What's all the fuss about trade show marketing?

by: Carlo Seta

Originally printed in the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce Chambervision Publication.

What's all the fuss about trade show marketing? It seems that I have heard all of the myths about trade show marketing: "trade shows don't work!", "trade shows are too expensive!","I can't afford to have my sales staff out of the field that long!" The surprising fact is that trade show marketing, if done correctly can be an extremely effective marketing medium.

Can you name another type of marketing where prospects actually pay to see what your company has to offer? Not to mention one that allows your sales staff to see thousands of qualified prospects in just a few short days.

Think about the following statistics:

	76% of trade show attendees come to buy with definite needs in mind and a plan to purchase.
	84% specify or have the final say in purchasing for the companies they represent.
	54% of leads generated at trade shows take on average less than 1 sales call to close.

Have I gotten your attention? If not consider that 83% of this group has never been exposed to your products or services. These statistics are staggering! So why is there so much mystery regarding trade show marketing? The truth is that exhibiting at a trade show is vastly different from any other type of marketing you will encounter. If you are not prepared you could waste much of your time, money and resources. Below I have listed a few small tips that could pay off big at your next trade show:

Planning Industry experts recommend using a 16 week planning cycle for an effective exhibition. To receive an outline planning guide via e-mail send your request to info@integratedexhibits.com.

Goal Setting

I'm constantly amazed that my clients don't set specific goals for before exhibiting. They typically can't tell me why they go to trade shows and what they expect to achieve.

Set specific goals! For a 10' x 10' booth space 4-6 qualified leads per hour is a good start.

Show Selection

According to CEIR (Center for Exhibition Industry Research) there are nearly 4300 trade shows in the U.S. every year. How do you determine what shows fit your needs and if they are worth attending? Start with a directory that lists the current shows in your industry. Try the directory of Trade Shows & Exhibits Schedule (reference section of the downtown library) or the web directory at expoguide.com. Here you will find a current listing of shows and hopefully a show profile (If the management of a show cannot give you an accurate profile of attendees you should probably look elsewhere). The profile will tell you the type and number of attendees as well as the type of exhibitors. Look for other important information such as the demographics of attendees, and how many of last years exhibitors will be returning.

Exhibit Design

Keep in mind that your exhibit will have less than 3 seconds to grab your prospects attention so the graphic image must clear and focused. Beware the tendency to say too much on the exhibit, this can cause confusion and lose a prospects attention. Use large format powerful images that will stop your attendees. Be careful not to set up barriers that will keep prospects from entering your booth space. Design your exhibit from the attendees perspective. Make it easy for them to do business with you.

Salesmanship at the Show

Selling at a trade show is very different from the traditional sales environment. Booth staffers must quickly qualify and gather prospect information to keep up with the sheer numbers of prospects they will see. Spending a long period of time with wrong prospect can cost you big when you consider that most prospects will not wait to speak to a sales representative. Don't simply pass out literature because most will be thrown into a bag and never read. Trade show marketing is a lead gathering medium so design a lead generation card that will help keep track of the hot prospects. Most importantly ? follow up, follow up, follow up. Incredibly nearly 80% of the leads generated at trade show are never followed up. It is crucial to put in place a system that will get those hot leads to the field quickly so they can be turned into sales.

Carlo Seta is the President of Integrated Exhibits. Integrated Exhibits specializes in the design an manufacturing of trade show displays and graphics, for more information please call 513-281-6004.