So, you’ve got a trade show exhibition coming up?
We all know how exhibiting at a trade show requires a lot of planning and better execution skills. And that’s why, we have got you covered with all the aspects that will ultimately help your brand to stand out at the trade show.
Let’s get started.
9 Essential Steps to Plan Your Next Trade Show ExhibitionÂ
1. Define Clear Goals
The first important thing you should ask yourself while exhibiting at a trade show is:
- What are your objectives for participating in the trade show?
- How is your participation going to benefit your organization?
- Are you looking for lead generation?
- Are you going to be there to make connections?
One possible reason could be that you are participating just because your competitors are participating. But that shouldn’t be the case, you need to finalize your goals first to proceed with the further steps.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
Now that you have identified your objectives, you need a thorough understanding of what kind of audience you want to interact with.
Once you have a better idea about the visitors you have to check if they align with the objectives you have set.
You can check if visitors are matching with your target audience by seeing their age, gender, occupation, and location according to your company’s offerings.
3. Plan Your Budget Thoroughly
When exhibiting at a trade show, budget plays an important role. You can assess your budget by identifying essential expenses and areas for optimization. Having a budget helps you ensure fiscal discipline throughout your executions.
However, keep in mind that there can be some unexpected factors that can take place during the trade show so have some free hand in your budget planning.
4. Secure Your Booth Space Early
Since you are aware of how much you will spend on the booth space, it is advisable to book it prior to the event because initially, you might get a better space for the same amount. If you keep delaying, you might have to sacrifice your choices to stick to your budget.
And who are we kidding?
We all know that there are limited booth areas for visitors’ attraction and higher competition, so keep yourself ahead of others.
5. Design Your Booth Strategically
Every exhibitor wants their booths to look appealing to the audience, right? Because if they are not appealing, they can’t bring you visitors, and if there are fewer visitors, what about ROI?
Designing your exhibit booth strategically helps you attract visitors and communicate your brand message effectively to complement your offerings and persuade visitors.
For example, if you are exhibiting in Las Vegas, your outsourced exhibit booth designing agency should be able to arrange the logistics within Las Vegas to maintain the costs and any last-minute changes.
6. Train Your Booth Staff Effectively
You can only be impactful if you train your staff to be engaging and communicative. And that, too, you cannot do that at the last minute.
To leave a lasting impression in the minds of visitors, there has to be effectiveness from your team. A well-trained team is a crucial part of your exhibition since people connect more with people irrespective of the company’s offerings.
Your team should not only understand your offerings but also need to be acquainted with your audience, their preferences, and expectations, which will eventually enable better connections.
7. Deliver a Compelling Message
Delivering a compelling message that aligns with your offerings at the trade show is extremely important to create buzz and persuade potential customers to engage, ultimately driving sales and business growth.
Emotions are more powerful than products and services, so focus more on delivering a message that can connect with your audience instantly.
8. Develop a Strong Marketing Plan
Now is the time to create an exceptional marketing plan to help your organization bring footfall to your booth during the trade show.
You need to do social media, email marketing, and other engagement strategies based on your industry, to gain potential customers during the trade show.
For example, if your company deals in the B2B healthcare sector, it’s recommended to market your exhibition at local hospitals too.
9. Follow Up on Leads Promptly
Who doesn’t want their potential leads to turn into actual customers? To do so, it is necessary that after the trade show, you follow up with the people who visited your booth and remind them about your brand again and again in an interesting way.
But make sure you nurture them and not spam them. Aggressive and boring follow-ups would likely snatch away your leads.
It’s recommended to follow up instantly within two to three days. The more you delay, the more likely that your competitors will take over.
Planning Your Trade Show is Not Enough, Execution is
We hope this guide has helped you with the initial steps of planning a trade show exhibition. But as they say, it’s all in the execution so, no matter how amazing your plan is, your execution needs to be solid.
For that, make sure you have a well-defined team who can turn your trade show planning into reality, and if you have outsourced any part of your execution such as booth rentals, make sure you’ve got the right one.
