Susan Friedmann |
Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid,
NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with
companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching,
consulting and training. For a free copy of “10 Common Mistakes
Exhibitors Make”, send an e-mail. |
Susan Friedmann
has written 18 articles for SB Informer. |
View all articles by Susan Friedmann... |
27 Exhibiting Do's and Don'tsTradeshow Marketing Susan Friedmann
October 30, 2006
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An organiser of a Tradeshow must look into various aspects for it to
go on smoothly. All information that the target audience - the
exhibitors may want to know should be presented in a lucid and luring
syle. Simultaneously certain practices have to be avoided. Here is a
list of several Do's and Don'ts to make any Tradeshow a roaring
success. 1. Do: Research a show carefully before you
decide to exhibit. Does this show attract a large number of people from
your target audience? Tradeshow participation takes a lot of time,
energy and resources. You don't want to spend them on folks who are
unlikely ever to do business with you.
2. Don't: Be
afraid to ask questions. Show organizers have all kinds of information
that new exhibitors would benefit from knowing. Ask about attendee
demographics, exhibitor's requirements, and what assistance you can
expect from the show's staff.
3. Do: Start planning
early. Regular tradeshow exhibitors routinely start planning their
appearances twelve to eighteen months in advance.
4. Don't: Pass up the chance to visit other industry events
before you exhibit for the first time. Make note of what exhibitors
worked for you and what turned you off. What did you find to be
effective? Can you incorporate those items into your own exhibit?
5. Do: Make
a list of goals and objectives for the show. This list should be very
specific. Do you want to generate $X in new sales, start a certain
number of new business relationships, or spread the word about a new
service offering you're introducing to the market?
6. Don't: Get
sidetracked by what everyone else is doing - or by what people tell you
you 'have' to do at a tradeshow. You're at the show to reinforce your
expert identity and achieve your goals and objectives. Anything else is
off-target.
7. Do: Be open to creative and new ways of
presenting your services. Tradeshow attendees see hundreds of exhibits
in the course of one day. You need to be unique and engaging for your
display to be memorable.
8. Don't: Be afraid to be enthusiastic about your services. If
you're genuinely jazzed up about what you do, attendees will sense
that. Enthusiasm is contagious -- and more importantly, it sells!
9. Do: Learn the 80/20 rule and take it to heart. The best
exhibitors are those who listen 80% of the time and talk 20%. Focusing
on attendees' wants and needs is a surefire route to success.
10. Don't: "Throw Up" on attendees. This very common practice
occurs when nervous exhibitors can't stop talking, and keep up a
constant barrage of facts, figures, and sales spiel. Attendees are
quickly turned off by this, and your chance to form a profitable new
business relationship walks away.
11. Do: Remember
you're on display. What you're selling at a tradeshow is, primarily,
first impressions. Be professional, well-dressed, and mannerly at all
times. You never know who's watching.
12. Don't: Eat,
drink, or chat on your cell phone on the show floor. When you need
refreshment or a break, leave your exhibit booth. Remember, the eyes of
the public are on you at all times, so you'll want to conduct yourself
well.
13. Do: Be realistic. Tradeshows are long events. You're on the
floor for anywhere from ten to twelve hours at a go, often several days
in a row. This is a lot for any one person to do on their own, and most
Nichepreneuers are solo operations. Ask for help. Recruit friends to
work the show with you. If nothing else, they can spell you while you
grab a quick bite to eat.
14. Don't: Forget! If you
have friends help you at the tradeshow, it behooves you to provide them
with some training. Make sure they understand what your services are,
how you're different from your peers, and what the marketing message
is. Also, have a plan in place to cover what they should do when they
run into a question they don't know the answer to.
15. Do: Ask
qualifying questions. You want to know who you're talking to, who they
work for, and in what capacity. This will help you determine if the
attendee is a prospective customer or not.
16. Don't: Be afraid to encourage people to move along if
they're not interested in your services. Some of the people who attend
tradeshows are 'tire-kickers' -- they like to discuss everything, but
buy nothing. You don't want to waste your time with them.
17. Do: Take
notes. Take time before the show to create a lead-card system, in which
you'll record pertinent information to facilitate post-show follow-up.
18. Don't: Depend
on your memory -- no matter how good you are, a few words scrawled on
the back of a business card won't be enough after the show's over and
you've met with literally hundreds of people.
19. Do: Be polite and nice to everyone. The junior executive today can be a senior executive tomorrow.
20. Don't: Forget
to read the Exhibitor's Service manual. This is the thick packet of
materials you received when you registered for the show. Inside, you'll
find everything you need to know about exhibiting at that particular
show -- and discover important deadlines for ordering services. Don't
miss those deadlines or you'll pay more for everything!
21. Do: Reach
out to the media. Have a press kit available in the media room. Be open
to interviews -- reporters and freelancers often walk the floor looking
for stories. If you have something truly newsworthy to announce,
schedule a press conference at the show.
22. Don't: Forget
to advertise your tradeshow participation. Make sure your target
audience knows they can see you at the show, where you'll be, and what
they can expect when they visit you.
23. Do: Follow
Up! The most important part of any tradeshow takes place after you
leave the building. You see that big pile of leads you've gathered?
Send them all thank you notes for coming to see you -- and follow up
with them the most promising prospects quickly. You'll be glad you did.
24. Don't: Hesitate
to include hands-on, interactive demonstrations into your exhibit
whenever possible. People love to participate. They love to try new
things. Most of all, they love to have fun. If you can integrate fun
into your exhibit, you'll have more attendees than you know what to do
with.
25. Do: Use giveaway items that enhance your
expert identity. You want items that your attendees will use regularly
and reinforce their impression of you as the expert.
26. Don't: Get
caught up in trendy giveaway items pushed by promotional salespeople.
You want to stand out from the crowd, not merge with it.
27. Do: Give
your tradeshow participation a fair chance to work. Results may not be
immediate. Rome wasn't built in a day. But the business relationships
you start at tradeshows today can steadily blossom into profitable
partnerships tomorrow.
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