How to Have a Successful Trade Show Event

​Trade shows can be an exciting event for any company. The ability to reach a large pool of potential customers in just a few days is a beautiful way to display, demonstrate, and discuss your company's latest products and services. You also get exposure to industry trends and make connections. However, as exciting as they are, it can also be a daunting task, especially for the one(s) in charge of the show, which usually falls on the marketing department.

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Below I put together a list of items that are important for a successful event. Though each company is different most share the same goals, so the majority of these items should be suited to just about any situation.

1. Promote the event and set up appointments – start promoting the event six to eight weeks prior to the event, use social media channels and email campaigns to get the word out, invite clients to meet with you at your booth and/or take them out to dinner after show hours, many events provide free passes for your company, be sure to get those to your customers
2. Pre-meeting with staff - make sure everyone is on the same page, same message, review all the logistics, make sure the team are included in all aspects of the show; if they don't like the direction then they won't give it their all
3. Look professional - wear appropriate attire; suit and ties are nice but the trend these days is casual business polos and khakis for a more approachable look, never sit, never leave food and drinks around, be obvious as to what the company does from a distance, keep the branding consistent
4. Be prepared – anything can happen and usually does at a trade show, have first aid, sewing kit, pens, staples, a few staples, paper clips, hand sanitizer, etc.
5. Lead retrieval system – most tradeshows these days use tablet/smart phone apps, though these seem like their easier to use, many times they have known to have technical issues, be sure to have a backup system like the tried and true paper lead sheet, keep all of the lead material together in one place, the last thing you need is to lose all of those leads
6. Be kind to everyone - be polite and hospitable to everyone, even if they’re not interested in your product or if your competitor entered the booth, offer refreshments, ask them about their company, who they visited, reason for coming, don't sell unless they're interested
7. Speak at an event – always try to be on the list of presenters; don't pitch your stuff or they will leave, build awareness in the market and build trust if you can't be on the list then invite them over for your own presentation
8. Learn from others - walk the show and talk to others, I never meat a marketing person who never wanted to discuss how the challenges and successes they’re have had behind the scenes, you can learn a lot
9. Join the after-show activities – whether it’s taking your customers out to dinner or attended an after-hours party, be ready to socialize and be sure to continue the same level of professionalism
10. Follow-up quickly – don’t let too much time go by before following up with your leads, you don’t have to talk shop right away since most of your visitors probably haven’t settled in yet, but you should at least thank them for visiting, create a tier system with three levels of priorities and start to contact those at a higher priority first
11. Post-show meeting with staff – during the first week back in the office have a meeting to discuss the success and adjustments you should make for the next show, be open and don’t take criticism personally
12. Measure ROI - know how you intend to measure the show’s success ahead of time; is it awareness, is it number of leads, good discussions, is it about getting a sense of how a new product would be received

 
Remember, a successful event is equal to the amount of preparation and effort put in prior, during, and after the event.

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