Comments on: 10 More Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Exhibiting At Trade Shows

By: 9 for '09: Top 9 Trade Show Tips of 2009

9 for '09: Top 9 Trade Show Tips of 2009 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:52:36 +0000

[...] 10 More Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Exhibiting At Trade Shows Because of the strong reaction to my first 10 things, I dug a little deeper and came up with 10 MORE things I wished I knew before I started exhibiting at trade shows. They say the secret to success is to learn from other people’s mistakes, so learn from mine. Click here to read article > > [...]

By: 10 More Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Exhibiting At Trade Shows « Expopedia

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:45:13 +0000

[...] 10 More Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Exhibiting At Trade Shows By expopedia Because of the strong reaction to my first 10 things, I dug a little deeper and came up with 10 more I wished I knew before I started exhibiting at trade shows. Continue reading … [...]

By: Mike Thimmesch

Mike Thimmesch — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:09:29 +0000

Ann Marie,

Glad you have got so much out of lead cards. I agree that depending on just the lead scanners is not enough. We use both lead cards and the scanners, but the only reason we use the scanners is to more quickly get the lead’s contact information, and then we staple that to the lead card.

By: Ann Marie Rowlands

Ann Marie Rowlands — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:32:21 +0000

We started using lead cards at shows this year and they have proven to provide valuable information for post-show follow up. At the conclusion of the show, the cards can be passed off to office support staff for general follow up while exhibit staff focus on more substantial leads. We found that lead generating scanners provided hundreds of scans with such sketchy information on the attendees interest that it made them almost useless.

By: Mike Thimmesch

Mike Thimmesch — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:18:24 +0000

That’s a great strategy. Take advantage of all the time you have at the show to get leads!

By: DocHolly

DocHolly — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:40:21 +0000

I find that before the trade show I look at what seminars, etc. are offered that are somewhat relevant to what my company does. I sign up for them as my “booth break” and afterward I try to engage and invite the attendees back to my booth for a better look.

By: Amanda Snook

Amanda Snook — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:51:43 +0000

A nice little write-up. We see a lot of trade shows come through our doors at Lansing Center (Lansing, MI) and some are highly successful. I think that is because the majority of businesses follow great tips like these.

By: Mike Thimmesch

Mike Thimmesch — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:24:19 +0000

Hello Eileen,

You are right that it’s important to meet the press at shows. I did not discuss using the press at shows in the first “10 Things…” article, but did in a recent article, “Trade Shows Are Great For Public Relations, Too.”

By: Eileen M. Baldwin

Eileen M. Baldwin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:32:55 +0000

Not sure if this was mentioned in your previous article…from another promotional angle, remember to line up key editorial meetings with leading publications in your industry to highlight your latest product offerings!

By: Mike Thimmesch

Mike Thimmesch — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:37:13 +0000

It’s great to see booth staffers energized by a good promotion — they don’t have to work as hard, they have fun, and they feel good about representing their company. The only downside is that they must be prepared to convert interest in the promotion into high quality leads.