Trade shows are an invaluable opportunity to meet and connect with potential customers interested in your products and services, while gathering invaluable industry insights that you can use to strengthen and expand your business moving forward.

Be sure to have enough color fliers, brochures, order forms and price sheets available for visitors at any trade shows that you attend in order to maximize its potential success:

Plan Ahead

One key step toward making sure that your company’s trade show exhibition is successful is beginning preparations early. This includes alerting staff of any travel dates – hotels near events fill up quickly, while flights tend to cost more if purchased closer to the date.

Additionally, it is wise to arrange meetings with customers and prospects you hope to meet at the trade show. This allows your team to prioritize meetings while also helping avoid scheduling conflicting events (like seminars or networking functions ) with similar people.

Preparations that should be undertaken include creating a supply of color fliers and brochures, order forms, price sheets and business cards to hand out at the booth. Also ensure someone is always available to greet browsers and engage them in conversations; hire a local celebrity such as a cheerleader to pose in front of your booth to encourage attendees to tag their photos online with your brand hashtag.

Know Your Objectives

Before attending any event, set clear objectives to measure its success afterward – for instance how many qualified leads do you hope to generate?

If your aim is to meet potential buyers at events, ask your reps to compile a list of attendees (they should be able to do this a few weeks ahead) and reach out directly for meetings – this approach will prove much more successful than waiting for buyers to stumble across your booth by themselves.

Make sure that your team is adequately trained to qualify leads and prioritize quality over quantity. Conduct demos, record customer testimonials, arrange meetings outside the booth, or conduct demos, are great ways to engage high-value prospects that could become customers – after each show conduct post-show surveys to see what worked/didn’t work and identify areas for improvement for next time!

Be Well-Rested

Trade show experts often recommend sending inexperienced staff members to trade shows as an educational experience, but it is crucial that these people arrive feeling refreshed, ready, and prepared to interact with visitors. A tired employee won’t draw much of a crowd; indeed they may turn them away altogether.

Make sure that your team understands their booth schedule, so that they are available to meet with attendees when appropriate for your company. Furthermore, encourage them to roam the event floor to observe competitors’ products and engagement strategies.

Make sure your booth visitors are scanned so you have their contact details stored safely, and encourage your team to attend conferences sessions and other organized events that may take place throughout the show. Doing this can help diversify your network and generate qualified leads more easily while creating additional interactions that help keep your brand top of mind among both prospects and customers.

Be Prepared

When exhibiting at a trade show, it is crucial that your company prepares beforehand. Most shows have a list of attendees; it would be beneficial if you familiarized yourself with it prior to attending so as to know who might be attending and make the most of your time at the trade show.

Prepare all external promotional materials – email marketing flyers, billboards or any signage needed – as well as giveaway items like pens and other keepsakes early so your team is prepared to distribute them during a trade show or similar event.

Before your trade show or exhibition begins, it is a smart idea to train the members of your onsite team. Their behavior will affect how prospects perceive your company.