17 Ways to Get the Most out of Your Next Small Business Trade Show

Trade shows are a great way to showcase everything your company has to offer. They’re also golden opportunities to learn from your peers and find out about new market trends. 

But to get the most out of a small business trade show, you have to invest some thought ahead of time.

Here are the 17 best tips to help you hit your next trade show exhibition out of the park. 

For the most part, your success or failure in a trade show will hinge on your plan.

Don’t have a plan? Uh oh.

It’s never wise to rush into anything half-cocked, least of all something so important to your brand.

You need the right equipment. You need to know how to use it all and be sure it’ll actually work and be confident that every little detail will fall into place. Most of all, you need to be ready to cope with the unexpected.

Managing a smooth small business trade show experience is tough enough without opening yourself up to avoidable self-sabotage.

Prepare for any potential nasty surprises. Operate on the assumption that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. Have a backup for everything, and then have a backup for that.

Remember: when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

 

If your booth is going draw the right kind of attention, it has to stand out. It has to demonstrate your personality and your company’s theme.

Make sure your booth is big enough to handle the staff and the visitors. Give it a design to catch the eye, and keep it clean and organized to maintain an inviting environment.

Location matters, too. If possible, put your booth near an entrance to maintain a steady stream of traffic. Setting it up near direct competitors could also help by taking advantage of the overlap in target audiences.

 

  

Forming positive relationships will never hurt your efforts. Introduce yourself to adjacent booths and create rapport. These partnerships open opportunities for them to drive traffic to your exhibition–and you can return the favor, too.

Having a good network will also mean having help when you need it.

You should also get to know the event organizers if you can. This can mean access to behind-the-scenes info and earn you a coveted spot on the floor.

 

 

The questions you ask prospects may determine whether or not they actually convert to customers. It’s never too early to start preparing.

Preparing questions will help stimulate thought and inspire conversations about your industry. Open-ended questions that evoke replies are the best course. 

Organize pre-show promotions to draw more traffic to your exhibition. Make prospective customers understand what they stand to gain when they visit your booth.

Get creative in your pre-show promotions, and use a medium that will reach as many prospects as possible. 

Your staff will be a major factor in your exhibition. A good performance on their part will go a long way toward your success--a poor one will do the opposite.

Stipulate clear roles for every staff member. Train your staff thoroughly on how to handle visitors. Teach them how to ask and answer any questions so they can help visitors while helping you.

Even how your staff dress will make a difference to how attendees view your company. Make sure everyone is as presentable as they are professional. 

The more information you have, the better your chances of success.

Look into the trade shows specifications, requirements, and provisions. Learn every way you can make your trade show display pop out and turn heads. Check out what your competitors are doing, and study what’s worked for leaders in your field.

In short: take the lessons of others, get creative, and forge your own path to greatness.

Just by reading this article you’re already working to educate yourself. Keep it up.

 

Any time a prospect seems promising, get their contact information and offer to follow up with them. Then, after the exhibition, do just that.

You want to reach out within the first week. Strike while the iron’s hot, before they lose interest. This will demonstrate your reliability and encourage them to make the leap to becoming actual customers.

 

Pick a specific trade show theme that suits the environment and your company’s image. Having a theme will give you a motif to build your campaign around. This makes it easier to build ideas and execute them well.

It’s also a great way to set yourself apart from the competition.

 

Never miss an opportunity to demonstrate value. Show people why they should want to do business with you.

And remember: don’t just tell them. Show them.

Show them how your services and products will improve their lives. Hook them, engage them, then let them tell all their friends about what a life-changer your company is.

As soon as they head for your booth, your performance begins.

 

Why should you have to do all the work yourself? The media can spread the word about your exhibition. Let them publicize you and get prospects racing to reach your trade show booth first.

“The media” isn’t just TV news and newspapers anymore, either. Influencers, bloggers, social media personalities--there are countless voices who can help broadcast your message to the world.

Find them and let them build you an audience.

 

Trade shows attract all kinds of people. Keep your doors open for them all, but recognize which ones are worth your time and which ones aren’t. Just because someone stops by doesn’t mean they’ll ever be of use to you.

Mark out visitors who aren’t useful and spend as little time on them as possible. Obviously, this isn’t a license to be rude. You and your staff can be efficient and discerning without being offensive.

Still, you want to save the lion’s share of your efforts for the visitors who can actually offer you something. 

Your number one goal should be to attract visitors to your booth and convert them to customers. However, that doesn’t mean it has to be your only goal.

Interact with the other exhibitors. Learn something new from them. Get information about other small business trade shows. Hone your craft.

It’s a two-way street, too. Open up--by sharing your own ideas you’ll probably get plenty in return, and the more you learn, the better. 

Every trade show will provide you with an exhibitor’s manual. This should have the information you’ll need during the trade show. Don’t just toss it aside; read it through. Get the lowdown on schedules, payments, setting up your booth, electrical needs, layout options, and every other tidbit you can glean.

Don’t cheat yourself out of valuable intel.

 

When planning for a small business trade show, always make a thorough schedule. Leave ample space to handle everything without cutting activities too close. Give yourself time to attend to visitors and interact with your neighbors.

But don’t forget to leave slack, either. Trying to cram too much into a day can be as counterproductive as doing too little.

Now, while making your schedule may be simple, actually sticking to it is another matter entirely. You and your staff need to exercise some discipline and stay on track. It’s worth the effort. 

Incentives draw traffic to your stand. Free samples of products are one example; free food, snacks, and drinks might do even more for you. You can even offer treats for visitors who answer some questions, giving them a reason to engage with you.

Be careful not to go overboard, though; you want to have enough of whatever incentives you’re offering, but don’t waste money. 

Even after you’re exhausted and ready to call it a day, keep at the grindstone a little longer. Stay open to the end to take advantage of the latecomers; you might be surprised the catches it’ll net you.

Don’t be in too much of a hurry to close up shop and miss out on valuable opportunities.

There you have it! Put these tips to good use when planning your next trade show exhibition. You’ll be glad you did--and so will your prospects.