Exhibiting At Tradeshows and Expos - Meeting Re-Cap

After receiving feedback from BRN members who either attended or exhibited at the Chocolate, Blues and Business networking event recently in Indianapolis, our meeting this week (April 7th & 8th) focused on exhibiting at tradeshows and events.

We shared our observations about the Chocolate, Blues & Business event as well as other trade shows and events where we have an opportunity to either participate as an attendee or exhibitor.

We looked at the key reasons for participating as an exhibitor which include

• Generating sales leads


• Generating actual sales at the show


• Enhancing your image and visibility


• Reaching a specific audience


• Establishing a presence in the marketplace


• Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your marketing efforts


• Personally meet your customers, competitors and suppliers


• Prospecting for new customers


• Introducing new products and services


• Demonstrating your product in ways not possible using other marketing channels


• Recruiting distributors, dealers, employees


• Educating your target audience

Feeling Constrained? Know the Target Audience
Members who participate as exhibitors often feel restricted when events primarily draw other businesses who are trying to sell products and services. At an event such as Chocolate, Blues & Business or a Chamber of Commerce event where it's primarily members only, there's not a real opportunity for most businesses to generate sales. In this type of setting, it's mostly businesses all trying to sell to each other. Does it make sense to spend money to exhibit at these types of events? If your goal is to actually generate sales...probably not. And if your goal is to get other businesses to learn more about your business so they can refer you to their personal network, it might not be such a great idea to exhibit either. Why? Because if everyone is stuck behind a table, how are they going to be able to network with other businesses who are...stuck behind a table. There needs to be a networking element where people can freely mingle. Or, you need someone else to occupy your table or booth while you roam around.

Is Public Invited?
Our consensus as a group is that you need to have the public involved. Consumers need to attend these types of events, not just other businesses. If you are a B2B business, then it may be worth it to exhibit. But why not just participate as an attendee and talk to other businesses who choose to exhibit -- and network with other attendees. If you are B2C, then you may have a little better chance of generating leads since everyone who is attending and exhibiting is a consumer. Besides, it's a lot less costly and certainly not as time consuming.

Qualifying Sales Leads
Another issue we discussed was how to generate qualified leads. One way is to use a questionnaire style entry form instead of a business card drawing. Have people fill out a form and indicate which products or services they'd be interested in learning more about. There are other things you can do with this form to be effective at grading and qualifying your leads. To learn more, join BRN and we'd be happy to share those tips.

Ask for Audited Attendance Data
If a show touts attendance of 3,000 people -- ask them for proof. Any legitimate organization that puts on trade shows should have attendance and registration records. Ask if attendance includes exhibitors and attendees. If you participate, ask the organization for a list of attendees and a head count on registration from the most recent shows going back 2-3 years if available. And if you pay to exhibit, ask for a complete list of attendees with contact information.

Discounted Space
When you participate in a tradeshow or expo, you should be rewarded by registering early and referring others to participate. Most shows will offer early registration specials. Costs will usually increase closer to the show date. If an organization starts discounting or giving away exhibition space close to the show, it's usually because they are scrambling to fill space. If you find out that they are heavily discounting space or giving it away...ask for the same discount. And if you aren't satisfied with the attendance, ask for a refund - especially if you exhibited because the organization advertised an attendance number.

Ongoing Trade Show Dialogue
We all agreed to do due diligence on upcoming opportunities to exhibit our businesses and participate as a group if there is a perceived benefit. Part of our goal in BRN is to educated and assist other members in making wise business decisions.

Your Input
If you have trade show exhibiting experience, tell us about it. Give us your success stories and well as horror stories. If you have tips and tricks for being a successful exhibitor, let us know.