth exhibit.
Like good advertising, a good exhibit clearly communicates
one major message. This draws in more prospects to your booth
than an unfocused cacophony of messages.
Design an open, inviting booth.
An open booth design, with no tables obstructing access,
invites attendees to come in. Your logo should be big enough to
be seen from a good distance. Maximize "walking
around" space by mounting brochure displays on walls.
Use interesting graphics to draw people's
attention. For demos, laptops and flat-screen monitors are
space-efficient. If space permits, provide comfortable chairs to
encourage prospects to linger. A portable booth should be
reasonably easy to set up and take down.
Advertise your show participation.
Use tag lines such as: "see us at Booth
1525 at the Linux World Conference" in news releases
and other communications leading up to the show (even if those
releases are about something unrelated). Write a news release
announcing show-related news. Invite editors to stop by the
booth, or set up appointments between them and your
spokespeople.
Order all necessary supplies, including brochures and
giveaways.
If your marketing collateral needs to be updated or
redesigned, take care of this early. You don't
want to run the risk of having no brochures to hand out. Design forms for
filling out prospect information—clear forms eliminate
guesswork. Consider giveaways to generate attention and a sense of
fun. These don't have to be expensive. Pens
with your web address and a catchy slogan can be very
effective.
Design PowerPoint presentations and demos for the
booth.
These will draw attendees to your booth and help them learn
more about your business. Presentations will allow you to
communicate information to many prospects at once.
Create a unique identity for your booth staff.
Decide on the dress code for your staff. Matching blazers,
T-shirts, or even boutonnieres will make your representatives
easily identifiable.
Train your exhibit staff before each show.
This is very important! Your staff needs to know what is
expected of them. They need to be briefed on all new programs and
initiatives that should be emphasized. They must know how to run
the demos and presentations, and they should know some basic
trouble shooting. Nothing looks more unprofessional then demos
that don't work.
