Ultimate trade show guide

Trade shows are great. Whether you’re an exhibitor, showcasing your latest products or an attendee looking for a new supplier, there’s no better place to be than an industry-specific trade show. For example, where else will you find so many people in the same hall with vast experience in the industry you work in, all looking for a similar product or service? With the amount of knowledge and experience in that one room, you’re sure to get all the answers you need.

Discover how to make the most of your trade show experience here in our trade show guide.

Don’t Go Alone

So you've travelled a few hours to get to a trade show, having spent time planning meticulously for the event in advance. You've arrived in good time to set your stand up perfectly and made a big effort to look your best. Somewhere on the trade show floor will be the high-value customer you're looking for, it's just a case of drawing people into your stand or booth and identifying the big leads you may be able to convert.

However, what happens if that high-value customer walks past your trade show booth while you’re not there? Whether that be a bathroom break or a quick refreshment stop, you’ll miss your chance to draw them in and this is the downfall of exhibiting alone. It's impossible for you to be front and centre of your trade show stand all day and if there's nobody else around to help you may miss out on new sales. What happens if you're deep in conversation with somebody when a high-value customer comes along? Unless you have an enthusiastic assistant to draw them in and keep them talking, they may end up going elsewhere.

How To Position Yourself at a Trade Show

This seems like a very tiny part of a successful trade show experience, but it is incredibly important. Where you sit or stand plays a large part in how approachable you seem, as well as whether you come across as relatable or distant to the attendees.

If you usually position yourself behind the trade show stand, then we recommend you change your position. This is the worst place to position yourself at a trade show, especially if you are sitting down! First of all, you are much less able to attract the attention of attendees if you are stuck behind a stall. You are entirely dependent on your branding to get people interested, which might not be the best option, especially if you’re new to the industry. It can also feel like a physical barrier between you and them, in the form of your table which makes you seem more distant and harder to relate to, as you will come across like a shopkeeper rather than a business contact.

How you position yourself at a trade show can often be the difference in how successful your trade show is.

Utilise Multiple Payment Options

If you've got a great product or service to offer at a trade show, members of the public may be interested in placing orders with you on the day. If you’re offering discounted prices to sign up on the day of the trade show, then you need to ensure you cover as many payment options as possible to avoid having to turn people away.

Many people come to trade shows eager to make purchases, as opposed to simply 'window shop', so there are opportunities to reel them in and get them onboard. Whilst many consumers will be happy to buy from you, they won't be happy to wait in long queues to confirm their transaction, or for you to scramble around trying to find the card machine.

It’s easy to think “they’ll come back later when we’ve got the card machine sorted’ but the reality is that they are unlikely to return because they were put off by the first experience or because they decided to team up with a competitor. This is not only a financial blow to your company, but a psychological one as well. It can negatively impact on morale of your sales reps, who do all the hard work and then see the deal fall through due to a lack of capacity on the payment desk.

Trade Show Giveaways or Freebies

To give away or not to give away, that’s the question! Everyone likes a freebie at an event or trade show, but that doesn’t mean it’s always the right thing to do. Yes, there are merits to handing things out, however, you must ensure that it makes sense for your business and that it’s something that will add value to your operation. Budget will also play an important role in deciding whether to hand out takeaway gifts at your trade show stand. Before you spend half of your event money on humorous gimmicks, think to yourself “will this be better spent elsewhere?”

To maximise your brand exposure, think about including marketing materials such as pens, notepads, calendars, sweets and mugs. These are items people can use daily at work or even take home and are less likely to be discarded when compared to business flyers. That’s not to say material such as leaflets, flyers, business cards or appointment cards aren’t as good. These types of materials are great to accompany the other gifts and can be particularly effective for securing follow-up meetings.

Including things like a jar full of sweets for passers-by to guess the number inside for a prize is a great way to draw people in. If you ask them to fill out a form, including contact details such as name and email address then you can add them to your mailing list for future email marketing activity.

Getting People to Return to Your Trade Show Stand

The primary objective for exhibiting at a trade show is to attract as many people to your trade show booth as possible. The busier the better, providing you have enough resources to tend to everyone!

Getting people to visit your stall is important, but not nearly as much as making sure they remember you. Not everyone is going to be making purchases on the day, so you need to make sure your contacts know exactly what your product or service is and why they should opt for you as a seller. If they are considering switching suppliers, they’ll likely speak to several on the day which is why it’s important to stand out from the rest.

One of the best ways to improve people's memory is through repetition. If you can get people to come back to your stall after having visited once, you will occupy more space in their minds than the other stalls. But how can you encourage attendees to come back if they get all the information from you the first time around? You need to give them an incentive to return. Typically, this will be a physical prize, as busy attendees will not want to come back to your stall for anything less. This can be something small, like a voucher for a free coffee or even just a chocolate bar. The other thing you can do to get people to return to your trade show booth is to offer a time-sensitive deal. For example, give everyone who orders anything from you between 4:00 and 5:00 a discount. Treat it as an 'end-of-conference sale', and you might find people return to get a good deal.

Things To Avoid at A Trade Show

Creating the perfect trade show stand can give your business a real boost, in terms of attracting new customers and boosting revenues. But there are several common pitfalls you'll need to avoid if you're going to make the best possible use of your advertising space. Discover our top things to avoid at trade shows below.

A Cluttered Trade Show Stand

One of the biggest things to avoid is a cluttered trade show stand. You can't leave notepads, half-drunk cups of tea or empty crisp packets lying around on your desk. It looks unprofessional and gives the wrong impression about your business. Remember, first impressions are invaluable, so you want people to remember you and your stand for the right reasons!

Arriving Late to a Trade Show

Not arriving on time to the trade show should be avoided at all costs. Think about it, if you're not there on time, you might miss out on a conversation with some of the best customer prospects. By the time you are done setting up, they might be signing a valuable contract with one of your biggest rivals.

This also applies to visitors as you may struggle for a parking space, miss out on exciting industry talks or find that the stand you wanted to visit has a queue the length of the exhibition hall! Ensure you set out in plenty of time so you can give yourself the best chance of arriving before the trade show starts.

Dressing Casual

Just like we discussed when looking at a cluttered trade show, first impressions matter. Yes, the stand needs to be aesthetically pleasing with no clutter but what if your employees are dressed too casually for the event? It's important to wear smart clothing for trade shows. After all, you're looking to impress high-value, influential people, and they will expect you to be wearing a suit. If you or your team turn up in casual clothing, then you’ll likely find it hard to attract the type of customer you’re looking to land.

Aggressive Sales Tactics

If you come on too strong with passers-by, they won't be able to get away from you quickly enough. You've got to give trade show visitors a certain element of choice! You need to start by building a relationship with the audience, don’t ram your product brochure down their throat and throw all promotional materials at them.

The conversation needs to be a 2-way street, find out a bit about them and their role, what they are looking for in terms of a product or service and use your expertise and knowledge to impress them. Once you’ve listened to their requirement and you’ve blown them away with your expert knowledge, that’s the time to suggest one of your products. If you’re able to list the benefits of using your product and can give examples of why it would be a great fit for their project, then you stand a higher chance of them pursuing your company and placing an order.

Purpose Built Trade Show Venue in Solihull

Cranmore Park is a state-of-the-art venue, built specifically as a trade show, exhibition and conference centre venue in Solihull, West Midlands. To learn more about how you can arrange your next trade show, conference or exhibition, contact us today by calling 0121 713 4450 or emailing info@cranmorepark.co.uk.