A trade show can feel a little overwhelming, to say the least, when it’s your first time. There are likely going to be hundreds of other companies there who are showcasing and the event may cater to thousands of people per day.
Regardless of the scale or reputation of the trade show, every event for your business is worth attending and maximizing to the best of your ability. If it’s your first time at a trade show, then there are certainly some top tips that can prove useful. Here’s everything you’ll need to know when navigating your first trade show as a company.
Pick the right spot
The right spot is influential to your success at the trade show. Why? Well, location can be everything when it comes to a trade show. If you’re too far back, chances are you might not get much footfall to your stand and if you’re close to highly competitive companies then you might not even get a look in with customers.
Picking the right spot is something you will likely learn over time but ideally, you want to be as close to the entrance as possible. You don’t want too much noise going on around you, so paying attention to what spots have been chosen already by other companies is useful to know.
Dress up your stand to attract attention
The stand is your company’s face for the day or week, depending on how long the trade show goes on for. Therefore, it’s important that you’re dressing up your stand appropriately in order to attract all of the attention.
Think about getting a hop up banner for your business or digital screens if you’ve got the budget available to spend on the show itself. After all, if you’re choosing to invest your money into trade shows and events in the future, then it’s definitely worth spending the money on stand branding.
Pick the right employees with plenty of confidence
Those that are attending the trade event need to be confident and willing to approach anyone that passes by their stand. With that being said, you want to select some of your best employees that are going to have the confidence needed to mingle with anyone that may approach or walk by the stand.
It might even be helpful to introduce a little pre-show training in order to help maximize the employee’s efforts on the days they’re at the trade show.
Have systems in place to collect data
Lead generation is an absolute must when it comes to your business at a trade show. There are so many potential customer and client opportunities to be had, so it’s important to have systems set up in place to collect this data. From tablet devices to QR codes that lead to quick and easy forms for stand attendees to fill in, it’s all important to put in place prior to the event.
Don’t forget to mingle and network at these events with other stand holders. Who knows who you might meet?
