Sep 23, 2014
Industry Insights
Do I Stick With My Existing Trade Show Company Or Switch?
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Trade shows are a fantastic way to get in front of your customers. They allow you to see their faces, read their reactions, tell them about your products or services personally, and beyond anything, they give you a chance to plant yourself in their mind.
These events also tend to be huge undertakings. They can require a massive amount of planning, and if your trade show company misses a step in the planning process, you could end up paying for it big time. As discussed by a recent Forbes article, there are some commandments that can help you make sure that you’re running a successful event, but if you’re not sure where to start, a trade show planning company can help you along this journey.
Here are some tips to determine if your current trade show company is providing a successful execution:
Meetings.
Yes, you’re welcoming anyone and everyone to come up to you at your booth to learn more about you, but meetings are very important at trade shows. Follow up on leads from past events at least six weeks prior to the next event, and start scheduling meetings to swing by your booth. No designated meeting area for appointments? This is a direct indication it may be time to switch to a new trade show company. Holding a conversation with a prospect in the middle of a busy booth may prove to be next to impossible. If you’re not making contact with the people you encountered at prior events, you might need to start looking for new trade show planning companies that can help you achieve positive results that are memorable for your audience and keep key clientele coming back.
Attention.
You might have the best, most amazing product or service in the world, but if you’re not getting anyone to pay attention to you at a trade show event, it’s all for nothing. After all, the purpose of being in front of an audience revolves around getting to know them (and getting them to know you). If your vendor space isn’t attention-grabbing, driving in foot traffic or causing interactions, you’re wasting your time and money. A guaranteed high traffic spot may not always be achievable but a quality trade show company should have number of tactics to supplement these shortcomings.
Actual Results.
Trade show planning companies should be given an idea of what you’re trying to achieve in the end, so make sure that you have defined your goals and provided them to the planning company you’ve chosen to work with. When the event is over, you should be able to measure actual results against your goals. Were you able to obtain enough qualified leads? How many leads were converted into customers? Did you distribute surveys that could help you improve your booth for future events? You should be able to assess actual results thoroughly.
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