Trade Show Business Theater Success
The first thing you must consider when contemplating if a trade show is right for your business is how much time, money, and effort it will take in order to attend. If a show will require spending more than say 2-5% of your total annual budget, this might not be the best option for your company.
Even if the trade show is an opportunity to score new customers or close valuable deals with existing ones, you also have to think about what part of your company would benefit from being at the event. There are many ways to make tradeshow experience successful.
You can also choose to organize your own trade show and invite people from your network to join you there. A good venue, a high-quality exhibit or display set up, high-quality marketing pieces and advertisements, professional staff that are knowledgeable about the industry and upcoming trends, along with awareness among potential guests will help make your trade show a brilliant success.
Trade shows can be linked to many industries from automotive, technology & electronics, construction and architecture, medical equipment, consumer products, retail trade or grocery & department stores. Trade shows are generally held for only 2 days in any particular year and are mostly scheduled on weekends because most people prefer to do their regular services during the week. The duration of a particular trade show, even for the biggest ones, can be as short as 3 to 6 days.
Trade shows are generally organized and sponsored by trade associations, product manufacturers, distributors or retailers. Some of the most popular and often visited are:
Business-to-business (B2B) or organizations to organize or sponsor trade shows are called Associations, Societies or Clubs. The general objective of these associations is to create awareness among people about a certain topic that they specialize in, find out their interests, share information about their industry and work with them. Firms who can help them with their marketing efforts are also invited and often participate in these events.
Business-to-consumer (B2C), or businesses to organize or sponsor trade shows are called Trade Fairs. The general objective of these events is to show the high quality products and services that a certain organization offers and make customers aware of their existence. Trade Fairs offer various valuable tools for advertisers, such as advertising space, banners, tables and related products on sale. It is important to note that being an exhibitor in a trade show requires a license from the conferee organization.
As with other forms of marketing events, there are many things to consider when designating your booth in a venue. You need to remember that your booth is the image of your company or organization for the duration of the event. That's why it requires careful planning, preparation and most importantly, money. Deciding what to put in your trade show display can be a bit tricky given that there are so many things you can do with it. The best option is to select what will attract visitors' eyes and make them spend more time examining your business.
In order to make yourself noticed, you have to make sure that what you display will interest potential customers: product samples, literature, video presentations, sales kits and more. You should also consider enticing attendees with other freebies like pens, key chains or brochures.
If you have a lot of products to show off, you'll need to plan ahead. For example: if you are displaying products that are more inconvenient to handle and/or are very bulky, they will require special attention and planning. You have to have a solid design in mind when showing them off so as not to look disorganized or messy.
The place you choose for your display is also of great importance: how many people walk by the booth each day is crucial, as it adds up during the duration of the event. The traffic ensures a successful outcome for your work.
It is essential to prepare and plan everything before the event to ensure a smooth show. You cannot stress enough the importance of training your staff beforehand. If they are not aware of all the things that are happening during the trade show, they will be stressed out and not happy with what is happening around. There are many days to organize and prepare your booth, but a good place to start is by setting up your display on two or three days ahead of time. That way, you can gradually make adjustments and change the content, if necessary.
Do not try to cram everything into one day's time; you need more than that just to handle everything in one day (not even if it's "only" in one evening). Make sure to also set aside time to clean and set everything up again on the following days, especially if you're taking down your display too.
How many people will visit your booth? The answer should always be "no limit" if you want to make a good impression. That's why you have to be prepared and not rely on others. That way, not only will your staff be happy, but so will the guests who come by it. You can talk about this with the organizers of the event in advance or during their presentation or introduction. For safety reasons, you should also make sure that your staff are well equipped with emergency kits and first aid equipment in case of emergencies during the show.
Attention is essential to any successful trade show. You have to make sure that your staff is on top of what goes on around them in order to be able to answer all the questions that may arise during the show. There are many topics you should consider consulting about with your staff, including: First aid and safety, security and privacy issues, visitor's rules and regulations (such as the correct way to use a fork), where you can find more information about those topics, etc.
During the show, you should also make sure that your staff always looks friendly and happy to help visitors. This can be achieved by making sure they are well rested and have had a good night before the show. Avoid negative attitudes and they'll surely have a positive attitude towards your business and will be more likely to come back to visit you in the future.
As with all marketing events, it is critical to pick a venue that is appropriate for your product or service, as well as for your company or organization itself. The event should give the right impression about you, what your company does and how important it is within its industry. Where you pick to hold your event should be a place that has high visibility, is easily accessible and is easy to access.
The venue also needs to provide enough space for the event, but still leave room for people to mingle during the entire day of show. You should use the space wisely by hanging banners or using pillars in order to create a decent atmosphere that will make the people attracted right away.
It is essential to make a good impression on potential customers during the event, which is why you have to plan your agenda carefully. The agenda should include how much time each guest will spend in front of your booth and what activities (if any) will be offered at its end.
Conclusion
In order to make sure that the guests you have invited have a good time at your event, it is essential that you provide them with exceptional service. The atmosphere you create for the guests will determine whether or not they stay around and enjoy themselves. For example, if your staff members are smiling at customers and they feel like they are part of a family, they are more likely to stay around and enjoy themselves instead of leaving early.
As mentioned above, planning ahead is vital in order to make sure that you have everything prepared in time for the event. You should always keep an eye on what other exhibitors do so that you can enhance your marketing campaign or business plan by using their ideas as well.