Business trade shows and events are critical turning points for any business. Not attending them or not being well-prepared could hinder your ability to acquire new clients and customers. They are a great way for new people to try your products/services and get to know other like-minded people in the industry.

Make a Good First Impression

Getting your stall prepared, nailing your setup, and knowing how to make your stall one of the most popular at the event are all things that can be quite complex, especially if you are new to trade shows.

Hence, you can use this guide as your 101 to nail your next event. From how to bring customers over to your show trade booth to how to prepare efficiently for your next business event, here’s more.

Get yourself prepared ahead of the event

When you know a trade show or event is approaching, never leave the preparation until the last minute. Not only will you need a stall and your employees, but you will need to prepare other things, including lanyards, PPE, and much more. What you need for your stall and particular trade show will depend on the industry and other factors – budget, what you already have, etc.

Therefore, using a well-established business to source your essentials is a good idea.

For example, a company like DynamicGift can help you source all sorts for your business event needs. Whether you need business cards or lanyards to verify who you are to potential clients or PPE for safety procedures, you will find everything you need for your next (and future) events.

Preparing ahead of the date will ensure that you have everything in place so that you are ready to set up and go on the day. If you leave anything until the last minute, you might not be able to source everything that you need or not be focused on the day.

Plan your booth months in advance

As well as planning your essentials, you will need to start with your booth. When you have finalized what you need for the booth, you can start sourcing the essentials.

Planning your booth months will help you know what you need to buy to get on with this task when the time is right.

Pre-planning your setup will also make setting up much easier when the big day arrives. You will know where everything needs to be positioned for maximum effect.

If you lack design knowledge or inspiration, it can benefit your success if you hire a booth designer. Nailing the booth design will encourage people to choose your booth over others nearby. Making your branding clear and ensuring that there is enough room at your booth for multiple people/groups to congregate will ensure nobody is left out.

Get on with the marketing before the event

Before the event, you should focus on getting some new marketing out there so that people know to expect you at the event. If you leave your name out of the marketing leading up to the trade show, you might lose out on potential customers. Marketing your brand and letting people know to expect you at the event will ensure they make time to come and chat with you at your booth.

Furthermore, you can hit the nail on the head with your next trade show if you nail the marketing for the day itself. Make sure to create posts signaling customers to your booth. Create QR codes and place them around the event venue that, when scanned, lead customers to a sign-up or information page, prompting them to engage in conversation with you. Plus, make your marketing and branding loud and proud so that out among the crowd. Using dull and lifeless colors will not persuade anyone to come over and chat with you.

Do plenty of research

Ahead of the trade show, your business should do plenty of research for – who is attending and the other businesses hosting.

First, knowing the type of people attending the event will help you nail the booth design and ensure you have the right essentials for your stand. If you discover children might attend with their parents, you could have a bowl of sweets or games to encourage them. Understanding who your audience will be can help you master the marketing efforts and increase your success.

Second, knowing who your competition will be is a great idea. Although you might have attended the trade show in the past, there might be new businesses there. They might know amazing marketing techniques to win customers over. You will be able to find this out if you know who they are and research their previous trade show booths. From the research, you will understand what measures you need to take so that your booth can stand out too.

Create a timeline

Every trade show will have its own schedule. However, you can create a separate one if you want to transform your booth throughout the day. You might want different things on display for certain times of the day.

For instance, you might have a ‘treats’ stand to entice people over. If the show starts in the morning and goes on to the evening, you will want to consider changing your treats to suit the time of day. You could offer croissants in the morning and canapes in the evening.

Or, you could use your timeline to ensure every employee gets to fulfil their dream responsibility for the day. You might have many people who want to be positioned at the front of the booth. Having too many people at the front of the booth wouldn’t look professional. Hence, your timeline could allow all employees to have their turn and make everyone satisfied on the trade show day.

Having a timeline finalized ahead of the event will ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible to optimize success.

How to increase your success at trade shows

Now, we will move on to how to increase your success at trade shows. Follow these tips to maximize your return on investment.

• Build a strong rapport with anyone and everyone. Building a strong rapport with the clients and customers at the trade show will do wonders for your success. The more personable and friendly you are, the more people will remember your business and want to invest. Simply greeting people, asking people their names, giving positive body language, and being interested are all simple methods that will prove to your customer you want to invest in them, so they will want to invest in you.
• Ensure a trained employee is manning the booth at all times. The booth should be manned at all times. Not just with a friend or family member, but someone that is well trained and able to speak to any customer about their questions and concerns. Having a trained employee manning the stand (even when it is quiet) will ensure that no customer goes unaccounted for.
• Follow up with people. After the show, you should never cut ties with people you have spoken to. Making an effort and following up with them will ensure they do not forget about you. After an attendee speaks to hundreds of different people, your business might slip their minds (even if they liked you). Hence, follow up with everyone, so they do not forget about you. Plus, you will be shocked at how many of their follow-ups convert into customers.
• Hand out marketing and promotional materials. Another great way to help attendees remember you after the show is to hand out marketing materials. Business cards, a promotional leaflet, a discount card, or anything with your branding on it will ensure they remember your business when they are back home or at work. Any small effort to ensure a customer remembers you will ensure to enhance your success. Handing marketing materials out to every passing customer, or the person who speaks to you will ensure that you maximize your chances of trade show success.

There are many ways to be well-prepared for trade shows and enhance success. However, the top tip is to be proactive and tick off as many of these tips as possible. The more tips you nail, your success and experience will be better.

Ahead of any show, it is always advised to do as much research as possible. Knowing who your audience will be and what other businesses you will be competing against will help you nail your booth design and marketing materials. You can go the extra mile with your setup and materials to make the most of the event and attempt to attain more success than your previous shows.

The more you and your team are motivated to achieve success at trade shows and events (and the more enthusiastic everyone is), the higher the chance of success. Ensure every employee is friendly, well-trained, and well-prepared on the day of the trade show to ensure every customer or client has been well looked after. Making a good first impression will go a long way for your business.