23 Things to Know Before Attending or Having a Display at Another Tradeshow
Here are some simple tradeshow dos and donts that you may or may not know, but you might want to review them every time to decide to attend or become a vendor at one. I’ve compiled these from years of doing different tradeshows, biz expos, kid’s expos, health fairs, community festivals and more while working at various jobs and with my own marketing business as well.
Learn how to work the room OR be the vendor everyone wants to stop at with my 23 tradeshow techniques!
Here are the 14 Things Every Vendor Should Know:
1. Bring your friendliest employees or friends to work the booth with you, at least one other person so you’re not managing it by yourself. You want high-energy, happy people in your booth that know about your business but most of all ones that know how to talk to people.
2. Try not to stand or sit behind your booth, sometimes it’s more appropriate to put your table behind you while you stand out in the aisle pulling people into your booth with a great “hook� or catch phrase. In fact you can put the chairs they give you away you shouldn’t really ever sit down in your booth. Those who sit at their booth are not as inviting or seem less interested in getting people to stop.
3. Do not talk on your phone or to other workers in your booth; always have your attention focused on the attendees passing by. If you look busy, people won’t stop.
4. Practice your hook, a quick attention getting phrase to get people interested and to stop. You might say something like “Want to know how to lose 10 pounds in 10 days?�, “Find out how to save $100 on your next _____�, “Having trouble figuring out how much to save for retirement?� or something like these.
5. Do not try to spend too much time trying to ‘sell’ anyone that day or you’ll be spending WAY too much time with that one person. You’ll want to meet and collect info on as many people as possible; you can always follow up with them later. Try to make a note or check mark those bus cards of those who might be hot prospects so you’ll remember later. Having a booth at a tradeshow is like an instant database boosting venue; you want to be focused on getting the name, address, phone and emails of everyone you possibly can at all times.
6. Bring a clever giveaway of some type of promotion item, pens tend to be overused. Think of something people will not only keep or use but that will also have some type of correlation with your type of business. I’ve seen letter openers, flashlights, plastic water bottles, computer dusting brushes, mousepads, coffee cups, sticky notes and I use little books to put business cards in with my logo and website on it so they always have it on hand.
7. Hold a drawing for a free gift – not a discount off your services, but something anyone would want. Not everyone will want your services. Have a big bowl or basket for people to drop their cards into AND have a drawing slip in case they don’t have cards and make sure to collect all info including email addresses – this obviously builds your database which should be the MAIN REASON you are there.
8. Offer incentives if they sign up now with you or purchase today, a discount or throw in a gift certificate just for taking the time for a consultation (Ex: Give them $10 to Starbucks or something when they show up for the appointment?).
9. Make your booth interactive, think up some way for the attendees to “get involved� in your booth so they take the time to stop. I’ve seen real popcorn machines that give off a great smell, big spin wheels with corresponding prizes, puzzles to figure out right on the spot, questionnaire to fill out (bonus, it gets you more info too), video playing on a television, chair massage person giving free massages in your booth, card game or magic trick.
10. Have a large (3’x8’ average size for booths) full color banner for trade shows with your business name or logo, tagline or catchy phrase/headline on top, phone