blog

Many new, small and medium-sized businesses wrestle with the decision of paying to attend a trade show.

While it could reap rewards through exposure to potential clients and investors, having a solid attack plan and an eye catching trade show exhibit in order to achieve your goals is extremely important.

Here are five tips from trade show experts that could bring in the results you’re aiming for.

1. Set pre-show goals

Setting pre-show, achievable targets for your trade show presence is essential for success and for future business.

It’s important to consider who you’d like to do business with and think about inviting those prospective clients along – this is a great chance for some face-to-face time with clients in a more relaxed environment.

Sending formal invitations with a small gift prior to an event can really boost attendance rates.

Keep your trade show team motivated by setting some realistic goals, such as collecting a certain number of email addresses, approaching a certain number of attendees, or handing out a certain number of brochures.

2. Attract attendees to your booth

Think about how you can engage the visitor using all five senses. Visualize the feeling you want to deliver to attendees when they step into your booth space.

Keep your exhibit area clean, open and inviting. Book a large enough space to properly display your information or ensure you design your booth and produce signage with your stand dimensions in mind.

If space permits, create a casual area to sit down and have deeper conversations. Don’t overstaff, as attendees can get intimidated if they have to approach more than three staff.

Create eye-catching trade show exhibits with outstanding signage with simple text and/or illustrations. Don’t provide a long list of what your company does in your signage.

Strategically place lighting within your trade show booth space to highlight logos and graphics or create fading motion.

Be sure your design communicates (1) Who you are (2) What you do and (3) How you can help.
 
Use interactive technology and have products on hand that the customers and touch, feel and sample.

Appeal to the other senses (smell and taste) by providing a complementary coffee or fresh snacks that will attract extra attendees.

3. Once you've got someone to your booth, know what to do with them

Firstly and importantly you need to have the best people work in your trade show booth to achieve your objectives.

You need people that can easily communicate with potential customers, who can quickly assess if the customer is a hot, warm or cold lead, and decide whether they have the power to make a decision to purchase your product or service.

Have a system that can record this information.  

Train your staff on how to connect with people, ask the right questions and then quickly disconnect with the delegate and move on if that person will waste their time.”

4. Make your trade show exhibit booth an experience to remember

The idea here is threefold: First, it gives attendees something to do when they visit your booth. This encourages them to stay longer in your space and hopefully have more meaningful conversations with your staffers.

Second, it provides an experience they can't get at a retail store.

Finally, people tend to remember experiences much longer than they remember casual conversations or static product displays.

5. Your work isn’t done when the show finishes

Throughout the day, your team will probably have picked up a good number of business leads – make sure you have a meeting with your team at the end of the day to gather this information.

Follow up with your leads by arranging a meeting at their convenience; send your information to them by way of an "icebreaker’ email and follow this up with a phone call.

Social media is playing an increasingly bigger role in exhibitions and trade shows.

For more information on creating and designing trade show exhibits, contact The Exhibit Source.

StartUpSmart

Permalink |

Any new business is good business for most firms. Many companies are relying on trade shows to grow their customer list. How does a company maximize its return on investment when exhibiting at trade shows?

Trade shows present a range of valuable opportunities for companies that participate, including meeting potential customers, finding new and better ways of doing business and building a more impressive reputation within an industry.

But making a solid trade show appearance requires investing company resources, and many question if it is worth it. However, most businesses can see significant returns even from a modest trade show investment — if they have the right strategy.

According to data from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), 88% of the attendees at a trade show usually haven’t been seen by a member of your company’s sales staff in the past year, and 70% plan to buy one or more products. On average, 76% of attendees ask for quotes and 26% end up signing purchase orders. 72% of visitors say the show itself influences their buying decisions.

The positive impact of exhibiting at a trade show isn’t confined just to the event, as 87% of attendees will pass along some of the information they obtained at the show, and 64% will tell at least six other people about it. From a sales perspective, shows can also be highly cost-effective — it costs 22% less to contact a potential buyer at a trade show than through traditional field sales calls.

