Attending a Trade Show? Remember These 10 Helpful Tips!

Trade Shows are ideal for building connections between like-minded people. It’s also a great medium to connect with possible business prospects. We’ve curated 10 helpful tips to apply when attending trade shows. Although it does not guarantee a closed contract or sale, it’s an effective medium to expand your brand’s exposure. 

What is a trade show? 

According to Indeed, a trade show is where brands can present their product offering or services. Let’s say you’re in the business of selling printed advertising banners, you can connect with event planners through trade shows. There are trade shows that are only good for a day. Some could last for a few days or expand to a week-long event. Attendees make the most of these events by introducing themselves through networking. To make sure that your brand is visible, you can set up a booth where you can connect with your prospects. Be mindful of the rules and regulations of these trade shows. It may differ from one organization to another. 

Things to Prepare When Attending a Trade Show

Define Your Goals and Objectives 

Define what you want to achieve when attending a trade show. If you sign up as an attendee it’s more likely that you’ll pay for the registration fee. Think of it as an investment strategy. You’ll want a return on investment from it through your networks. Thus, it is important to have a clear and concise goal before attending a trade show. Some of the goals that you can set are: 

• Network with new prospects 
• Increase sales of products or services 
• Connect with new clients 

To help you structure your goal, remember to keep it SMART – Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bounded. There are also different metrics to track whether you’re able to hit your target or not. Some of these metrics are: 

• Product demonstration 
• People met and connected with 
• Leads generated 
• Business cards handed 

Prepare Properly Before the Event Date 

As they say, you don’t go to war without being prepared. The same is true when attending trade shows. You don’t show up empty-handed. There are plenty of things that you need to prepare and research for. 

• Learn about who the attendees are and the people you want to connect with 
• Who are the speakers that you want to listen to and their speaking schedule 
• Who are the competitors that are attending? How are you going to make your company outshine them? 
• How many business cards will you bring? 
• Are you going to make your presentation through your laptop, or iPad or will it be printed? 
• What other promotional materials are you going to bring? Will you have flyers and banners with you? 

Secure Your Marketing Materials  

Marketing materials are ideal to present your service or sales to your prospects. Some of the participants do not have enough time to meet everyone. They can only spare five to minutes. You have to make your case and impress them within this limited period. This is where engaging marketing materials are helpful. Some of the helpful things that you can secure are: 

• Business cards – If you are attending with your team, everyone must have their business cards with them. If you have done proper preparation, you’ll have an idea of how many attendees are there. In turn, you’ll know how many business cards you’ll have to bring with you. 
• Flyers, Brochures, Magazines, Banners – Depending on the type of event, assess what kind of marketing material is effective for these attendees. You’ll also have to consider your budget as these materials require a marketing budget too.  

Make Time for Product Demonstrations and Presentations

Attract the interest of possible customers through product demonstrations and presentations. There are plenty of things you need to prepare for when you’re considering the product demonstrations. 

• How much time is required to do a product demo or presentation? 
• Make Time to practice your demo. You’ll want to impress your prospects by creating a positive first impression. Practice before the actual demo so that you can gain confidence. You’ll also identify which areas you need to make adjustments with. 
• Create a schedule for your presentations. List the target people you’ll want to present to and if possible reach out to them before the event date. You don’t want to be barging at people wanting to make a presentation. 

Consider Giving Out Freebies and Promotional Items 

One of the things that can help people remember your brand is through freebies. Imagine attending a trade show and having to meet hundreds of people. Likely, you won’t remember each one of them, right? But, the moment you check your tote bag and see those giveaways, you’ll remember either the person you just met or their brand. Freebies and giveaways are also excellent mediums for creating a pleasant atmosphere. You can use those to strategically break the ice and connect with other attendees. Some of the merchandise that you can consider are: 

• Pens and branded writing pads 
• Reusable bags 
• USBs and water bottles 

In some cases, you can draw attention to your booth by having raffles where people could win some branded items. You can also get them to play quick games and hand over some branded merch as prizes. The idea is to create a positive impression that will make people remember your brand. 

Dress Comfortably But Still Professional 

When attending a trade show, you’ll want people to remember you in a good way. Do not come in wearing slippers and shorts. You’re not going to the beach. Make sure that you’re wearing something comfortable for yourself. In an article published on LinkedIn, it reads that wearing practical and comfortable shoes enables you to cover more of the area. Think of having oversized shoes, you’ll be limping from one place to another. It hampers your ability to meet more people and also creates a negative impression on you. You’ll want to impress people not just with your presentation but also with the confidence that comes with it. 

The same article also encourages attendees to make sure that their devices are fully charged. If you run out of business cards, you can always exchange numbers through your phones. You won’t be missing out on a prospect. In addition, imagine you’re just halfway through your presentation then your laptop dies as you forgot to charge it. These mistakes could dampen your relationship with your prospect. 

Follow Up with Your Connections 

The real work comes after the trade show. To make sure that you can grow your network, follow up with the people you’ve connected with. You don’t necessarily have to sell them your products to connect with them again. It could be a simple thank-you note for those who stop by your booth. It could be a short email, extending your appreciation for their time during a product demo. If possible, make it personalized, and don’t just send a generic thank you letter. A customized thank you note will increase the probability of you getting a response. 

Come to the event early. 

As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. By being early in attending the trade show, you can meet more people. Imagine coming in just 4 hours before the event closes. You’ll be rushing with your presentation. Additionally, you are limiting your chances of meeting a lot of would-be clients. Consider coming in early so you can prepare all your materials. You can practice your demonstrations and make any adjustments. In addition, you can also familiarize yourself with the key locations of the venue such as the networking areas, the speaker’s hub, the booths of exhibitors, and your competitors’ location.

Listen to Seminars, Attend Workshops, and Take Notes

Make the most out of your registration fee by learning a thing or two. You’re not just attending the event for networking purposes but also to expand your knowledge. List down the workshops that you’re interested in and note their schedule. Research the speakers and pick out the ones you’ll want to spend your time on. According to Retailbound, taking notes during these seminars will provide you with a reference that you can use later on. In addition, it also helps in strengthening your knowledge of the industry. By listening to the speakers you’ll get to meet new people at the same time learn valuable insights from industry experts. 

Measure your results 

After the event, take time to assess whether attending the event was the right decision or not. It will help you decide on your marketing budget for future events. You can assess the following metrics to see if there was improvement in the following: 

• Increase in social media followers and brand engagement 
• Responses from captured leads 
• Increase in generated sales 

You also need to do a cost-benefit analysis to check if the marketing budget was worth spending on the registration. Consider the expenses for your travel, food, accommodation, marketing materials, and other things you had to pay for. 

These are just some of the helpful tips that you can apply the next time you’re attending a trade show. Make sure that you include customized graphics in your brand materials for better recall and recognition.