7 Steps For A Successful Trade Show

Organizing a successful trade show requires meticulous planning, creativity, and perseverance. While many business-to-business (B2B) organizations evaluate trade show success based on the number of leads generated, opportunities created, and the return on investment (ROI) achieved, the extent of effort invested ultimately influences the success rate. Trade shows represent a significant investment for a company; therefore, it is essential to have metrics that demonstrate their effectiveness as a marketing strategy.

Presented below are 7 strategies to ensure the success of your trade show:

Plan far in advance

It is crucial to plan well in advance of a trade show. Early preparation is always beneficial. Notify your team of the travel dates promptly, allowing them to book flights before prices increase. Additionally, reserve room blocks ahead of time to avoid the risk of the hotel reaching full capacity.

Alongside overseeing event logistics, detailed pre-show campaign planning is essential. Are you launching a new product during the event? Do you have major announcements scheduled for the event week? Is there a requirement to print product sheets and acquire promotional items? Start drafting emails for the trade show at least four to six weeks before the event. It is crucial to inform your audience about your participation in the trade show and use email as a channel to convey any significant announcements, teasers, and engagement opportunities with the team.

Prepare the sales and executive teams

Communication serves as a crucial tool in preparing for trade shows. Typically, diverse teams such as marketing, sales, and the executive team participate in these events. It is essential to ensure that all team members are aligned and possess all pertinent information prior to the event.

Ensure that meetings and booth hours are added to everyone's calendars, ensuring the correct time zone is applied. Develop a comprehensive logistics document to guarantee all details are covered and expectations are clearly communicated. This document should include contact numbers for all team members for on-site communication. Print several copies and ensure it is readily accessible on a mobile device for convenience during travel.

Extend an invitation to all trade show attendees to join a preparatory call scheduled for the week prior to the event. Prepare a slide deck that includes essential details such as accommodations, venue information, booth hours, dress code, and an overview of scheduled booth meetings and networking events.

Schedule pre-show booth meetings

The trade shows that proved most successful, both in execution and attendance, were those where sales and marketing collaborated to pre-arrange booth meetings with prospects, customers, and partners. Establish a realistic objective for your team, such as using the previous year's number of pre-scheduled meetings as a benchmark and increasing it by 25%.

Furthermore, establish a shared calendar to provide the sales team with insight into the booth schedule, allowing them to see which executives will be available each day of the trade show.

Be active on social media.

Share photographs from the event on your social media platforms before, during, and after the event. Encourage attendees to visit your booth to participate in a contest, collect a giveaway, or view a demonstration. Ensure you include your booth number and the event hashtag to facilitate easy location by attendees.

Provide giveaways

Recognizing the importance of hosting engaging giveaways is essential for significantly increasing traffic. Consider allocating additional resources towards a giveaway or event to attract visitors. Be innovative with your incentives; options could include slot machines offering cash rewards or frozen margaritas. Additionally, food universally appeals to attendees. Renting an espresso machine or an ice cream truck could effectively draw people to your booth, fostering interaction and potentially generating qualified leads.

Scan, scan, scan!

On the opening day of the trade show, convene with your onsite team 30 minutes prior to the event's commencement. Ensure they are familiar with the booth layout, promotional giveaways, and activities. Provide a demonstration on the operation of the badge scanner and allow them to practice using it, as the functionality of badge scanners can differ significantly from one show to another. Additionally, it is crucial to utilize scanners that enable note-taking post-conversation, as this feature will assist your team in post-show follow-up activities.

Make sure to scan the badge of each person who visits your booth. Failing to capture a quality lead because a badge wasn't scanned would be regrettable for your sales team.

Debrief and follow up

Arrange a debrief meeting with your team following the trade show. Document the successful elements and identify areas for improvement. Evaluate whether your booth location was advantageous and if it attracted sufficient traffic. Assess if your messaging effectively engaged the attendees. These insights will be valuable as you plan for future trade shows.

Post-event follow-up is essential. Ensure that all leads are entered into your customer relationship management (CRM) system and distributed to your sales team within 48 hours after the event concludes. This data offers valuable insights into booth traffic, the number of qualified leads, and potential business opportunities. This process can contribute to building historical data related to trade shows and support the rationale for attending future events.

You are now equipped with the 7 steps to ensure a successful trade show. Wishing you the best of luck!