It’s out there, looming on
the not-so-distant horizon…
…that trade show, that event, that important chance to market your products or services to fresh faces. An absence at this event is not an option, so you’ve already committed to exhibiting. But what’s next?
Here are 10 key questions you should be prepared to answer.
What is your purpose for attending the event?
Are you looking to build your business? Increase awareness? Establish your company as a leader in its field? Or, are you looking to retain and connect with your current customers? Will you educate your existing clients on new products or offerings? Or, perhaps, you’re looking for new sales channels?
What specific event goals do you have?
How many sales do you want/need to make? How many existing customers do you need to see? How many new products do you need to announce? How many new sales channels do you want to set up?
What company message do you want to convey?
Does your branding convey this message? How about your collateral? Booth signage? Your web site? Do you need sales tools to get your sales staff in sync with your messaging? Do you need to change the company messaging for different trade shows?
When should you start preparing?
What’s the best timeline for your company? A month ahead of time? Two? Four? Eight? How can you avoid last minute print jobs and the extra expenses of overnight shipping? When does the booth need to be shipped to the event?
How will you promote traffic to your booth?
Should you send out flyers or e-mails ahead of time? Or perhaps launch a newsletter? Announce special drawings for free products? A trip to Hawaii? Should you give away fancy gizmos and gadgets? Should you use the booth as a classroom to educate your clients? Will you need registration added to your web site?
Should you rethink your display requirements?
Will a tabletop display or a pop-up banner suffice instead of a booth? How often will it be used? How long should your booth take to set up? What kind of booths or displays are your competitors using? How often will the display/booth be shipped with luggage? How portable does it need to be?
How presentable and functional is your display?
Has it been around the block one too many times? Does it project the proper image? Is the messaging fresh and appropriate? Will it stand out from the other booths/displays — make people stop in their tracks and say “wow!”? Will it accommodate all the people and products it needs to? Does it have adequate storage area for give-aways and literature?
What kind of people do you want to come to your booth or who is your audience?
Existing clients? Perspective clients? Distributors? Resellers? Partners or Venture Capitalists? Would a video help you educate your customers? Would a live presentation be better? Should you give away CDs or DVDs?
What kind of people should staff your booth?
Marketing personnel? Sales reps? Business development staff? Customer service reps? IT personnel? Trainers/instructors?
Have you budgeted realistically?
For the booth? For signage/graphics? For prizes or giveaways? For transportation/union costs? For the pre-event advertising? For post-event follow-up?
We can help you answer these questions and analyze your event goals to help you translate those goals and objectives into solid marketing messaging and branding…And then…make it happen.
- Eye-catching graphics & Consistent branding.
- Right-on messaging.
- Easy-to-set-up displays.
- Foolproof online/web solutions.
