Trade shows are an excellent opportunity for business promotion and growth. The trade show preparation process might seem overwhelming, but with a bit of organization and creativity, it doesn’t need to be!

Strategic planning helps secure a smooth experience and save your business money, resources, and time. Continue reading to learn more.

Set a Budget

Determining a trade show budget should always be step one. Identifying a spending limit for months (or even years) ahead of time will help determine how many shows your bottom line can handle. Carefully factor in event space, travel accommodations, and marketing costs in your strategy.

Determine Goals

Lock down the goals you’d like to accomplish for each trade show you plan to attend. Some goals you may want to consider include lead generation, brand awareness, and sales.

Marketing

A solid marketing strategy will attract specific trade show attendees. Which products or services will you feature? Once you determine that, you can assign special offers to stick out among competitors.

Create an Impactful Trade Show Display

Trade shows feature dozens of businesses with booths like yours–all intending to connect with potential customers.  Planning an effective trade show display with a wow factor, like an interactive quiz or game, is a simple solution to spotlight your brand and draw foot traffic to your booth throughout the day.

Focused Design

Don’t let your business’s message get lost in a cluttered display. Your display should be a welcoming home base for your staff to chat with potential customers. Hang a brightly colored spring event banner with a spacious, simplified text alignment. You don’t want to overwhelm your guests.

Location

The materials you choose should be determined by whether the trade show is held indoors or outdoors. If you’re attending outdoor shows, your display materials will need to hold firm in the sun, wind, and rain.

Placement

The aesthetic is important, but ensuring information is easily accessible to guests is a must! Your logo and any important graphics should be placed at eye level so potential customers can identify your brand right away. Facetime Business Resources offers solutions for both, and our excellent designers will work with you to create something truly unique for your company.

Maximize your Trade Show Experience

Staff Your Booth

There should always be at least one representative of your brand at the booth. Design and order customized lanyards, complete with your business name and colors, so your team is easily identified by booth visitors.

Have a conversation before the show about best practices for engaging with customers. Visitors don’t like feeling overwhelmed by pushy or distracted representatives. Topics to cover should include welcoming guests, friendly body language, and helpful information about your company’s services.

Informational Literature

Promotional literature is a classic trade booth feature. Have a fully stocked supply of eye-catching brochures, fliers, pricing information, and business cards up for grabs.

Contests

Allocate a portion of your budget for exciting giveaways to draw traffic and spread the word among trade show attendees. If your goal is to generate leads, offering a type of contest will encourage visitors to provide their contact information.

Promotional Items

Placing promotional items with your business logo or name around your booth encourages guests to naturally move around your booth and check things out. Even with a limited budget, cost-effective promo giveaways provide long-lasting brand promotion. Customize your business name, logos, and colors on items like tote bags, stress balls, pens, and smart wallets.

Post Trade Show

Planning and executing a trade show is exhausting work, but don’t allow yourself to become complacent after the show.

Team Debrief

Nail down a prompt debriefing process for use after the trade show. Keep detailed notes throughout the trade show preparation phase and the show itself to keep track of your progress. Schedule a post-show team meeting to discuss what went well and identify areas of improvement for future shows.

Follow Up on Leads

Review new business leads and immediately build relationships. Determine which leads are legitimate, input them into your customer relationship management (CRM) system and distribute them to your sales team. Follow up with new leads as soon as possible– preferably in the first 48 hours, while your business is fresh in their minds.

Plan Your Spring Trade Show with Facetime Business Resources

Facetime Business Resources strives to provide customizable, affordable products and printing to ensure your business stands out among the competition. Our expert designers work directly with you to bring your vision to life! Reach out today to discuss your trade show needs.