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| Exhibiting Tips |
When it comes to the trade show industry, there are ten very simple ways
to attract your target audiences' attention and get them to your booth.
And best of all, most of these opportunities are free of charge and included
in those massive Exhibitor Manuals that you haven't had time to read.
Most show management companies offer a variety of traffic-building programs
and services that are free of charge and really do drive people to your
booth. However, it never ceases to amaze me how many exhibitors don't
take advantage of these outstanding marketing tools.
So, for those people who don't have the time or inclination to peruse
their exhibitor manuals, and for those show management companies that
don't do a very good job of offering these services and/or telling their
exhibitors about them, here are ten simple steps to booth bliss.
1) VIP Passes Don't Stand For Very Iffy Proposition - Those free VIP
passes really work! You should be sending them to all of your current
customers and prospects at least once a few weeks before the show. Some
companies make two or three mailings. In addition, your sales force should
be handing them out during all of their calls. In fact, some companies
even feature the offer of obtaining free passes on their website.
I just finished reading about a marketing roundtable at a major trade
show with the marketing directors of several exhibitors from various
size companies in different market niches. The companies who were having
the best show and packing their booths with prospects had implemented
an aggressive VIP Pass marketing effort. The two companies that weren't
attracting as many prospects as they had hoped and they no idea free
VIP passes were available.
Check with show management. Some organizers will imprint your companies
name free of charge on the ticket and even mail them to your prospect
list and/or the pre-registration list. If the organizers aren't currently
offering these services, tell them their competition is and they should
get on the ball.
Think about it. If someone gives you a free pass to an event you want
to attend that will save you a few dollars and avoid the long registration
lines, wouldn't you be thankful? Maybe you would even stop by their booth,
especially if the VIP pass came with an offer to win something valuable
at the booth! The more incentives you give them to visit your booth,
the more likely they are to visit. Be creative!
It's free, it's effective and it works! Why wouldn't you take advantage
of it?
2) Free Web Links on the Show Website - Here's another freebie that is
a very effective marketing tool and great traffic generator. I've had
many exhibitors tell me that they receive tons of traffic to their website
from prospects that click through from the show website.
Isn't this what you spend a lot of your marketing dollars on - trying
to drive people to your website? Now that you've got all these hot prospects
clicking through to your site, what are you going to do with them? How
about offering them an incentive to visit your booth!
These incentives can range from a chance to win a free product, a free
trip, a free foot massage or just about anything else that peaks their
curiosity and drives them to your booth. Some show organizers even offer
you the opportunity to make your logo larger and/or stand out on their
website for a small fee. Be creative!
3) Pre-Show Publicity/Promotion - Since the vast majority of attendees
visit a trade show to see new products; wouldn't it make sense to promote
your new products as frequently as possible? There are several ways you
can promote your product in advance of the show, most of them free of
charge.
Of course, you can include info with the VIP passes mentioned previously
and you can feature them on your website. In addition, some shows publish
pre-show New Product Guides and many trade magazines also publish show
previews. Some shows also publish attendee newsletters prior to the event
that feature hot new products.
And guess what? Most of these opportunities are listed in your Exhibitor's
Manual and all of them are free! Be sure to take advantage of all these
opportunities because these are the sources many buyers use before coming
to the show.
4) Awards Competitions - Some magazines and associations conduct New
Product, technology or individual distinction award competitions that
are presented at the show. What can be a better way to attract your prospects'
attention than to have your product selected as one of the "best
in show?"
The answer of course to remind all of them about it is by getting the
word out through the first three methods mentioned earlier in this article.
Many of these competitions have a small entry fee but it is well worth
it if you win. Contact key trade magazines and associations several months
in advance of the show to determine if they are sponsoring competitions.
5) Media Meetings/Press Conferences - And speaking of contacting key
media, if you have an interesting new product, technology or corporate
news, be sure to contact the editors and try and arrange for a meeting
at your booth. Editors are always interested in hot new products but
here again; you need to contact them weeks in advance as their schedules
at the show fill up very quickly.
Not only will you have a good chance of getting post show coverage, you
may get mentioned in their pre show coverage as well. Show management
will have the official press list as well as the pre registration media
list they can send you.
If your new product or technology is truly a unique industry breakthrough,
you may want to schedule a Press Conference at the show. Show management
makes the Press Conference Room available free of charge, based on availability,
but you should only schedule a press conference if your news is truly
exciting to several editors. These editors are very busy and if it isn't
of great news value, they won't come. There's nothing more embarrassing
than being the only person at a press conference.
6) Put Your Press Kits In The Press Room - The editors may not come to
all the Press Conferences but they all come to the Press Room. They come
to the press room to review the press kits that are placed their by the
savvy exhibitors. The editors use this information when they write their
post show wrap-up reports.
If you aren't taking advantage of this excellent free publicity opportunity,
you have only yourself to blame. If you're not sure what goes into a
press kit, call the Show Management company or their PR firm and ask
them.
7) Talk To The Show Daily - Many shows have a Show Daily newspaper and
most Show Dailies are looking for news. Ask show management who is doing
the Show Daily (or look in your Exhibitor Manual).
Contact the editors several weeks in advance and pitch them on your product
or news. If the story is big enough, they may even be able to interview
your president or other representative for a feature story. A favorable
story in the Show Daily not only attracts people to your booth, it makes
for a great reprint to send to prospects after the show.
8) Do Fax And/Or E-Mail Blasts - The most effective method of communicating
with most people is to tell them once and then tell them again as frequently
as possible. And the most effective way of communicating with many people
these days is through e-mail and faxes.
In today's busy workplace everyone can use a reminder or two. Ask Show
Management if they can provide you with a list of people who pre-registered
for the show. Many shows will provide this with e-mail and /or fax numbers.
Just think about the last trade show you visited as an attendee. If you
received a reminder e-mail and/or fax with an interesting incentive for
visiting the booth wouldn't you be more inclined to do so?
9) Show Merchandising Opportunities - Show management usually offers
a variety of excellent opportunities to maximize your exposure to attendees
prior to the show and onsite. Ranging from banner ads on their websites
and ads in the Show Directory to banners and signs on the show floor,
there are a number of great ways to get attendees to your booth.
These merchandising opportunities do cost money but they range from getting
your company name put on the lanyards (those loops that go around your
neck to hold the show badges) to sponsoring different events that the
visitors attend. If you have the budget for extra promotion, it is something
you should definitely discuss with show management.
10) Trade Publication Advertising - Although trade publication advertising
costs money, it can be a very effective method of reaching your target
audience with highly targeted messages. Several of the trade magazines
and websites offer show specials that allow you advertise in these special
pre show issues for less than you would normally pay. Some of them also
publish the Show Daily and can give you a special rate for advertising
in both.
If you've got the budget, it's a great way to attract attention and drive
traffic. Ask show management what publications are publishing special
pre show issues - or look in your Exhibitors Manual.
I hope these ten tips have been valuable in helping you plan to maximize
your exposure at your upcoming trade shows. However, it is critical to
remember that you must have an incentive for attracting them to your
booth, an attractive booth to entice them in, and a sales strategy for
closing the deal once they are there.
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