Of course, the fact that trade shows offer a lot of chances for boosting business doesn’t guarantee success. To maximize the value of a trade show appearance, it’s important to find the events that are best-suited to promoting your firm and making an impact on the market.

Once the right shows have been identified, your business needs to develop a comprehensive strategy and ensure your company is represented in the best possible light.

For a trade show exhibit that will correctly portray and sell your business, contact The Exhibit Source.

ThomasNet.com

Permalink |

Nothing, especially in the business-to-business world, beats a trade show. You get to actually meet and shake hands with people, answer questions in real time, present your products and your message exactly how you want to present them, and meet new people who could very well become customers in the future. Here are some tips to help ensure that your trade show goes smoothly.

1. Drive traffic to your trade show booth BEFORE the show
It’s in the trade show’s best interest to drive people to the show. Once attendees are there, it’s up to you to get them to come to your booth. You can use any channel of marketing to assist you with this goal. Many trade shows offer a direct mail list of pre-registrants that you can rent as part of your show package.

But there are also a lot of more creative ways to get people to your booth. Notify your Facebook fans that fans who show up at the booth will be entered into a special drawing. Send personalized messages to your most loyal customers and invite them to visit your booth where they’ll receive some sort of VIP treatment.

2. Generating realistic leads
Everyone at a trade show wears a badge, and when you scan that badge you get that particular attendee’s contact information. Scanning any badge that comes along does not mean you are getting qualified leads. Decide on how you will qualify your leads. When you come back to work with new contacts, you should be able to explain, generally, why those people were considered leads. Not only will this give you a more accurate idea of how the show performed for you but it will also help you establish how you want to nurture those leads.

3. Have a plan to follow up with leads
Knowing how you are going to nurture the leads you generate at the show should be part of your pre-show conversation. As people return to their offices after a show they’re going to be playing catch-up from the work they missed while attending the conference. Soon, their interest in your company will wane if there is no follow-up. We recommend making sure that your customer service department, your sales department, and your marketing department are all on the same page.

Incidentally, following up with existing customers who visited you is not a bad idea either. Making them feel special by acknowledging that you saw them and appreciated their presence could go a long way towards building customer loyalty.

4. Exhibit with professional marketing materials
A trade show booth is like a real-life website homepage. You are standing in an aisle and you want people to see all of the things you feel are most important about your company. Professional literature and booth graphics represent a bigger investment, but when you are trying to make a powerful first impression, isn’t it important to put your best possible foot forward? Your booth graphics, your literature, your business cards, and anything else you present will be how people perceive you as they walk by. Make it a good first impression.

Think creatively from your efforts to drive traffic to your booth to the way you interact with people at your booth and through the process of following up with leads. For more information on designing a creative trade show booth, contact The Exhibit Source.

business2community.com

Permalink |

Fall is one of the busiest times for trade show events. From mid-September through November, businesses exhibit to decision makers, sharing the latest in products and services at conference, conventions and trade shows.

When searching for a company to help with your trade show display, look for experience in designing, creating, and building trade show exhibits. But beyond an eye catching display,  here are some "must haves" every trade show booth should contain.

1. Office supplies. Come prepared with writing materials, scissors, rubber bands, safety pins, binder clips, paper clips and other miscellaneous office supplies. Include adhesive products such as masking tape, Duct tape, double sided tape, Velcro sticky dots, push pins and tacks. These items will come in handy when taping down electrical cords, hanging posters and repairing unexpected tears.

2. Basic tools and electrical cords, extension cords and adapter plugs. A basic tool kit including screw drivers, pliers and hammer will come in handy. If you are relying on electricity; make sure you have what you'll need to plug in lighted displays, monitors and printers.

3. Personal comfort items. In addition to shoes that are comfortable and offer good support for standing long periods of time, you also need  a mini medicine chest, aspirin and antacids, mints and chewing gum, eye drops, throat lozenges and lip balm as well as bottled water and quick, easy snack items.

