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Created: Friday, 31 July 2015 19:20

This is the first of several in a series covering the many pages of the Show Book. 

     One of the more daunting tasks when it comes to exhibiting at trade shows, especially for first-timers, is to navigate the dreaded "Show Book." Also known as the Exhibitor Guide or Exhibitor Manual, it's rarely even a book anymore. More likely it's a PDF file on your desktop or shopping cart on an internet order page. Either way, the Show Book contains all the information you will need to successfully plan and execute your trade show marketing strategy.

     The Show Book can be a bit overwhelming. Sometimes literally a hundred pages long, the Show Book is chock full of order forms, payment forms, regulations and deadlines. This series of articles will help you make sense of "The Book" and to make your pre-show preparations a bit easier.

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Created: Monday, 29 June 2015 11:30

Trade shows are a great way for businesses to develop leads (both B2C and B2B). If done correctly, you can gain great ROI from the time and investment spent on sending your sales teams to various trade shows and conventions throughout the year. But are you getting the most out of it that you can? We've compiled a few tips for how to make sure you're gathering valuable leads and getting the most bang for your buck.

Before the Trade Show:

• This may seem like common sense, but first off, you want to make sure you're attending the right kinds of trade shows. Do research on the demographics that different trade shows attract and make sure it lines up with your ideal customer.

• Be Prepared: once you've confirmed that you're attending the right show, decide how you want to keep track of new leads. Gathering business cards? Have a system to rank on how hot the lead is. Another way to gather info is with a survey or form where interested customers can input their info. Many shows offer lead capture systems to electronically gather information from scanned badges. 

• Go ahead and block time off your calendar after the show for sending follow up emails and making calls. Blocking it out ahead of time will help ensure you actually spend time doing it without getting distracted with other to do's.

• Build excitement by using social media, email, or mailers to reach attendees and attract them to your booth with special offers. Be sure to include your booth number!

• Choose and design a display with clear, concise messaging to attract more attendees.

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Created: Monday, 01 June 2015 11:30

Whether you’re a first time exhibitor or you’ve done this a few times, it’s easy to feel so overwhelmed by the choices of displays that you end up settling for something you may not really like. Or you aren’t sure what to get so you just end up with the basics. Sometimes simple can be good, but what about when you really want to knock the socks off people? Stand out in a crowd?

There are many ways to improve upon your standard 10’ x 10’ booth, and turn it into more than just a backdrop. We’ve rounded up a few suggestions that meet any budget size.

• Digital Signage: one way to add some impact to your display is to include digital screens or tablets that display your branding or marketing information. This allows you to use the display for more eye-catching graphics, and put your more detailed information in a slide show. Some displays are designed specifically to hold one or more monitors.

• Go3D: add dimension to your booth by installing unique items or displaying your product in your booth. For example, home improvement companies may install a sample deck or patio, or a parts manufacturer may have miniature examples of their parts for people to see. The only thing holding you back is your imagination!

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