Trade shows are a wonderful event for small businesses to take themselves along to, to showcase their products and services in real time, with all the charisma and upbeat energy you would need to keep someone interested in your pitch. It’s something a website description often can’t do, so you won’t want to miss out on booking your company a booth!
However, you can’t turn up and simply expect the other visitors to come to you. No, instead, you’re going to need to try and make the best impression possible. You need to have the right representatives with you, the best and brightest of the products you’ve innovated, some free merchandise or some activities for people to take part in, and overall, you need to remain interesting the entire time you’re there! So with all that in mind, let’s think about how you can show that you’re the best of the best when it comes to your sector.
Have a Custom Display.
Custom displays are a lot more interesting, and a lot more fun, to look at than a simple backdrop the convention itself has provided to you. After all, the more eye catching and colorful your display is, the more attention it’s going to naturally draw, and that is a passive marketing tool you need on your side! Contact a company a few months before the show is set to go ahead, to make sure your display is made and delivered in plenty of time.
And a custom display could be anything: A shambling cityscape that highlights the need for your product. A field that overlooks the sun going down which makes sure you’ve got the bright energy you need already inherent in your booth. Or it could be a black hole that literally sucks visitors in, with your staff representatives wearing neon bracelets and necklaces to really set up the feeling of space a customer or investor is free to explore.
You could even go outside the box, and have an entire experience for your guests to walk through before they get to you, with plenty of testimonials and application examples to look upon along the way! As long as you’ve got an idea for being the most attention worthy booth out there, you can have it designed for you.
Coach Your Representatives.
Sure, you’ve picked the most high energy and charismatic people to represent your company to go along to the show, but have you given them a script to work off of? Yes, they’re going to be able to improvise on the spot, with all the smiles and jokes they could ever really need to humour the person on the other side of the booth, but they’re going to need some crucial information to pass along to the masses as well.
You need to come up with an elevator pitch – something that grabs a person’s attention as soon as they turn to look at you, and doesn’t last for more than a minute or two. You don’t want the listeners you’ve managed to reel in to get bored of the drawl you can’t stop spinning, and the less cohesive your speech seems, the less cohesive of a company you come across as.
Always Look Cohesive.
Speaking of being cohesive, not only do you need to sound clear and concise about why a market needs you and your product or service, but you need to look cohesive as well. The staff you’ve got out there to entertain the masses need to have something in common with the display you’ve set up, but they need be dressed in the culture and colors of your company as well.
In order to make sure of this, you’re going to want to get some new uniforms made, with all the right accessories to go with it. You’re going to want shirts, belts, lanyards, hats, headsets and earphones, ID cards etc., to make sure your representatives are always dressed in the culture you’re trying to get the market interested in. They’re going to be seen all over the trade show floor, and you never want them to be caught off guard by someone who might question the need for your products!
Trade shows are very important events in the business world, and you’re going to want to go along to at least one in your lifetime. These are the places you can really show off your company to like-minded people, and get a proper scope on the market around you.
