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Key Criteria When Evaluating Trade Shows
3 min read
It can be difficult to pick and choose between the variety of regional, national, and international trade shows and Expositions that are offered for a particular market. In this post we’ll review some of the key things to consider when deciding whether to exhibit at a trade show.
At a high level you should start with your marketing objectives and sales (lead generation or channel development) objectives to determine the target audience(s) you want to reach and the geographical areas that are important to you (in rank order). Trade show organizers are good at providing demographic data from past shows and you should analyze that data to make sure it matches your objectives. In addition it’s always helpful to look at the shows that your competitors are attending and any shows that they attend every year are most likely working well for them.
Probably the single most important factor is attendance. In choosing a trade show you should look at past years attendees – particularly job titles and company names – to help decide if the show is a good fit. Consider both quality of attendees as well as quantity to provide a strong metric. Cost is always a factor so you’ll also need to look at the total cost of attendance (booth space, drayage, show overhead, staff costs, etc) compared with the number of quality attendees you expect at the show.
In considering the show location you should decide whether the show is in a region that you currently want to sell into or further penetrate and also whether you have the appropriate channels or sales team set up to sell into that market. It’s a waste of time and effort to exhibit in an area that you can’t reach thru your sales channel – unless your strategy is to generate demand in order to drive channel development.
Another consideration is whether there are any promotions in place that the show organizers are offering ( i.e. special perks to exhibit at the show) that may reduce your marketing costs and make the show more valuable for you. Some examples of the types of “free” extras that a show organizer may offer include:
- Extra large listing or advertisement in the show guide
- Product showcase. These are generally in high traffic areas and provide additional visibility to your products.
- Listing on the expo website
Another important consideration for a trade show is whether you can get any good PR out of it. Ideally the show management has a PR program in place to drive more exposure for your products or services. Trade shows are generally an excellent place to generate PR since many journalists attend shows.
So in conclusion there are a number of factors you should look at when deciding exhibit you should look at both your goals and objectives how this show will help you meet those objectives and how well the show is performed in the past.