In our previous post, we discussed how many people should a company use to staff its trade show booth. However bringing the right number of people is only the beginning. In order meet your trade shows goals, event staff must be properly prepared.

According to industry statistics only 10% of exhibitors conduct training before all their events and only 26% hold training sessions before most events. This despite the fact that depending on the size of the show, anywhere from hundreds to potentially thousands of buyers will come streaming past your booth. It would be easy for unprepared booth staff to become overwhelmed by the crowds and by the presence of so many competitors vying for attendee attention.

The information you present during training is dependent upon many factors, including the experience level of the team staffing the exhibit, the size of the staff and their knowledge of the rest of the team’s areas of expertise, the staff’s availability for extended training before the show, the scope of products being shown and the staff’s familiarity with them, the size and complexity of the exhibit, and the promotional program planned for each show.

In our next post, we will discuss pre-show staff training in more detail. If you would like help preparing for an upcoming trade show, contact us today for a custom consultation.

In our previous post, we provided some tips on deciding where to place your booth. In this post we’ll discuss some booth locations you may want to avoid.

• You’ll want to consider where your booth lies in relation to various show-floor obstacles. The worst are the huge weight-bearing columns or fire apparatus (sometimes noted on floor plans as FA or FHC, which stands for fire-hose cabinet) – especially if they’re next to your exhibit space. These obstacles can restrict your exhibit layout, since their setback regulations may require you to leave clear a specified number of feet around them. At network-heavy shows, you may also see the term PED on a floor plan, which is a restricted area where network cabling is connected to computer hardware in large racks.
• Other less desirable locations include the end of dead-end aisles, smaller or remote show halls, or spaces behind enormous exhibits whose traffic patterns or attractions draw attendees away from your exhibit.
• Even some high traffic locations can have their own problems. Depending on the layout of the hall, be careful about placing your booth too close to stairs, elevators, escalators, restaurants, and restrooms. If your booth is too close to these areas, attendees may be preoccupied with where they are going next and be too distracted to notice your booth. Booths near concession stands can easily become blocked as people linger, eating and chatting with friends and colleagues.
• Also keep in mind that choosing a booth space located immediately in front of a hall’s freight doors means you’ll be the absolute last person allowed to install your exhibit, and you’ll be expected to tear down immediately at show close.

For more help with your exhibiting logistics, contact Barbara Stroup for a custom consultation.

The first question to ask is the most basic but the most essential to your trade show success: Why are you exhibiting? Knowing the answer to that question is the key to whether your next trade show will meet with frustration or success.

While most exhibitors are looking to generate leads and build awareness of their brand or products, many also exhibit to build relationships or introduce new products. It is vital to know exactly what you need to get out of each show because it is the starting point for so many other decisions you will have to make before the event. Your exhibit strategy lays the foundation for the shows you pick, the people you send and the booth you use. 

Once you know the reason you are exhibiting, you can now set goals and budget based on that/those objective(s).  For example, if you decide your objective is to generate leads, you can calculate how many leads you need in order to justify participating in the show. The number of leads you want to generate will impact where your booth should be placed, but also what your message and offer need to be as well as how many staffers you need to work the show. The number of staffers will impact what size booth you need. All these decisions are become easier to make once you establish what your reasons are for exhibiting in the first place.

If you find these decisions overwhelming, don’t worry. You are not alone. Our ExpoPlus team of event managers is standing by to support you every step of the way from pre-show planning to post-show wrap up and evaluation. Contact us for a free, custom consultation.

In previous posts, we have discussed booth staff training. Today’s post will address the key question:  how many people are needed to staff the booth?

Booth size is a key variable to consider. Rules of thumb say the formula for staffing a booth is one person per 50 square feet of space, plus perhaps an extra person for the peak times of the day.  Another factor to consider:  will you be doing product demonstrations in your booth?  If so, be sure you have adequate staff to handle the demos as well as engaging with other attendees at the same time.

Your booth should be staffed with the most enthusiastic and articulate representatives of your company. We recommend sending a mix of leadership, salespeople and marketing people.  Your booth staff should mirror likely visitors so that there is someone on staff who can relate to your visitor’s role within his or her company.  Have a subject matter expert on hand for a variety of topics that may come up with attendees.

In our next post we will discuss how to establish exhibiting goals for your team. If you would like more suggestions on improving your trade show ROI, contact Barbara Stroup for a customized consultation.

Having the right people staff the booth will make a huge difference in how many leads and sales you capture at your booth. However, just being a great salesperson is not enough to win over potential customers. What else is needed?

A recent post in the Etouches blog covers 10 common mistakes booth staffers make that can cause you to lose sales. Be sure to review the list with your event staff before your next show.

Exhibiting at a trade show is an excellent way to reach a large number of potential new customers and to strengthen relationships with existing customers.  It’s also one of the largest investments a company makes.  By establishing goals and employing certain tactics to reach these goals, the investment you make in exhibiting at a trade show can yield remarkable results.  It all begins with detailed planning.

A recent CEIR study shows that shopping is one of the primary reasons for attendees to attend a trade show to prepare them for decision making and purchasing goals.  The study entitled Attendee Preferences by Job Title is an outgrowth of the “What Attendees Want from Trade Exhibitions” study done a decade ago. It examines how executives want to experience exhibitions and what motivates them to visit an exhibitor’s booth.

CEIR divided potential attendees into four groups: executives, upper management, middle management and lower management/staff. All replies were rated on a scale of 1-7, with seven the most important factor. When asked to rank 22 possible reasons to attend, all four groups expressed the same top three reasons: to shop, buy and learn, with varying levels of importance based on their position.

Where else other than a trade show can you be face-to-face with so many decision makers in one place?  Effective pre-event marketing can serve to get as many of those key customers in front of you as possible.  The key here is to know your market.  Who are you trying to reach and how is your message aligned with your corporate marketing objective and your attendees needs and goals?

In our next post, we will offer suggestions on structuring a marketing plan that will yield results.  We invite you to join in and follow the discussion.

ExpoPlus is delighted to have been chosen once again as the General Service Contractor for the 2014 Georgia Emergency Management Summit. The Summit helps member agencies, emergency managers and first responders protect the lives and property of Georgia residents in the event of a disaster.