Trade shows

I attended the Home Improvement show at the Cleveland IX center yesterday, and was reminded of many shows over the past years in which I exhibited. It’s always interesting to pass by booths and read the body language of the various personnel. Some are standing, smiling, eagerly awaiting opportunities to talk with prospective customers. Others appear totally bored with expressions that indicate they would rather be getting root canals than manning a show booth. Some are engrossed in conversations with other exhibitors. Yet others are on their cell phones or reading the paper.

It got me to thinking about the value of exhibiting at trade shows. It can be a fabulous sales opportunity or sunken cost. Whenever I signed up as an exhibitor, my goal was to walk away from the show with orders equalling at least three times the cost of the show, meals, accommodation, and travel. Anything less I considered to be a failure. This goal did not include additional business resulting from follow-up after the show.

If you are preparing to exhibit in 2009, here are some things that should form part of your strategy.

1. Know in advance exactly why you will be exhibiting and write down your expectations from each show you plan to attend.

2. Prepare a detailed budget including all the fees, the cost of preparing your exhibit including material and labor, shipping costs, travel related expenses, entertainment expenses, and the cost of otherwise lost time for all personnel involved.

3. Double check well in advance that you have prepared the exhbit and all the material you will need at the show. Will you need power, internet connection, or special services? Contract for these well in advance.

4. Create a schedule for who will be manning the booth for every hour the exhibit floor is open.

5. Train all personnel who will be manning the booth, making sure they know to dress appropriately, know your product inside and out, and that they will be fully engaged in conversing with attendees.

6. I have found that putting literature out for people to pick up and walk away with is a waste of money. Most such literature gets thrown away without having been read. Have literature available that you can individually hand out to anyone who expresses a real interest in your goods.

7. Do someting unique to attract people to your booth. Give aways are popular, as are drawings. They work especially well when they relate to your target customers and/or your merchandise. Be creative.

8. Engage in conversation with as many people as possible. Show an interest in them. When you get their contact information ask for permission to follow up with them.

9. Prepare a follow-up strategy. Here is where most companies fall down. They collect dozens or hundreds of cards but have no real plan for follow-up – what a waste! Immediately at the end of the show, send a letter with appropriate literature. I have known some businesses that daily send contact information back to their offices and have office personnel send mailings while the show is still in progress. Within two weeks follow up letters with well-planned phone calls.

10. Do a post-mortem to evaluate how closely the show came to meeting your expectations, and use the information for help in planning the next show.

It’s amazing how fruitful trade shows can be when doing the right stuff.