Trade Shows – It’s Your Party – Plan It Well

I once met a gentleman who was in charge of his company’s trade show exhibition. The company only exhibited at the one trade show per year and he was complaining on the last day of the show how horrible the show had been for them and that it was the organizer’s fault. I was quite surprised as our company had done very well at the show. The show-wide number of visitors had been higher than anticipated, so I did not understand why he did not do well. I started asking him some questions and the reasons became clear.

His company had failed to advertise or send out any pre-show mailers, e-mails, or contact potential customers in any way. They did not let their potential audience know they would be there. They were relying on individuals walking the show to come upon their booth and stop in. The booth itself did not prominently show the company’s name, nor was it obvious walking by what they were selling. Their sales force stood inside the booth talking with one another instead of standing by the aisles, speaking with visitors.

You would not throw a party and expect people to show up uninvited. If you did and someone came up to the party but was ignored by everyone at the party, they would most likely leave. Next time you plan for exhibiting at a trade show, make sure you go out of your way to invite everyone and anyone who might have an interest in your product. Display your company name in a highly visible place and make it obvious what your product is and why someone would want to purchase it. Before the show train your sales force to engage visitors as they walk by your booth. Plan your trade show presence as your would plan a party and you will be much more pleased with the results.

The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.