TradeShowHelp.Org

Just a few reasons why your company should continue exhibiting and the value of your trade show display.

Leads?

To Sell Product?

Clearly both, but do not forget Network OPPORTUNITY!

Trade Shows are chalked full of opportunities to meet with potential & current customers as well as finding out where your competitors are focusing their time & energy.

This is the big picture of network marketing opportunity, building solid relationships face to face and meeting the people your products and services will help in their day to day lives.

Working with  customers at trade shows gives you the insight of what solutions you can be providing to them.  Find out what it is about your product and services that helps them along in their daily routines, using that for your future marketing efforts.

Find out from your current customers if there is something specific about your product or services that could be enhanced or improved. Look to your customers to be part of your research and development team.

Engaging potential customers in conversation regarding their “pain” points will also provide valuable information to you giving your company a better insight of how you can elevate that pain.

The value of your trade show display comes down to grabbing the attention of your prospects.  Use your trade show display to your advantage with colorful graphics and pictures that will draw attention and help bring in visitors.

Bold exhibit graphics speak clearly and can convey a simple message.  By giving a visual description of what it is your company does and incorporating how you can help them, they become more relaxed and in turn gives you a better opportunity to network.

People in general want to make their lives easier, when graphics are used to help convey these messages, people picture themselves in that graphic and an emotional response takes over.

A trade show presenter is a tactician who understands communication and uses their skills to acquire the largest number of attendees in front of your trade show booth.   Many businesses attend trade shows but do not have a person qualified to be the trade show presenter and need to ascertain an individual skilled in the art of presenting information in front of an audience.

Understanding how your company will relay its message to a trade show audience establishes the basic criteria you will need in selecting a trade show presenter. Will your criteria be scripting, podium presentation, using audiovisual technology, gimmicks, over the top presentations, or the presenter’s ability to communicate? Successful business know that each trade show has its own budget constraints, booth size and marketing objectives and not all trade show presenters are suited for every show.

The basic goal of every trade booth is to generate leads and to educate the attendee about your company’s service or product. You can accomplish this by utilizing the trade show presenter as a Vaudeville attraction or as a Broadway stage presentation.

The sideshow attraction works best in small exhibits and allows education, entertaining, and lead generation to happen when the trade show presenter networks with the attendee and inquisitively seek out essential information to assess their need level. The greater the need level, the faster the trade show presenter turns the customer over to knowledgeable sales personal.

A Broadway presentation informs customers on products and services requirements using attention-getting tactics and typically used larger booth space. High tech screens and actors are there to dazzle the audience into staying and watching the show with trade show jargon, sales presentation and information all rolled up into a 10-minute show. These typically occur 3-4 times an hour. Lead generation occurs when the trade show presenter asks the audience to enter into a drawing to qualify them for an instant discount for participating in the shows presentation.

The return on investment is what a company seeks for when hiring a trade show presenter. Accomplishing this is by knowing the companies’ specific needs and understanding what the presenter can deliver. Once the issues are address, selection of a professional trade show presenter is simple.   Dale Obrochta is a professional trade show presenter who uses promotional balloon entertainment to generate tradeshow booth traffic. He is a leading entertainer in the balloon entertainment industry who consistently works trade shows and corporate events.

Magical Balloon-dude Dale is balloon entertainment at its best!

We still believe that trades shows are a viable market for getting face to face exposure with qualified buyers and decision makers.   Bringing people into your trade show booth is the ultimate goal, and giving prospects  solutions to their problems is how you will make that relationship last.

Start with a solid pre-show advertising campaign, your participation well in advance with your prospects will keep your name and booth # fresh in their minds, keeping them up to date with glimpse’s of product announcements and teasers is a good way to peek their interest.

If you are having a new product launch, you can even offer a raffle for that product or service – what a better way to stand behind your new offerings.

If you plan on having entertainment in your trade show booth, have it set for a planned time. where you can invite your prospects, and not continuously throughout the day.  You could even have your raffle drawing at the end of the entertainment, so that you know you will get a chance to talk to your prospects.

I am wondering if there has been any research done on how often you should change your trade show booth style/graphics/etc?

Ty

I have not run across any research done on the specifics of changing up your trade show booth. Many companies change for new products, niche markets and various messages that they would like to send to their specific audience. Another major reason for changing your trade show booth style or graphics is if your company brand changes.

I am looking for a good way to display our presentations without having to purchase large televisions. We want something that is easier to ship and will help save costs on trade show shipping. As well as something that is easy to use when it comes to changing our message for different venue’s with out all the complicated AV equipment.

Thanks
Charlie

Charlie,
Skyline Displays has recently come out with a really easy to use and easy to set up Projection System. You can find more information out on this video.

We recently received a question regarding how to get the best results with trade shows even with budget cuts.

After countless research, we believe in pre-show marketing and targeting your show selection.

Show selection is one point that continued to come up in many conversations and was a key factor in driving results and helping reduce costs. By targeting your “niche market” with a larger presence, your company can stand out as a leader in your market.

With more careful and earlier planning of your trade show season, you can reduce unnecessary expenses. Many exhibitors rely on online trade show management programs, that allow them access 24/7 to their booth staff, shipping and scheduling of events. This way you are not over staffing your booth, and you know when and where items will be at any given time. Reducing the last minute shipping charges for literature or missing components.

Lighter weight exhibits and modular solutions also will decrease your shipping and drayage costs drastically. With re-configurable portable solutions, you can stretch your marketing dollars.

Creating a process for follow up to measure your results to target your most successful shows will also help stretch your marketing dollars. If you notice poor performance from a certain trade show but fairly decent performance from another trade show, why not concentrate your efforts on the show that gives you the best results.

Managing your trade show leads is one of the best practices for success at trade shows. Always implement a plan for lead follow up, even before the doors to the trade show open. Whether it be outsourcing your trade show lead follow up or implementing your staff into using online software to manage and track your leads, you will see the results and see where your efforts are paying off.

We have an IT company and I was wondering what IT trade shows are in the UK, or the best way to find out where and when they are.

Thank You – Jonathan

Jonathan,

There are several resources out there for selecting trade shows, whether they are in the UK or in the USA.  Check out – http://www.exhibitions.co.uk/ for UK specific shows, as well as http://www.tsnn.com/, where you can do a location search for any country, city or state.

Start searching online for various directories, add these to a master list and fine tune it as you go.  There is good information on specific show sites as well, you can see what your other companies are saying about the value of certain trade shows.

Researching where your competitors are exhibiting  is another great way to narrow down your trade show selection.    There is not one specific site that has all of the available trade shows in any given country, it is best to gather data from a variety of sources and start your research.

We exhibit to gain clients, exposure and create relationships with prospects.

I’ve heard it said that trade shows are the easiest, most difficult marketing tool to master. Like all such challenges, finding tips to make this process easier has just become easier.  Check out the latest FREE trade show seminars.  21 Seminars in 21 Days

With the 21 Seminars in 21 Days, you will meet Mike Mraz, a 25 year veteran in the trade show industry, you can find out information on show selection, booth staffing and even trade show transportation.  Getting the best outcome from your trade show is one of the goals that every exhibitor wants to achieve.

Take advantage of the 21 Seminars in 21 Days!