Trade shows are very often set in stone in the marketing calendar and an established business is likely to attend without fail every year just to show competitors and attendees that they’re still alive and kicking. It’s easy to fall into the habit of attending and lose sight of whether you’re really getting business benefit from being there.
However, with budgets tighter than ever, trade shows need to demonstrate ROI. After all, it’s not just the cost of the exhibition space and your stand, it’s the time and effort as well.
Here’s a few TigerNash Top Tips for making the most of Trade Shows:
1. Events should not sit in isolation. They are part of your overall marketing strategy. If they’re not, why are you attending? Think how your event sits alongside other ongoing promotions, customer engagement activity and your brand values.
2. Preparation is key. Allow long lead times and use every form of marketing, including social networking, to create a buzz about your attendance to your target audiences. Don’t forget the journalists, the show press office and your press packs!
3. Know what you’re promoting. A stand that gives a clear message about a benefit that’s relevant to the visitors attending the event is going to attract more interest than something generic.
4. Size doesn’t matter; creativity does. Larger stands do not equate to more custom. Shrinking your stand size will free up budget to be spent on a fresh approach. Make any stand friendly and inviting; create talking points and avoid physical barriers.
5. Make the most of your time there. Set up some meetings, do some networking, maybe hold a fringe event aimed at the people you want to do business with. Don’t forget to explore opportunities to speak as well.
6. The personal touch. Make sure you have the right people staffing your stand and make sure they are well prepared and have the confidence to approach visitors.
7. Evaluate and follow up. Make event follow up part of your attendance plan; perhaps stay away an extra night or keep out of the office for a day and follow up contacts, prioritise leads and action tasks. Track and review the success of the show for the next 12 months.
Marketing Donut has some great advice, especially about wearing comfortable shoes! We’d recommend having bottles of water on hand too – all that talking is thirsty work.