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Planning/People/Promotion/Productivity Tips |
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TRADE SHOW PLANNING Laying the groundwork, organizing your show logistics, focusing on the purpose and positioning of your marketing efforts.
TRADE SHOW PEOPLE SKILLS Developing certain skills in your people that are critical to their effectiveness and overall success.
TRADE SHOW PROMOTION Developing promotional opportunities to attract business and communicate a consistent message in line with your image in the marketplace.
TRADE SHOW PRODUCTIVITY Setting up appropriate after-show follow-up to ensure productive results and benchmarks to evaluate and self-diagnose your efforts.
Trade Show Planning
Tip: 10-Point Exhibit Marketing Needs Assessor
1. Why are you exhibiting at this show?
2. What are your show goals and objectives?
3. Overall, what are your greatest business strengths?
4. How do your products/services differ from your competitors'?
5. What have been your major problem areas?
6. What products/services would be best for you to highlight at this show?
7. Where do most of your customers come from?
8. What customers would you like to have, which you do not now serve?
9. What are your show priorities?
10. How will you know if you've achieved your objectives?
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Trade Show People Skills
Tip: 18 Guidelines for Avoiding Exhibiting Taboos
Don't...
1. Sit, read, smoke, eat, chew gum or drink in the booth.
2. Ignore prospects by forming a cozy cluster and chatting with colleagues.
3. Use the booth/cell phone while visitors are around.
4. Leave the booth without informing colleagues.
5. Be late for booth duty.
6. Close off conversation by crossing your arms.
7. Use inappropriate/negative body language, e.g., giving someone "the fig."
8. Stand with your back to the aisle.
9. Ask, "Can I help you?"
10. Lean on booth furniture.
11. Drink alcohol or eat garlicky or spicy foods during the day.
12. Complain.
13. Wear new shoes or high heels.
14. Talk negatively about the competition.
15. Let the booth get untidy.
16. Get into over-the-fence conversations with neighboring exhibits.
17. Congregate at your booth when you are off duty.
18. Be unprofessional.
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Trade Show Promotion
Tip: 10-Point Planning Guide for Developing a Direct Mail Campaign
1. What is a realistic timeline for your campaign?
Date to begin planning:
Date to create preshow mailing piece(s):
Date to create postshow mailing piece(s):
1st mailing:
2nd mailing:
3rd mailing:
Postshow mailing:
2. What are your show goals?
3. Who is your target audience?
4. What particularly interests your target audience?
5. What differentiates you from your competitors?
6. What benefits do your products and/or services offer?
7. What is needed to create pre- and postshow promotional pieces?
8. What kind of an incentive will encourage attendees to visit your booth?
9. Who needs to receive your mailings?
10. How will you track and evaluate the response to your campaign?
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Trade Show Productivity
Tip: Checklist for Gathering Competitive Information - Part 1
1. Appreciate that to hold or increase market share you need to continually identify your competitive advantage.
2. Search for an in-depth understanding of the competitive dynamics in the marketplace.
3. Understand that tradeshows are an excellent forum to research and collect information.
4. Know your competitors - direct and indirect (i.e., current market participants, potential market entrants and the providers of substitute products or services).
5. Understand which competitors pose a threat to your company.
6. Develop a list of important differences between your products/services and your competitors'.
7. Determine if their location is a competitive advantage.
8. Know how long they have been in business.
9. Familiarize yourself with their reputation/image in the marketplace.
10. Check out their market share.
11. Examine their corporate and business philosophy.
12. Know how is it implemented.
13. Be aware of important acquisitions competitors have made in the past year.
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Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, working with exhibitors and meeting & event planners to improve their event success through coaching, consulting and training.
Website: www.thetradeshowcoach.com |
