In our previous post we offered three tips to help your company identify which shows have the highest concentration of the target audience. Yet some companies still find they have more trade show options than they do budget. In this article, we will discuss three tips to further narrow down the options and finalize your trade show calendar.

•  Look for opportunities to extend visibility – Selecting events with pre-during-and-post show marketing opportunities will extend your visibility and presence beyond your both. Sponsorships provide branding and lead generation opportunities which can be tailored to fit almost any budget.
• Select show and venues with lead retrieval services – If you do not have your own lead retrieval devices, make sure the event offers options for lead capture. Published reports show that up to 70% of sales leads captured at an event are not followed up on by a sales person. This is mainly due to an ineffective lead management process, before, during and after the event.  An automated lead retrieval system will enable you calculate ROI for the event, update your CRM system, and most importantly, close more sales.

In order to maximize trade show success, every element of trade show marketing requires a strategic approach. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you design and execute a successful meeting, contact Barbara Stroup BStroup@cepiexpo.com

Trade show success begins by picking the right show to attend.  The right show will have you face to face with motivated and qualified buyers. Picking the wrong show will result in wasted time, money and effort with very little to show for it. How can you decide which show is right for you?

In a previous post, we identified three strategies exhibitors can use to determine which shows to include in their trade show calendar. Creating profiles of product buyers and decision makers, consulting trade show industry listings and studying your competition can help you narrow down your trade show options and prioritize your efforts.

The timing and location of the event can also help guide your show selection:

• Use show timing to narrow down your options – If your product is affected by seasonality or other purchasing patterns, you can narrow show dates to those most closely aligned with your sales cycle. You can also align your trade show calendar to coincide with new product launches, product improvements or other newsworthy developments
•  Consider regional vs. national shows.   If your product as a regional or location-specific target, keep in mind that as a general rule of thumb, an estimated 40-60% of attendees come from a 200-mile radius of the show location. Regional or local shows are considerably less expensive and visibility is much higher. Competition is often intense at large national shows. On the other hand, some of our clients have found that regional shows give them the opportunity to be the only exhibitor representing their field.

In order to maximize trade show success, every element of trade show marketing requires a strategic approach. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you design and execute a successful meeting, contact Barbara Stroup BStroup@cepiexpo.com