Whether you are a trade show veteran or a newbie, mistakes can happen to anyone. However, some mistakes are considerably worse than others. Today we will cover some of the biggest and most common events and trade show mistakes.
Not setting goals: It might surprise you to learn that many companies seem to be on autopilot when it comes to setting specific goals for events and trade shows. You can set general goals like getting leads and increasing sales, but setting specific goals like how many people you expect to talk to and or how much revenue you expect to make will leave you in a better position to accurately reproduce those results at future events.
Not promoting the event beforehand: You should be marketing and talking about being at the show months before the event itself. You don’t always have to spend money to advertise your presence, but at the very least, coordinate an email campaign and reach out to current and potential clients to let them know you will be at the show.
Purchasing a booth that’s too big or small: We all like to feel like a big deal, but purchasing the biggest space for your booth and building the biggest booth at the show won’t always guarantee success. The same can be said about going too small or spending too little. Generally smaller exhibits get less attention than larger booths will, but a good rule of thumb is to match the size of at least the square footage of your closest competitor. In general, determine your goals and what designs and elements you need to accomplish this.
Untrained sales staff: Having inexperienced sales staff or extra people not relevant to your business can really have a negative impact on your company. A trade show should be about spreading awareness about your brand just as much as it should be about selling products.
Unnecessary giveaways: Many companies will often have giveaways at their booths. From pens and keychains to USB hard drives and more, everyone loves getting free stuff but it’s important to have items relevant to your business. If you are going to give anything away then make sure it pertains to your goals.
Forgetful follow-up: Many companies spend a lot of time and money to build their booth and participate in a trade show and yet far too many have no plan on how to follow up with their leads or wait too long to do so. At the very least, you should be sending a thank you email to everyone who stopped by your booth and left contact info. No matter what, make sure you have some kind of follow-up with your leads from the show within 24 to 48 hours after the end of the event. This will ensure that your booth and your conversation are still fresh in their minds.
Hopefully, you haven’t had to learn any of these mistakes the hard way, but if you did, at least you know how to avoid them in the future. At Super Color Digital, we have over 35 years of experience in the event and trade show industry. Let us use our knowledge to help make your next event your most successful one ever.
