The Goal:
The goal needs to be to find a show or show that you can take a dominant position in.
You will need to confirm that the Trade Show or Trade Shows being considered have the demographics that most closely match the Target Audience you seek to reach.
It’s not just important to know the volume of people attending the show it’s that they are attracting your Target Audience.
10 Things that Can Set You Apart on the Trade Show Floor:
- Great lighting.
- Working [Your Trade] items and demonstrations.
- Great looking brochures.
- People who are charismatic in the booth [people friendly and sales oriented].
- People who have a vested interest in getting and following-up on bona fide leads.
- People who won’t be sitting back in chairs in the booth.
- People who won’t be talking to one another instead of looking to engage the people passing by.
- You can use music to attract attention.
- You can use food to attract attention. Popcorn from an old fashioned popcorn maker works great if it’s allowed.
- You can use raffles of worthwhile items that customers will want and could use to attract attention.
Note: A trade show booth can be expensive so it’s easy to try to scrimp. But, it has to look really good or they, the attendees, will associate you with the booth display. There are companies that sell really good trade show booths that are second hand and have been refurbished at a steep discount.
Budget:
It’s better to pick 1 or 2 key shows that have your demographic mix that you can put your efforts into to have an impact than to try and do multiple shows ineffectively.
All the “what ifs” need to be done addressed so you can determine the actual ROI for this event. Typically, you need to appear at least twice to make a truer judgment about the success or lack of success.