5 Trade Show Best Practices

Trade shows allow you to meet new prospects. The Center for Exhibition Industry Research or CEIR, says that 88% of trade show attendees have not been seen by a company’s sales staff in the preceding 12 months.
Most importantly, trade show attendees are buyers who are actively looking for solutions.  Here are 5 best practices to employ when considering your next trade show:

Quality of the tradeshow– spend your dollars wisely by finding specific trade shows geared to your niche target market, rather than splurging on the higher priced, large trade shows.

Create buzz – Do you have a new product or service to talk about during an upcoming trade show?  Well, don’t wait until the show to talk about it, start now! Spend time informing current clients and your market about what you will be showcasing at the upcoming show.  Use email marketing, direct mail, and social media marketing together as the holy buzz creating trifecta.

Stand out in the crowd – yes, this seems like an obvious one, but for some reason it seems like many companies ignore this.  Use this trade show as a chance to try something new.  Got a new concept about how to showcase an existing product or have been quietly developing a mascot?  Try it out here!

Don’t waste opportunity; CEIR says:
·         70% of attendees plan to buy one or more products
·         76% asked for quotes and 26% signed purchase orders
·         72% of show visitors say the show influenced their buying decision
·         It costs 22% less to contact a potential buyer at a show than it does through traditional field sales calls

Call them while they’re HOT – don’t wait for weeks, even months after the show is over.  Research shows that leads that are called upon the fastest give the most chance to make the sale.

What are some unique ways you’ve marketed yourself at a trade show?