The Trade Show Is You

If you attend trade shows regularly, it will no longer be surprising that the dominant point of conversation–indeed at some shows the only point of conversation–is “was this show bigger than last year’s?” If so, then it will judged as a good trade show, and if not it will be judged as a poor trade show. Attendance really is everything. There’s nothing worse for a trade show organizer than the sight of booths that don’t quite make it to the end of the aisle.

But your part in it may have been a resounding success, and since you’ve honed your presentation to pick up x amount of keepers for y amount of passersby, you may be looking at other trade shows. These could be regional trade shows, national trade shows that have a fit with your industry, or you could be your own trade show.

Let’s say you market water filtration systems in several regions, and would like to in several more. You know people in rural areas have a time with “hard water,” and you see an opportunity to not only sell your existing dealers the latest models, but expand your dealer base because you have a superior product.

So you decide to launch your own personal trade show. This consists of you holding a meeting of some sort–lunch at the Spaghetti Factory, let’s say–for your dealers in the area, and any other dealer they can invite. This gives you an exclusive audience with the people that can do you the most good–the dealers that sell or can sell your product.

You will also engage the media, explaining why the product has had impact nationally, and why it’s of particular interest in the region you’re visiting. You want to arrange a press briefing or one-on-one at your best dealer’s showroom. Note that if you called up the paper Arizona from your home office, they wouldn’t talk to you, but they will if you are an industry leader visiting their town. If you pull this off, the dealer who’s getting the press only because you took the time to make the connection and include him will think you’re something of a hero.

No Competition

Sometimes, the press will skip the showroom–it’s not like “all news radio” is going to stop what they’re doing to see a water filtration system–but they’ll be happy to interview you over the phone about the reason for your visit to their town. I can‘t tell you how many local interviews I’ve done in my hotel room with my feet up on the bed. And you can still mention your local dealers.

The best aspect of this kind of trade show is that it’s all about you and your product–no competition, no drafty convention center, you control the agenda, the message and the audience. It will also be easier to quantify success, since you personally spoke to everyone who can help you out.