Category Archives: Trade Show Tips

• Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

  Five Reasons Why the Solo Trade Show Is a Bad Idea

  There is a certain kind of person who we might call “self sufficient.” You may know someone like this. You may even be such a person. These are often the people most likely to become entrepreneurs. They look at big company structures and wonder how anything ever gets done. When they come to a business fork in the road, they ask themselves, “How much time and effort would it take me to learn how do this?” instead of seeking outside assistance. With technology, being self-sufficient is getting easier all the time. You may have even figured out how to be fully self sufficient in business. But, whether you’re a sole proprietor or the marketing arm of a company, the one man or one woman trade …

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• Friday, January 4th, 2013

  Dealing with the Competition at Trade Shows

  A recurring feature of trade show life is figuring out how to deal with the competition that you are bound to run into. I mean there they are, the Uniblab Corp. with their $35,000 Skyline booth, a large plastic blinking blimp that’s floating majestically over the hall, and a booth staff that resembles the cast of 30 Rock. My first instinct is I want to learn as much about them as I can–some information is always better than no information. I want to see their booth promo in action, and even put in an entry for that new Mini Cooper they’re giving away. Wouldn’t that be sweet? Of course, they may already know you from appearances on panels and other industry events, so in this …

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• Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013

  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 …

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• Monday, December 24th, 2012

  “Realville” Tips for Trade Shows

  Although trade show attendees spend a lot time and effort focusing on preparations for the booth and activities in the hall, the fact of the matter is most savvy trade show veterans will spend as little time in the hall as possible, save for checking in to see that the booth has been put together properly and the booth staff are at their assigned stations. It’s also a good idea to do a walk around of the floor to buttonhole old acquaintances and check out the new competition in town. However, after that, many trade show attendees will consider the city their trade show. So, in addition to knowing everything about the state if the industry and what’s happening on the floor, it’s also imperative …

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• Saturday, December 15th, 2012

  8 Great Tips for Trade Show Attendees

  Attending a trade show doesn’t automatically mean you’ll need to be an exhibitor. It may be that it’s a new show, and you or your company want to check it out to see if it’s worthy of your participation. Or, it may be a show outside your normal area, but you have clients in this industry and this is a good place to catch up with them and find out why they’re at this show. Here are a few tips to make your trip a success. You might want to schedule a “fly by,” where you fly into town in the morning, do the show, and fly out at the end of the day. Obviously, since you’re only going to be on the ground for …

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• Friday, December 14th, 2012

  10 Tips for Marketing Freelancers

  Freelancing is like a playground see-saw. It has its ups and downs and requires a measure of balance to succeed. If you are a freelancer, friends will envy your independence and freedom, but they won’t realize that they come at a cost. Here are some observations for new-bies or concepts for those who’ve had a taste of the freelance life. Find your market and work it best as possible. Think of the market as a series of concentric rings. Let’s say your expertise is marketing autos–that’s the bullseye or “target market.” Even if you’ve found ample work in the target market, you’ll need to stretch yourself outside your comfort zone to develop a more diversified portfolio. Even though your clients like your work, you are …

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• Sunday, December 2nd, 2012

  The Social Side of Trade Shows

  Let’s say it’s the end of the first day of the trade show, and The Booth Gang has put in an eight to ten hour day, coming off jet lag from the night before. It’s about six and the hall is clearing out. What to do now? Most likely, The Gang will head over to the bar and unwind with a few drinks, and then someone will suggest dinner, and you’re all off in a cab to someplace, and that’s OK. Dinner can be a debrief of the day, and a good day in the booth might be worthy of a celebration and a genuine bonding experience among the staff. But it might not be the optimal use of The Gang’s time. After all, you’re …

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• Thursday, November 29th, 2012

  10 Timely Tips for a Successful Trade Show

  Whether you’re a newbie or a trade show veteran, it’s hard to think of everything when preparing to go to a major trade show. At times like these, it’s best to have a master list of things to be checked off and hopefully no longer worried about. Whether you’re the supervisor, a solo, or a marketing department manager, you’re likely to run up against some form of trade show management. Here are some tips to make the task easier:   1. Make a complete to-do list–your “battle plan.” Break it down into distinct categories such as booth, staff, or demo.   2. Become buddies with the event organizer. A no brainer. The organizer knows everything about the show from the number of participants to the size …

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• Thursday, November 8th, 2012

  Trade Show Boot Camp

  Trade shows can be profitable, educational and entertaining, but trade show survival is vastly different than your routine around the office. Here are some tips to make the trade show experience valuable and pain-free as possible. Prepare as much as you can before you leave for the show. Have your talking points and schedule laid out for you to reduce hassles. Prepare the one “engaging” question for your booth attendees. “Are you enjoying the show?” is OK, but trite. “Have you seen our latest promotion?” is better. Leave your new shoes at home. Ah, but you bought new shoes for the show. Leave them. Most large trade shows are housed in convention centers or other airplane hangers where you can expect to be walking on …

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• Saturday, November 3rd, 2012

  A 6 Pack of Ideas to Make Sure You’re Popular at the Trade Show

  Business people have such wildly differing views of what their attendance at the trade show is meant to accomplish that it’s useful to take a fresh look at what attendees can hope to accomplish and how to achieve it. If you were to make a checklist of the goals of the trade show, it might look like this. 1)  Face-to-face meetings with companies we’re doing business with to get signed deals, or deals that can be finalized and signed shortly after the show. 2) Find out what the competition is up to by talking to your customers or to the competition itself. Don’t make this look like an inquisition, competitors are always talking and can gain valuable information from each other, as long as you …

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