Make The Most of Trade Shows

What to do before, during, and after—to nail sales

Doug Grabe spends a lot of time at trade shows—really a lot of time. Last year, Grabe figures he attended 25 shows (he says it’s hard to remember the precise number) on behalf of Atomic Products, his 10-employee company that makes sunglasses, necklaces and pet collars and other items out of glowing plastic.

But he has more than a whopping travel bill and sore feet to show for it. Grabe expects revenues of the three-year-old , Bridgeport, Conn.-based company to hit $3 million this year, and much of that business has come from clients nabbed at those exhibitions. “The company wouldn’t be where it is today without trade shows,” he says.

  For many business owners, attending one or more of the approximately 11,000 trade shows put on each year is an essential part of their marketing campaigns. If done right, such efforts can reap handsome rewards.

Trouble is, Grabe may be more the exception than the rule. Marketing experts say that very few business owners get their money’s worth out of entering a trade show—which, on average, costs a business $32,000, according to Tradeshow Week.

    The key lies in your strategy.  “The show itself is the tip of a much larger iceberg,” says Ruth Stevens, author of Trade Show and Event Marketing (Thomson, 2005). What happens before and after the show is just as important as what you do during it. For that reason, it’s essential to focus your attention equally on every stage of the process, “with different strategies for each phase,” says Susan Friedmann, a trade show specialist in Lake Placid. NY.

  Stage One: Before You Go

    --Determine your objectives. Decide just what you want to accomplish. Are you after new clients? Strengthening relationships with existing customers? Checking out the competition? Learning about new products and technologies?

Mary Blackmon, who runs Spa Addicts, a 10-employee Los Angeles-based website that helps consumers find spas, attends about five shows a year, partly to meet clients face to face. Carolyn Curtis, events specialist for Vital Smarts, a 35-employee training and consulting company in Provo, Utah, says her goal is as much building brand awareness as finding leads.

Your objectives will determine everything from the type of booth you want to set up to the giveaways you provide.

    --Select the right show. Once you’ve pinpointed your goals, then you can go through the process of picking the shows with the most potential. Casey Stark, for example, who runs a 1-800-GOT-JUNK franchise, an 11-employee junk removal service in Ann Arbor, Mich., eschews construction industry forums, in favor of shows for builders and other companies that don’t have the ability to provide their own dumpsters. Also, since she serves a specific geographic area, she focuses on regional gatherings, such as shows organized by local Chambers of Commerce. One way to gauge the potential value of the show is to scour the attendee and exhibitor lists from previous years. Show management should be able to provide this information. 

  --Do Your Homework. As far in advance of the show as you can do so, get lists of attendees from show organizers. Canvass your own customers and see which ones are likely to attend, and invite them to visit you at the show. Curtis, for example, sends emails to all clients within 100 miles of the exhibition. But don’t count on one email. Friedmann suggests you contact them three times. Also, have salespeople personally call VIP clients to extend an invitation to visit.

 --Get The Best Deal.  If you are going as an exhibitor, don’t be bashful about demanding a space. Negotiate for the most visible spots. It’s best if people see you as soon as they arrive. As a first-time exhibitor, you may have to settle for a spot in the boonies. But you can get the best available space if you register as early as possible for the show. Organizers, eager to fill the hall, may be more willing to grant your request for a good slot if they have your deposit in hand.  “Tell them you’ll commit a year in advance if you can pick your spot immediately,” says Stark.

  Stage Two: During 

   --Carefully select which products to display. Generally, opt for something new, since that’s what most attendees are there to see, according to Friedmann. And don’t overload the booth. Grabe, for example, usually chooses one or two items to display.

  --Consider a hospitality suite, instead of or in addition to a booth. This is especially useful if you are new to the show and can’t get prime space. In some cases, you may be able to market more effectively off the floor than in a booth. If, for example, you have a prototype of a product that you want only a select group of people to see, then you can present it to an invitation-only audience in the privacy of your suite. Don’t stint on the refreshments. It’s a worthwhile investment.

  --Watch out for spies. Competitors often use trade shows to sniff out what rivals are up to. Friedman, for example, says she has been hired more than once by companies to pose as a consultant, visit exhibit booths and unearth competitive intelligence. Your best defense is to train your staff to detect such tell-tale signs of espionage as visitors who ask unusual questions.

  Stage Three: After

     --Don’t drop the ball. About 80% of contacts made at trade shows are never followed up on, according to the Center for Exhibit Industry Research. Don’t do that. Collect thorough information on each lead at the show—just gathering business cards in a bowl won’t do. If you have to hire a booth helper, do so (you may be able to arrange for a temp through the show management office). Whoever talks to a walkup at the booth should find out what his or her business is, what products of services of yours they might be interested in and how soon they may want to take action. At the end of the show, all this information should be compiled. Then rank the names in order of how promising they are and have salespeople make contact as soon as possible after the show, targeting the hottest prospects first. It’s essential to get to the prospects immediately after the show, when they are still thinking about what they saw and learned. And, says Grabe: “If you don’t call them up, your competitors will.”

Anne Field is a freelance business writer in Pelham, N.Y.