There’s nothing worse than going to a trade show and feeling like a fish in a fish tank, stuck in your booth, pacing the 10 foot space or sitting there trying to look engaged. On the flip side, it’s energizing to go to a trade show and see other poor souls looking like fish in their fish tanks while you and your team are having a productive and lively show – holding meetings, filling up your booth with interested prospects, and tracking down important industry intelligence to help your company succeed. Is that bad to feel good about someone else’s misfortune? Yes it is if the person is a victim. But for trade show attendees – they’re not victims; they’re just lazy or terribly uninspired.
You, on the other hand, are highly inspired and find yourself benefitting from your successful preparation, attendance, and follow up to your trade show schedule. Here are the Top Five Ways you can continue your success – and help new members of your team enjoy the spoils of trade show marketing.
- What does success look like? I first heard this phrase used by a former colleague of mine for an internal management meeting and it set the tone for a useful, efficient meeting. We were focused on the outcome which helped us select and move through the topics based on whether we were helping each other achieve success as we had defined it.
For trade shows, it means clearly defining what a successful trip looks like for you and your organization. By the way, this question should be asked two to three months before the show to give your team the needed time to prepare.
Goals to define include: lead generation, customer interaction, competitive or industry intelligence, brand awareness or relevance, industry influence, and others as you develop your plan.
The result of this exercise can be a checklist; identifying each goal and a brief summary of what needs to happen to help you achieve success.
- Knock, knock. Who’s there? Customers and partners. One of the first exercises in planning which shows to attend is to learn which ones your customers attend. They may attend different ones so you’ll likely want to choose wisely based on other factors. However, finding shows where you know at least 2-3 (or 15-20!) customers will go a long way toward setting the stage for any number of trade show tactics – including new product demos, case study presentations (include your customer!), after hours networking, and other activities.
Additionally, you can ask your customers who you should meet. Are there customer colleagues who may be qualified prospects? Coupling this question with developing a case study presentation of your customer’s work with you and they’ll help you invite prospects to your booth or presentation room.
Not all trade show exhibitors are competitors. In fact, in many cases, the opportunities to partner with other exhibitors go largely unexplored. Like other preparation work, use the published list of exhibitors ahead of time to determine which companies may provide opportunities to share new business.
Consider creating a “one-pager” describing your business and the kinds of partners best suited for collaboration. Your team can have this piece of collateral at the show, ready to share and develop some great relationships. Of course, you can also add this aspect of your business to your Web site to handle follow up inquiries.
- Lights, camera, action. Planning mini-events inside the trade show can be a critical aspect of achieving your overall objectives. Standard examples include product demos and customer testimonials but what about more intriguing mini-events focused on your audience? Examples can include a multitude of ideas so here are just a few to get your creative mind running in the right direction.
Video game contests – the most popular now are for the Wii because they include physical action but a good Playstation or Xbox game can work as well. If possible, create a tournament ahead of time and include a sign up during your pre-show mailer. Of course, the winner – or top 5 winners – get prizes and recognition. Be sure to design the event so that everyone gets something for participating.
Live market research – from taste tests to trying on new fashions to navigating a new software product, designing your new product demo as a chance to receive market intelligence will give your audience a fun interaction with you. Keep it simple – 5-10 questions at the most, with an opportunity to be featured on your Web site or other outlet that features the results of the research.
On the spot interviews, YouTube style. Bring your digital recorder and record everything – your booth activity, customers and prospects interacting with you and your staff. Consider developing some standard interview questions – and make it fun if possible. Possible themes could include the interviewer being a “trade show hack” – the person who seems to be only there to pick up all the chatchkes – and the questions could be geared towards assuming that everyone is there for the same reasons.
Related to on the spot interviews create an “Idea Spot” at your booth and record attendees ideas for revolutionizing your industry or creating a cool new product. The winning idea gets recognition and a prize.
- Lights, camera, action – take 2. What kind of competitive intelligence can you pick up at your next conference or trade show? Visiting competitor booths is only one tactic and, if you do, don’t be one of the people who puts a jacket on over your branded golf shirt to try and hide your company’s logo. Photograph and film the conference – engage your competition with interviews on how they’re doing and whether they believe this is a successful show. Ask your partners – or new partners you’re meeting – what they think of your competition.
- Don’t know? Don’t go. Sometimes just being at a show can bring success because you’ll do the work of making the contacts needed to capture new business or whatever your goals are. In most cases, however, you’ll want to plan ahead and make a “go/no-go” decision based on some of the above criteria – are the attendees part of your targeted market? Will you be able to garner the needed participation or response to generate leads and qualified prospects?
It’s okay to turn away from a show – even if its one you’ve been to in years past. Armed with your new criteria, you’ll be choosing only those shows where you can land some big fish rather than being stuck in a fish bowl.
