Trade Show Tips
December 22, 2009The Raleigh News & Observer is running a series called the “12 Step Guide to Marketing New and Existing Businesses” and we strongly suggest checking it out. Grace W. Ueng offers some valuable information on today’s marketing strategies. Her latest feature on trade shows offers valuable information on evaluating trade shows before and after attending. Her tips are below:
● Is this a must-attend show (especially, to continue to be on good terms with a key partner)?
● Will there be opportunities to speak that can contribute to your company’s stature as a “thought leader”? You may need to plan months in advance of the show to make their deadlines. Develop a couple of topics.
● How many attendees does the show organizer expect, and what titles and companies will be present? How closely does this fit with your target audience?
● What is the total cost of the show, and what is predicted average cost per lead?
● How many people will it take to staff, and can you afford to take sales reps out of the field – is this the best use of time? If not, do you have non-sales staff available? Or a hybrid approach?
● What press will be attending? Can you get the media list and make appointments ahead of time?
●Can you obtain an attendee list to market directly to each before and after the event?
● What are booth size choices, and what will be your messaging, promotional idea, and signage/communications? How will you stand out?
● Can you get prime positioning by registering earlier? What size booth are your competitors taking?
You can read the whole article here.