To continue from our last discussion, you (or your company) has decided to attend a trade show. The booth space has been reserved and (hopefully) airline and hotel rooms have been booked.
Now what?
Now is when people gather in a room, look at each other, and say in their best Chris Farley impersonation from "Tommy Boy", "What are we gonna doooooo??"
Good question. And even better, good timing.
Far too often, companies don't plan what they're going to do at their booth. Hard to believe, but you almost believe that companies think that showing up is "good enough." Or, worse yet, there may actually be a conversation that goes "check and see what we have left in the supply closet. We'll give that stuff away."
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Luckily, we're still early enough in the planning stages to actually plan something. For instance, are we going to hand out information? If so, what type? A flyer? A brochure? A sell sheet? A folder? Maybe we should decide now, get the handouts designed and printed and avoid rush charges.
Or, are we going to have some type of theme for our booth? Maybe an island theme? A futuristic theme? A golf or sports theme? If so, let's decide now. Will we need special decorations? special props? special clothing?
What are we going to wear? Will it tie into the theme? Will we be shirt and tie, business casual, Hawaiian shirts, golf shirts, etc?
How about an activity? What we will be doing on at our booth? A hole in one putting contest? A spin-and-win wheel? A trivia contest? Decisions, decisions, decisions...
How about what you'll be distributing at your booth? Sure, you may have literature on-hand (see above), but are you going to also have promotional items as well? There are only about 600,000 different items you have a company logo affixed to -- it may be tough to pick one.
In our next post, we'll come up with some answers to these questions... and then continue toward the show!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Tradeshows -- the beginning
I don't think I'd be understating the importance of tradeshows in today's business environment. There is no more better way to introduce yourself, your company, or your products to a large number of potential customers at one time.
So how come some companies are so bad at it?
The truth is, many companies see trade shows -- whether it's an industry show, a consumer show or even a Chamber of Commerce show -- as a necessary evil, rather than a potentially huge part of their marketing plan.
So, before we really begin, let's state some basic truths about trade shows. First, and more important, they are not a sales opportunity. The percentage of companies that make an actual sale on the show floor is very, very small. The salesperson, marketing person or company owner who complains about the lack of sales at a tradeshow is basically missing the entire point of being there. A trade show is a chance to start or build relationships, introduce or reinforce your brand, or introduce a new product.
The results of setting up at a trade show are almost never seen immediately. Rather, they can be discovered in the post-show followup or possibly weeks, months or even YEARS afterward.
OK, now that we have that piece of info out of the way (not that we won't be referring to it in follow-up posts), let's start with how to effectively utilize trade shows...from the beginning.
First things first. You've decided to set-up at a trade show. Congratulations. You've sent your down payment into the show organizers and you've made your transportation and lodging arrangements (if necessary, of course). Now what?
Now you have to figure out what you're going to do at the show. And that's where the fun begins.
And that's where we'll continue our discussion next time...
So how come some companies are so bad at it?
The truth is, many companies see trade shows -- whether it's an industry show, a consumer show or even a Chamber of Commerce show -- as a necessary evil, rather than a potentially huge part of their marketing plan.
So, before we really begin, let's state some basic truths about trade shows. First, and more important, they are not a sales opportunity. The percentage of companies that make an actual sale on the show floor is very, very small. The salesperson, marketing person or company owner who complains about the lack of sales at a tradeshow is basically missing the entire point of being there. A trade show is a chance to start or build relationships, introduce or reinforce your brand, or introduce a new product.
The results of setting up at a trade show are almost never seen immediately. Rather, they can be discovered in the post-show followup or possibly weeks, months or even YEARS afterward.
OK, now that we have that piece of info out of the way (not that we won't be referring to it in follow-up posts), let's start with how to effectively utilize trade shows...from the beginning.
First things first. You've decided to set-up at a trade show. Congratulations. You've sent your down payment into the show organizers and you've made your transportation and lodging arrangements (if necessary, of course). Now what?
Now you have to figure out what you're going to do at the show. And that's where the fun begins.
And that's where we'll continue our discussion next time...
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Coming soon...tradeshows!
In the very near future, we're going to writing an entire series of articles on tradeshows. This will (hopefully) have all the information you need to ensure that you or your company gets the most bang for its tradeshow buck.
We'll be discussing everything from what to wear, what to distribute at your booth, what activities to have, pre-show mailings, post-show follow-up and lots more. We think it'll be very helpful information for you, whether you're a one-person business thinking about setting up at your local Chamber of Commerce show, or the tradeshow coordinator for a multi-national corporation.
As always, your questions and feedback are welcome.
We'll be discussing everything from what to wear, what to distribute at your booth, what activities to have, pre-show mailings, post-show follow-up and lots more. We think it'll be very helpful information for you, whether you're a one-person business thinking about setting up at your local Chamber of Commerce show, or the tradeshow coordinator for a multi-national corporation.
As always, your questions and feedback are welcome.
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