Thousands of companies use trade shows to promote their products and services. Unfortunately, many companies fail to properly plan out the event and end up missing out on the years of profit that can be gained from attending even a single trade show. The most profitable trade show displays have taken every detail into consideration in order to focus on the single goal of making the company an industry leader.Build The Framework
The initial planning stage should occur months before the actual trade show display is considered. First and foremost a company needs to decide what objectives need to be achieved in order to take the business in the right direction. Once these goals and objectives are defined, targeted trade show marketing will be able to attract the right customers while the trade show display will convince them that your products and services are the best choice. It is also important to keep the trade show display fresh, new, and exciting to retain the interest of returning customers.
The Right Environment
The specifics of the event at which you choose to exhibit can greatly determine the success of a trade show display. The date and location of the event can also influence the success of a trade show display. If there are other large events being held at the same time or if it is at a bad time of year, it will seriously limit the number of visitors who will attend the show. The number of competitors attending the event and the trade show topic should also be carefully considered.
Get Attention
Promoting the event to the intended customer base requires the use of a variety of methods to bring in customers to see your trade show booth. Online trade show marketing, personal invitations, and traditional advertising techniques need to begin months in advance to create an interest in your trade show display.
The trade show display should blend attention-getting features with informative trade show marketing. Including items such as a trade show display contest will attract an abundance of visitors while components such as event giveaways can be used to collect contacts. Graphics, multimedia, and information packets included in the trade show display also need to be determined.
Plan For The Aftermath
Once the trade show display is attracting thousands of customers, you need to have a detailed plan in place to deal with the contacts and sales made at the trade show. Otherwise, the entire show will become a waste of time. Prior to the show, decide how to collect the information, what to do with the information once it is collected, and who is in charge of the trade show follow up.
With the goal of the trade show event established, the rest of the components can be carefully designed around this one central idea. The trade show marketing can be directed at particular types of customers and industries and the trade show display can be designed to be eye-catching and informative about the right products. With careful planning, every aspect of the trade show display will successfully meet the right goals to make your trade show event a worthwhile investment.
About the Author:
Jonathan Edelman is a trade show marketing consultant with more than a decade of experience in the trade show and conference marketing arena. Jonathan is the founder of Ideas 4 Now, a trade show marketing company offering products such as the Prize Safe that drive traffic to trade show booths. Edelman is also the founder of the premier trade show vendors directory Trade Show Vendors.com.
