April 24, 2023
Some companies think that just by turning up at a trade show they’ll gain hundreds of new customers. In reality, it takes a lot more work than this in order to be successful at a trade show. Here are just a few common trade show blunders to avoid.
There will be a lot of other companies at the trade show each competing for customers. Make sure to research into the other companies that will be attending – some of these companies could be similar to your own and therefore could be direct competition. Try to find what it is that separates you from these competitors and make this one of your main selling points.
If your booth is poorly designed it may fail to catch the attention of passers-by. Don’t just opt for a basic gazebo – consider alternative signage for displaying your brand on such as teardrop banners and balloons. By using professional events branding companies you can ensure that you get good quality signage.
If you’re not interacting with passers-by, you can’t expect them to be interested by your stall. Take the opportunity to host a talk or a demo – this will grab people’s attention. You could even allow these people to test out your product for themselves. Whatever you do, don’t just sit on you phone.
Giving people something physical to take away could help to provide a reminder that could result in these people become future customers. Business cards and flyers are a popular option that can be given out to passers-by. Design Wizard's Business Card Size Guide is a detailed guide on business card sizes. It includes detailed sections on business card orientation, overall business card shape and how to tone down business card colors. Alternatively, you can simply keep a stack of these on a table that passers-by can pick up. It’s also possible to hand out branded goodie bags with branded items in such as pens or yo-yos. You could even hand out limited edition vouchers for people to take home.
You should make it your mission to get people’s contact details – this could allow you to follow up on any conversations in which there was some interest. A great way to get people’s contact details is to host a competition. You can agree to share the results of the competition via email, which then requires them to give you their email address. Make sure to not add people to your email or SMS mailing list without their permission – when creating a form for a competition, you could include a tick box that allows people to opt into your mailing list.
