Trade fairs abroad are an ideal way to lay the foundation for penetrating foreign markets. However, planning and organizing participation in a foreign exhibition can be a challenge, especially for smaller companies who are making their first attempt to penetrate foreign markets. Before committing to a show, it is wise to learn about best practices in trade show preparation in order to obtain maximum benefit from trade show appearances.
BEFORE THE SHOW
A major trade show requires considerable advance preparation and, if you aren't ready, can present a logistical nightmare. You must develop a solid plan and monitor your progress vigilantly.
Begin by evaluating your trade show exhibits opportunities carefully before deciding to join in. Participating in a show can require a major investment of time, money, and resources. Be tough in your evaluation of a show's worthiness. Are the attendees likely customers for your organization? Exposure to a few hundred very qualified targets is better than exposure to thousands of generalists who are very unlikely to be interested in your business.
As a first step, contact show organizers to obtain the show manual, and read it with care. Everything you need to know about the show should be there, including a proposed or final schedule, registration information and forms, floor plans, exhibit specifications, invitations for potential speakers, and other important details.
Next, you must identify your goals. Bespecific about the things you want to accomplish as a result of your participation in the show. Do you want to increase visibility, gain exposure to a large number of customers who might be interested in your products, or check out the competition?
Concrete goals will help you define how to measure success. Make sure your goals are as specific and measurable as possible.
You could plan to hand out 1000 brochures, obtain contact information for at least 200 prospects, and take a key trade show publication editor out to lunch. These benchmarks will help you decide whether the show was worth the expense.
Put your show plan in writing, detailing a workable schedule, a comprehensive list of preparation activities, and an individual assigned for each task. If you leave things to chance, Murphy's Law – whatever can go wrong, will go wrong – will surely prevail.
As you begin the process of designing your exhibit, remember that like good advertising, a good exhibit clearly communicates one major message. This draws in more prospects to your booth than an unfocused cacophony of messages.
An open, inviting booth design, with no tables obstructing access, will help to get that message across. You should put the table (you still need table/s) or table top display in a place not obstructing access, event an eye catching table covers can influence visitors to stop by. Your logo should be big enough to be seen from a distance. Maximize "walking around" space by mounting brochure displays on walls. Use interesting graphics to draw people's attention. For demos, laptops and flat-screen monitors are space-efficient. If space permits, provide comfortable chairs to encourage prospects to linger.
A portable booth should be reasonably easy to set up and take down. Create a unique identity for your booth staff that fits with the booth design. Matching blazers, T-shirts, or even boutonnieres will make your representatives easily identifiable.
You also need to advertise your show participation. Use tag lines such as: "see us at Booth 1525 at the Footwear World Conference" in news releases and other communications leading up to the show (even if those releases are about something unrelated). Write a news release announcing show-related news.
Invite editors to stop by the booth, or set up appointments between them and your spokespeople. If your marketing collateral needs to be updated or edesigned, take care of this early.
You don't want to run the risk of having no brochures to hand out. Design forms for filling out prospect information – clear forms eliminate guesswork.
Consider giveaways to generate attention and a sense of fun. These don't have to be expensive. Pens with your web address and a catchy slogan can be very effective.
PowerPoint presentations and demos for your booth can be valuable tools that draw attendees to your booth and help them learn more about your business. Presentations will allow you to communicate information to many prospects at once.
Train your exhibit staff before the show. Your staff needs to know what is expected of them. They need to be prepared to answer questions and share important information. They must know how to run the demos and presentations, and they should know some basic troubleshooting in case the demos don't work. You should also stress the importance of warmth and friendliness toward booth visitors.
DURING THE SHOW
Set up a rotating booth schedule for your staff. They need breaks for lunch and relaxing in order to be cheerful and alert while manning your exhibit. A friendly greeting to passersby may encourage them to stop rather than simply walk past.
Remind staff to record all prospect information. Stress the importance of getting phone numbers and email addresses.
AFTER THE SHOW
Follow up with contacts immediately, with a clear subject line in your e-mail or on the envelope that mentions your company name and the exhibition where you met. Make it easy for contacts to respond by including your web address and information on the opportunities available to them.
Keep track of your prospects. Nothing signals the success of your trade-show effort better than having prospects purchase your products or having the media spotlight your efforts. Keep a record of the customers who found out about your products through the trade show. Use these results to analyze the show's return on investment.
Finally, after each show, evaluate what went well and what didn't and figure out what lessons you learned. Critique each aspect of the show and ask others for comments. Then apply those lessons to your next trade show for an even better experience.
Aris Darujo
SENADA Senior Industry Advisor
Note:
Camelback Displays offers affordable trade show exhibits and many accessories such as custom printed table covers. We can add a logo, custom artwork in full color or just a message onto tablecloths. Great for special events and trade shows. Our trade show exhibits are portable and come in tons of sizes, colors and designs.
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