10 Tips for Succeeding at Trade Shows
Trade shows are a great way to spread your business name to hundreds or thousands of people in your industry. They’re an opportunity to see old customers, meet new ones, and market your product and business. If you’ve never attended or exhibited at a trade show, give it a try. Send someone to attend the show and see what types of businesses are represented there. This will help you find a trade show that’s right for you and your business. Bring along business cards and catalogs.
We’ve been exhibiting at trade shows for about 20 years. The trade show industry has changed, and as our industry has grown, new shows have popped up. When we first began, we exhibited at one show here in North Carolina. From there, we added on the major trade show in Ohio. While Ohio is still our largest trade show, we now exhibit at 20-30 per year.
As a result, we’ve been developing our booth and how to market our business for 20 years. Our experience has taught us a few things about how to succeed at a trade show. If you’re just starting out, consider these ten tips to improve your trade show game from the beginning.
Make your booth attractive with minimalism.
At any given trade show, attendees have seen 25-205 booths by the time they see yours. Less is more. We’ve loved a simple layout with pops of color around where you want potential customers to focus. They will stand in front of your booth longer because of the visual ease, giving you an opportunity to get to know them.
Be careful to avoid the extreme version of this; a trade show booth needs more than a single sheet of paper. Be intentional about each item in your booth, ensuring that it looks nice and promotes your business in a unique way.
Give something away.
A small giveaway item on the table is a great way to make it look attractive. Candy is a great, cheap go-to. We’ve also had success with logo pens. These are a great way to keep your company name on someone’s desk for a long time if you bring pens that are comfortable and write well. Include a contact phone number or website address on the pen as well so it’s easy for a customer to be reminded of your company and immediately reach out.
Bring your product to trade shows.
You want your table to clearly represent what your company does or offers via a simple visual cue. Since we sell plants and greenhouse supplies, we bring plants and greenhouse supplies. We bring a small representation of each category of product we offer. For us, this means bringing along starter plants, pots, and Ellepot trays. Many people who don’t need plants from us end up purchasing Ellepot trays. They approached our booth because we had a product they needed on display.
Don’t bring a product you don’t sell or an out-of-season product.
While it seems like it should be obvious that you shouldn’t display a product you don’t sell, we’ve had two failed experiences with bringing a tissue culture display and a finished plant.
We brought the tissue culture display to show how we keep our stock clean, but it confused people who thought we sold tissue culture or offered a tissue culture service. When we brought potted plants to show how beautiful our starter plants can be when they’re potted up, people were confused and thought we sold the final product.
Stick to displaying the product you sell. Keep demonstrations and explanations for your handouts and conversations.
It’s also important to display products that are readily available rather than ones that aren’t in season. While this issue is unique to our industry, keep in mind that you’ll want to showcase the best of the best. One year, we tried to bring our beautiful petunias to a summer trade show. Petunias hate the heat, and it was very difficult to grow a decent-looking petunia to display as a way to represent our company.
Simply grow what is in season and offer clear, quality handouts about your other products and services. Whatever you put in your booth will represent the quality of the product you provide.
Have quality handouts of information about your company.
Quality pamphlets, catalogs, business cards, and other informational handouts are absolutely essential to a successful trade show booth. Attendees don’t have a long time to stand at your booth getting all their questions answered; they have a lot to see! But a simple, clear, well-designed, informative pamphlet gives people the opportunity to revisit your business as they sort through their bag of SWAG after the trade show.
Use minimalism in your pamphlet design in the same way as your booth design and employ an expert if you don’t have an in-company graphic designer. Make sure the information in your handouts is clear, grammatically correct, and free of typos. Be thorough, and include your contact information and website. Think of this as a way to make your company stand out and communicate what you have to offer to potential customers.
Avoid playing a looping video at trade shows.
About a decade ago, we had a looping video in our booth about our clean stock program. We still hear “the giant sucking sound” from that video in our sleep. The trouble with a looping video is that people don’t actually want to watch it, so it’s a distraction instead of an aid.
Instead of playing a video on a loop, use the script you’d use for that video and cover those points with each customer who’s interested. Have a video available to show on a device about the process or topic and share it with just those who want to see it.
Avoid activities that require extensive participation, but implement simple activities.
If you want to have an activity in your booth, keep it simple.
One year, we planned an elaborate game for people to participate in to win a $100 gift card. The game required people to take a selfie with one of our staff members, each of whom was wearing a shirt with the prize announced on the back, then post that selfie on social media and tag us in it to be entered to win the prize. Our goal was to get word of mouth by showing up on potential customers’ social media, but no one participated because the process to enter was too complicated.
An activity where someone can win a prize is a great way to make your booth attractive, but make it easy to participate. Use a prize wheel, ask people to sign up for an email list, or invite people to guess in a counting contest where they put their guess on the back of their business card. (Now you have their contact info.)
Make your booth set-up easy on your team.
Instead of using bulky displays with lots of lights and furniture, use display items that are easy to transport and set up. You’ll have much more fun at trade shows if your display will fit in one wagon load and take only a small amount of time to set up.
Try using a retractable banner. It functions as a large display for business information, but folds down to fit in a 2.5-foot by 5-inch case that can be easily slung over your shoulder.
Be neat and organized with your handout material, giveaways, and display items.
Use tall chairs.
While you’ll want the option to sit down during a long tradeshow day, you will be more approachable at eye level. Have the best of both worlds by bringing along counter height chairs. Using a bulky piece of furniture like a couch is more difficult to set up and puts you below eye level, which is less inviting for people to approach. A tall folding chair is just about as easy to carry in as a shorter one.
Be clear, concise, and friendly.
The most important thing you’re aiming to do at a trade show is establish connections with potential customers. It’s key to give them clear, useful information and to communicate about your business concisely. Having a simple display works really well if it is run by friendly, knowledgeable people who are interested in providing excellent customer service from the very first point of contact.
Enjoy your trade show experience! We’ll be at Cultivate ’21 next week! Hope to see you there!
