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Trade show best practices

Posted by Sören Erickson on February 28, 2013 at February 28, 2013 3:14 PM

Trade show season is upon us ... which is fortunate for those of us in the sub-zero, snow-covered Upper Midwest, who are headed south for a few days of sun and warmth.

With more than $20 billion spent annually by U.S. marketers to participate in trade shows, the stakes are high. Professional communicators have a number of responsibilities related to events and trade shows, ranging from planning a booth design to smaller details, such as ordering the right color shirts. However, what many communications pros are most focused on is driving booth traffic.

And while in-booth games, giveaways, signage, advertisements, tchotchkes, etc. are indeed important--and expensive--there is something much more important to making sure you get the most of your trade show investment: quality customer interaction. It's the reason for attending a trade show in the first place, which is why it's so problematic that it's often forgotten among the litany of details. Below are a few important tips to make sure your trade show investment and efforts aren't wasted.

They're here. Now what?

Padilla helps clients execute a number of novel and common booth traffic generation tactics. And while drawing traffic is certainly important, knowing what to say to customers who visit your booth is paramount. A crowd of potential customers is only as good as the well-prepared, on-message booth staff interacting with them.

Here are a few specific thoughts on how to ensure your booth staff is ready:

1. Develop talking points--preferably, an elevator speech that's simple and quick to deliver.


2. Provide talking points to staffers in advance of the show. Ask them to practice.


3. Hold a pre-show meeting and go through the talking points.


4. Encourage booth staff to use visual aids when talking with customers. You know that handout (or booth graphic, computer screen or video) showing how your product is better than the competitor's? It's there for a reason. Visual aids help people learn and retain new information, so make sure visuals are being used to their full potential.


5. Establish clear roles and responsibilities. Are sales reps responsible for handing out giveaways and signing customers up for promotions, or are there other booth personnel to handle that? Make sure questions like these are answered and communicated long before the show floor opens.

It should go without saying, but ...

... Nothing goes without saying. Be clear about the expectations for booth etiquette before an event so that booth staff will be more likely to meet those expectations. Examples of best practices for trade show booth etiquette:

• Focus on the customer. Be approachable - face the aisles, smile and say hello to those who pass by. Trade shows may be a great opportunity to connect with co-workers, especially for large companies with employees stationed throughout the country. Take advantage of the chance to learn from each other and share best practices, but not at the expense of customer face time. Use breaks and dinner to chit-chat with one another.
• Snacks, beverage, cell phone use ... save it for break time. Same goes for complaining about a sore back. Don't do anything to hamper a first impression with potential customers.

Stay true to your brand

Credibility is built on authenticity. A quick word about booth attractions: Make sure you don't stray too far from your brand. If your company is conservative and education-based, giving away free beer and having a limbo contest is probably a bad idea. Be authentic or you'll just be giving away free beer to your competitors' customers.

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