4. Camera/FlipCam. Keep a visual record of your trade show booth experience by taking pictures of your trade show booth, sales team, and convention visitors. Where appropriate, use your FlipCam (or similar recording device) to capture real life comments from customers and prospects about your company.

The Exhibit Source offers affordable, creative trade show display options for your next trade show exhibit rental. Looking for a unique trade show exhibit design, contact us.

Wall Street Journal – Market Watch

Permalink |

We just started the final quarter of the calendar year and many marketing professionals are looking to spend their quarterly marketing budget before they lose it.  There are many different avenues one can take when deciding what is the best fit for your organization.  Depending on your goals, each option provides a different impact on you sales pipeline.  However, trade show marketing is a lucrative way to bring leads into your sales funnel.

Trade Shows/Conferences:  Trade shows are making a big return for many marketing departments; the problem is deciding which one you will invest in to provide the biggest return.
 
On any given week there are at least one or two conferences or shows worth attending, but which makes the most sense for your organization?  Gauging the ROI on a trade show booth investment can be difficult because most people don’t close business during a booth stop.  Trade show booths are great at creating word of mouth buzz (as long as they are done right) and providing prospects for your inside sales team to follow up with.  

For information on creating the right trade show exhibit, contact The Exhibit Source.

business2community.com

Permalink |

One effective way of increasing brand awareness for companies is participating at industry trade shows.  As companies consider which trade shows to attend in the fall and spring season to demonstrate their value, products and services, they also need to strategically plan on how to get the most out of their time and effort. Companies should implement effective trade show strategies to stand out from the competition, while maintaining pre-defined budgets.

It's tempting for companies to significantly cut their marketing and sales budgets in a challenging economy. Rather than sacrifice participation at trade shows completely, more cost-effective marketing approaches -- such as participating in the highly visible exhibitions, crystallizing the message, speaking in addition to exhibiting, inviting a few key prospects, working the media, and partnering with others who augment their offerings -- all can result in lower costs and more qualified leads.

While the trade show world is not immune to a slow economy, according to a research study by McGraw-Hill, companies that market during economic downturns can achieve dramatic results. The study of over 600 businesses in the 1981-1982 recession found that businesses that maintained or increased their ad spending during this recessionary time averaged significantly higher sales growth during the recession and in the following three years.

Create an eye catching, cost effective trade show display by contacting The Exhibit Source.

Market Watch – Wall Street Journal

Permalink |

For your business to be successful, you must actively promote your business. One way to do this is to attend trade shows. If you attend a variety of trade shows, then you need to know how to market your business to gain potential customers. When executed properly, trade shows are an excellent way to display your brand, product, or service.

Social Media
Check to see if there is a hashtag for the trade show on Twitter. You can use the hashtag to send a tweet to the followers of your business. The trade show that you plan to attend needs to be promoted on your Facebook page. Use your Facebook page to create an event that you can send to all of your fans. This will give you an idea of who may plan on attending. Post updates to Twitter and Facebook at different times during the trade show.

Publicity Options
Make sure that you advertise your appearance at a trade show on your website. You can also send out a newsletter by email or post an update on your company’s blog.

Draw Attention
Use various methods to draw attention to your trade show booth. Your booth needs to be distinct, memorable and visible. Make sure that you have brochures and a leaflet promoting your business or product. Another option is to create a theme for you booth. This is a great way to actively promote your brand.

Register Early
The placement of your booth may depend on when you complete the registration process. Make sure to register at the earliest time possible. A discount can be offered by trade show organizers to companies that register early. This can save your company some money to spend on marketing and promotion.

Proper Research
Research your target market so you can plan your trade show exhibit. This needs to be done weeks before the start of the trade show. Determine which trade shows you should attend and that they are appropriate for you target market. Find out the details of the show that you want to attend.

Set Objectives
Objectives that you need to meet can be set before a trade show. Discuss with employees the best ways to meet these objectives. Create a list of the most important to the least important. Assign tasks to each person that will attend the trade show that ca best meet your objectives.

