Trade Show Talk

Fellow vendors! I need some help. I'm trying to get my trade-show action plan put together - but seeing as how I've never gone to one (my company is very young), I'm kind of clueless.

I'm sure you more seasoned experts have your secrets well kept, but, what's your general strategy? What works well for you? How do you catch their attention when there are dozens of other vendors all around you?

Also - in your honest opinion - how can we add the most value to the trade shows and education conferences we attend as vendors? What do our prospects, clients, partners and friends really want?

Hi Colin - I just attended the HAA EXPO (which I highly recommend to those of you in the Texas market), and here is what I recommend: Don't be afraid to reach out to people as they walk by! So many vendors just sit there waiting for people to be interested in their booth and talk to them. Others look completely disinterested. So don't be afraid to be a tad aggressive when trying to get people to talk to you!

I agree with Brent completely. Make sure you actually "greet" people. I was at a show recently and the only thing that came out of the vendors mouth in the booth near us was "Hey does your...." (quite annoying). Here is what works for us real well. I have a major email marketing campaign coupled with using social media tools to invite people to the booth. I give them a reason to do so. This has helped with actual scheduling of visits otherwise some people may plan to visit your booth but get lost or distracted looking. It takes a lot of effort to get people to remember your booth number and make a beeline to your location.

But beyond that is super important to develop relationships with people. The more people get to know you as a person the more likely they will take a moment to visit your booth and say hi. Hope this helps!

Hey don't forget to ask your customers what they would like to see at a trade show! :laugh:

Our annual trade show is in September. Everyone has pens and note pads, so it's nice to see something slightly different like highlighters, sticky notes, etc.

Most importantly, have a fishbowl to collect business cards of all the trade show attendees so you can contact them later. Having a prize drawing associated with said fishbowl is nice too. :woohoo:

1. Smile!
2. Be attentive and listen to your customer. Do not look around for your next customer while talking to them.
3.Do not eat, drink alcohol, or talk on your cell phone at your booth. Always be ready to engage.
4. Let them see how excited you are about what you have to offer and what makes you stand out from your competition.
5. Make your booth stand out! Try a different look than the norm.
6. Smile!
7. Facebook and email blasts work great for inviting customers to visit your booth and be sure to mention your booth number.
8. Be sure to have business cards or brochures for the customer to take back with them. Make notes on the back of the business card you get from a prospective customer so when you get back to the office you can remember what it was you discussed with them and can follow up.
9. Be sure to have enough people (but not too many it looks crowded) to cover the booth so you can be sure not too miss anyone.
10. Smile and have fun!

One of the vendor was giving away stress balls. We were a vendor as well, we took couple balls. I would call out CATCH and throw the ball to them. That broke the ice and the converstion went very well. Our closing rate was higher to those we made the connection.

Good Luck!