A lot goes on in an industry and you get to know about it only when you enter one. If you are familiar with industry events like trade shows, then you must know how valuable they are to a growing business. The importance of exhibiting at a trade show is appreciated by managers around the world, who consider it an indispensable part of success.
The importance of trade shows lies in the fact that they offer a wealth of opportunities to a brand. While businesses nowadays are majorly being conducted online, trade shows offer merchants and attendees the opportunity of developing new business relationships and to discover new products in person.
These events are perfect for finding new prospects because they attract audiences based on intent and interest. If you are planning to showcase your brand at the next trade show event, here are some tips that will help you a lot.
Important Tips For Your First Trade Show
Exhibiting at a trade show requires a lot of planning, especially if it is your first time. Preparation should begin at least two to three months in advance because you cannot expect to just show up and hope for the best. Making the best out of a trade show is beneficial to a business, so if you do not put in as much effort as your competitors, you will surely waste your time.
As there is a lot of competition, people tend to panic and get lost in the sea of booths and enthusiastic attendees. But with proper preparation, you can knock your first event out of the park!
Here are some tips that will be helpful if you are planning to exhibit at the next trade show event.
Go Through The Attendee’s List
You can easily find the attendees list in advance. Conduct proper research to figure out which contacts may be interested in your business and send them a short introductory email. This will give them a heads up about what you are, what you do, and how you do it.
You may even schedule a 5-10 minutes booth time with them as people are less likely to skip the booths from which they receive an invite. But make sure not to spam their inbox by selling your services right away.
Bring Your ‘A Team’
The team you choose to take to a trade show can make a huge impact on how the event goes for your company. While assembling a perfect team for promoting your brand, you have two options: bring an in-house team or contract a specialized event staffing agency.
Whichever you choose, just remember that the people promoting your brand will be its face. That is why it is important to have a friendly, motivated, professional, and outgoing group to represent your company. In addition, the staff should be specialized in what they do and should complement each other’s skills.
Train Your Staff
Preparing an attractive 20*20 booth display, designing pamphlets and brochures, and wearing your brand’s merchandise will all go to waste if your staff is not an expert on your product and company. You should prepare for questions as everyone staffing your booth will be asked specifics.
To make sure your team is ready to go, create a list of anticipated questions and role-display before the show. It’s equally important to ask the attendees questions as you want to establish a mutually beneficial relationship.
Be Physically Prepared
Trade shows can be draining both physically and mentally to introverts. Extroverts might not have any trouble with the hyper-social atmosphere, but introverts might find themselves depleted of energy halfway through the day.
So, it is important to get a good night’s sleep before the event and stay hydrated. As you are going to stand for most of the day, go for a short walk to clear your head and get your blood pumping.
Give Demos & Free Stuff
Keeping your product on display and allowing the attendees to test it out is a great way of generating leads. People like seeing, touching, and tasting things before making a purchase.
Additionally, you can also entice a crowd by giving away free stuff or promotional goodies. The more the attendees see your goods, the more eager they are to find out what you’re about.
Prepare Lounge & Seating Space
There is nothing more inviting to a tired trade show attendee than a comfortable place to relax. Having a lounge space and seating area will bring more traffic to your booth and keep potential customers around longer.
It might even help you generate leads from people who just came by your booth for relaxing.
Assemble A Memorable Display
An average human attention span lasts only 3-5 seconds and that doesn’t even account for all the distractions you have to compete against. That’s why it is crucial to set up an attractive custom booth.
When it comes to displaying, replace words with pictures as the human brain processes images faster than text. Also, they are more pleasing to look at.
Give Business Cards & Brochures
Business cards are like an invitation for an extended conversation and a tangible reminder of who you are. Nearly every professional you meet at a trade show event will want to trade business cards with you and you don’t want to run out of them.
Without business cards, you look out of place, and people are more likely to forget about you.
Conclusion
Standing out at a trade show isn’t easy. It requires a lot of planning and hard work. But it’s also an amazing marketing opportunity that can open new business channels for you. For achieving this you need to do a follow-up with those you met, by crafting them all personalized messages.
Plan well, have fun and be open to engaging with new people. You never know who you’ll meet!