9 tips for a terrific trade show

An easy win, but yet often a part where many companies fall short. You should be aware of the purpose of your presence at the fair. What message do you want to convey? What do you hope to get from your talks? Who would you like to speak to at any cost? Think about these questions and prepare yourself and the entire team!

It will very much help you to be clearer in your message at the fair, if you know on beforehand how you are going to follow up. How are you going to approach leads? Which actions will follow the fair participation? For example, if you want to call your leads, you can already try to make an appointment when you speak to them at the fair.

Trade shows are an excellent opportunity to meet contacts from different countries. Many of our customers come from other continents, which makes personal meetings scarce. At trade fairs, we therefore often schedule appointments with our contacts in advance, and invite people to come to our booth.

Not every prospect, potential customer or partner will come to your booth. Broaden your horizon at trade fairs and take a walk to visit some other booths. Be open and make contact with interesting companies, this is the place where beautiful collaborations can arise.

An important part of your preparations prior to the fair should be your marketing plan. Spread the news! Let everybody know where and when you will be present and, more importantly, why they should come and visit you.

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You do not want prospects to leave your booth with a bad feeling, so make sure to have your best people present. Your dream team should consist of people who make contact easily, are able to empathize with others, and have a good understanding of your products and solutions.

Is your booth standing out from the crowd? Or is there something fun to do for visitors? These things help to get people to your booth, but unfortunately this sometimes comes at the expense of relevance. Weigh these decisions well! In addition, of course, you should provide a sufficient amount of business cards, folders, brochures and other materials.

During our trade fair visits, we often see unguarded trays full of business cards and other types of lead forms. Not only does it look very messy, it also increases the risk of losing those leads. Make sure to be careful with your collected leads. Store them in a locked place, or document them digitally.

A very common reason to participate in trade fairs is the fact that “we do it every year”. Not really inspiring and progressive right? Always make sure to evaluate each trade fair and make a decision based on that evaluation for the next one. Did you achieve your goals? What went well? What went wrong? Be honest with and to each other and keep improving!

Need help with your event marketing? Our marketing advisors are happy to help.