Are Trade Shows Good Marketing for You?

If I hadn’t gone into marketing, I probably would have become an event planner. I love trade shows and conferences. I think they’re fun, and marvel at the work put into planning them. As I did end up in marketing, I appreciate the advertising potential businesses can get by either attending or sponsoring at a show. It’s not for everyone, so take the quiz to see if you’re a good candidate.

• Does your budget allow for sponsoring a show?
• Do you know how to promote at a show?
• Is your product easily explainable or presentable to potential clients (you get about 10 seconds to make an impression)?

If the answer to these questions is “yes,” the answer is simple. If not, read on.

Budget

Depending on the show, your budget may not give you the opportunity to be a sponsor. That being said, there are some smaller conventions you would be surprised at the affordable cost. If your budget is small, consider the following:

• Forego the expensive platinum level sponsorships and look for other opportunities, like sponsoring a break or getting your logo on the goody bags.
• Become a speaker at a trade show in your industry.
• Attend the conference and pass out business cards to as many people as possible.

Promoting

Don’t worry; not everyone knows what to do at a trade show. Typically you have a booth where you can set up information about your company as well as any product samples or demonstrations. As I’ve said in previous posts, shwag is a big part of this, so save some of your budget to do this right.

The company putting on the conference usually does a good job of presenting you with any information you need about what you can bring and what your options are. You can rent the table and booth setup or buy your own. Renting of course is expensive, but a good option if you don’t plan on doing many shows.

If you have questions, such as “do I need electricity or internet?” or “when can we set up?” don’t be afraid to ask. You’ve paid money to attend this, so you’re essentially paying for the event planner to help you. Asking a seemingly dumb question can save you a headache later.

Good Product Fit

I used to attend small trade show events for Egg Marketing, however I found it difficult to really present what we do. We write, for goodness sake. Should I put some press releases on the table? A marketing plan?

Services are harder to market at a convention, but definitely not impossible. At BlogHer, many online services were there with video screens showing off what their sites and software could do. Keep it interesting with good shwag and promotional material on the company.

If you have a product, usually you can let it speak for itself. Have plenty of samples on hand and be prepared to demonstrate them and answer questions. If you’re in an industry with large products or equipment (such as laser marking equipment), choose the product you most want to represent your company and bring it.

Look online for information about shows in your industry to learn about what to expect. Attend a few shows too.