Offer Contests
Contests that include a drawing or gaining followers, fans or check-ins are a great way to attract people to your booth. Come up with creative ways to allow trade show attendees to enter the contest. You may offer a survey or promote your social network pages.

For more information on trade show displays, contact The Exhibit Source.

business2community.com

Permalink |

You spend a lot of money and time on going to trade shows. Therefore, you need to have a trade show booth that draws customers in.  To do this, you need a trade show exhibit that is different and interesting.

The Exhibit Source has something different, a fabric backlit pop up display that is very easy to set up and is easily transportable. If you want images that pop with color beyond what you have ever seen, we have an exclusive lighting system that does more with images than ever seen at other trade shows. With a 10 ft backlit display you can capture the attention of potential clients like never before.

There are other options too for eye popping pop-ups. The Exhibit Source now offers pop-up displays and booth enhancements that are affordable and easy to set up. Use them to create a new exhibit or to jazz up an existing display, these accessories are sure make a big hit with booth visitors.

For more information on The Backlit Quick Fab™, fabric backlit pop up display or on our other pop up displays, contact The Exhibit Source.

Permalink |

Whether you have a trade show booth that needs an upgrade, or if you need a new trade show booth, you can contact the Exhibit Source. As you know, trade shows are hectic and fast paced. Your booth display has about 3 seconds to attract new and potential clients. In order to do that, you need to stand out from the others, but most of all, you need to stand out from your competition.

No doubt, trade shows are worth the time and money when done right. But with the money, time and employees that you are investing in the trade show, you need to make sure you make the best impression. Your trade show exhibit needs to grab qualified prospects, make them curious, and quickly show them what sets you apart.

The Exhibit Source understands the importance and the investment of your trade show display, which is why we offer numerous options of display styles.

Click “trade show exhibits” for more information.

Permalink |

A trade show is effective when you are able to share knowledge and receive unexpected knowledge that helps your business. A trade show is about building new relationships that help generate new business. Use the following tips to organize effective trade shows to help promote your business.

1. Stop thinking about trade shows in terms of sales and earnings and think rather in terms of cementing customer relationships, building networks and advancing marketing goals.
2. Forget about flooding your trade show booth with people – rather, focus on the quality of your interactions with your attendees.
3. Keep your trade show exhibit clean; your message and your images must be simple and easy to digest. Remember that while complex layouts and flashing lights may garner attention, people will miss out on your brand message and show purpose.
4. Do some brainstorming very in advance and create marketing initiatives to put in place before, during, and after the event. Doing this will help you better engage people, build relationships and generate leads.
5. Evaluate your trade show display booth based on visibility, prominence, size, marketing requirements and your budget. Make sure your booth is big enough for a comfortable show, but not so big as to make you look like a laughing stock.
6. Work with top graphic design providers to create effective graphic elements for your exhibits. Your graphics must effectively portray your key messages, thereby fulfilling your brand communications requirements. Establish design parameters for modular exhibition stands, brochures, banners and so on.
7. Try to make your trade show booth stand out from the others. You can try elevating it by a few feet above others, or build a mock-terrace for your event models and so on. This will attract more prospects to your trade show display area.
8. Design costumes for booth staff using your brand colors; embroider or print your brand logo on their t-shirts for instant recall. Make sure your logo and byline are prominently displayed on all sides of the booth.
9. Research what kind of giveaways or promotional products people like. Look for cost-effective giveaways that will both complement your company image and have high-perceived value among your target prospects.
10. Train your booth staff to be courteous, informative and professional. Hire a professional event modeling agency to staff your booth and train event models to represent your company, secure sales and generate leads.
11. Print sufficient brochures and marketing materials for at 1.5 times the number of people you expect. Train your staff to point out valid points in the brochure while they introduce your brand and product to prospects.
12. Set up a screen and display still shots of your company and its top people along with their names and special quotes from them. Break up this display with a few of your company’s top TV Ads to grab people’s attention.
13. If possible, take help of professional event models and  brand ambassadors to represent your products and services in effective way.

B2C

Permalink |