5 Steps To Trade Show Success
Trade shows are an investment of both time and money for companies of any size. Many exhibitors search for ways to increase the return on their trade show investment. When was the last time you or your company measured its results from trade shows? Not recently? Never? Don’t worry! There are many ways to increase effectiveness from trade show exhibiting and they all begin with a plan.
1. Find the right show
How do you know if your trade show will be successful? That depends on what you are measuring. The first step to achieving better results from trade shows is to find a show, then set measurable and attainable objectives.
There are many ways to find shows and decide whether or not your target market will be at the event. All it takes is a little research. Call the show organizer and ask for statistics from previous shows such as number of exhibitors, total number of attendees, costs, etc.
2. Make a strategy
Now, decide what it is that you want to achieve. The measure of achievement should be based on your goals. Do you want to make sales at trade shows to measure your return on investment, or just gain leads for your database to measure your return on objectives? These are the core ideals to identify so that you can begin measuring your results.
3. It’s about the people
According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR.org), 85% of the success at trade shows depends on the booth staffers. The size of the trade show exhibit, the literature and the promotions are all secondary. If a staffer leaves a poor impression with a prospect, no key chain or coffee cup will turn that impression around. Therefore, it is important to train all staffers about your expectations as to what they should accomplish at a trade show. They need to learn how to qualify prospects in a short amount of time. If an attendee does not fit your criteria as a potential client, quickly and politely dismiss him or her. When a prospect does fit your criteria, the staffer needs to know what to do next – set an appointment, send literature, schedule a conference call, etc.
4. Promotions need to be memorable
How many key chains or pens have you picked up at a trade show and where are they now? They probably ended up in a trash can at the hotel and that means the promotion was not effective. A promotion should be a memorable accent to your message, but not be overwhelming. Pre-show mailings or e-mail campaigns can tie into promotions at the show to remind attendees to stop by your trade show booth. Purchasing the attendee list prior to the show to select your top percentage of prospects is another great investment. Don’t forget to contact your current clients that will also be attending.
5. Make a follow-up system
CEIR has found that 79% of leads generated at shows are not followed up on. How can you prevent this from happening at your company? It again starts with pre-show planning. Create a plan for following through on leads. It is important to determine how the information will be distributed, to whom it is distributed and how that information will be used to advance the company’s overall goals. It is important to create a follow-through plan to utilize this new information and follow-up within a week before the contact at the show loses its effectiveness.
Trade shows require planning prior to, during and after the event. The only way to ensure a higher return on your trade show investment is to plan all stages of the show. Selecting the best show to exhibit at is the first step. Booth staff training is a must for companies at all levels. Proper follow-up should be part of the staff training. Through a few focused steps, you can increase your return on investment!
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Filed Under: Lead management • Measuring trade show results • Promotions • Selecting Shows • Trade show booth staffing
About the Author: Michael Flavin is a trade show strategist & exhibit consultant at Skyline Exhibits & Graphics Mid-America in St. Louis, MO. He works with companies & organizations to eliminate headaches from their trade show, event marketing & recruiting programs. Overall, he offers total, turn-key solutions, focused on creating memorable experiences, lowering operating expenses and increasing ROI. In addition, Michael consults & trains booth staffers and helps companies measure results from their trade show programs.
You’re absolutely right, Michael. Getting the best ROI on an event has everything to do with getting the right staff to work the event. Hiring professionally trained product specialists, brand ambassadors and lead generation teams are definitely the way to go. Forget the key chains and coffee mugs.
Hi Renee,
Thanks for your message! Your description of ‘brand ambassadors’ is right on the mark.
Thanks, Michael, for the trade show tips. Although we can measure the ROI from the trade shows, it may not be possible for ROI measurement in some industries due to their complexity of business and sales process duration. It takes in our industry maybe a year or two to complete a sales deal due to its multi-faceted techno-commercial concerns. Within this time frame, we may cover 3 to 5 shows.
I professionally do not trust the show organizer’s figure of trade show visitors because of duplicate headcount scans!
Cheers!
Michael,
As someone in the promotions industry I can tell you that I find so many people that do not use all 5 of your tips! I get calls all the time asking for trade show giveaways. I always ask the same question: Why?
Most companies do not do the planning and training they need before sending their folks off to the trade show to be their ambassadors. Because if this, they have “giveaways” in their booths too. If you are using a promotional item, it should be linked to your strategy, not just some cheap plastic stuff. There are products that can help create action, to gather information after the show, give information on how to use your products and services and in general reinforce the message. The only problem is that staff needs to be trained in how to accomplish that.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater (no promos) but rather work with trained marketing professionals that can clearly evaluate your needs and your strategy, and then match them with the fresh product ideas that carry a relevant message!
Holly
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