Trade Show Emporium

1. Give yourself enough time for planning and preparation. Set deadlines and think ahead. Try to avoid rush fees or expedited shipping costs (especially for heavier items such as Alumalites).
2. Send pre-show emails to loyal customers urging them to stop by your booth.
3. Utilize your Facebook and Twitter accounts before shows. Announce your location and promote contests or prizes through social media.
4. Define goals for what you want to accomplish for each show. Is your goal to test a new product and gather feedback? Generate new leads? Network?
5. Make sure everyone working in your trade show booth understands the prescribed goals.
6. Have maximum booth coverage: all staff should have a specific role and know what that role is.
7. Plan a dress code for booth staff. Appearance is your audience’s first impression. This includes both graphic design and booth attendants’ appearance.
8. Be prepared for questions. Practice asking potential questions to employees who will be running your trade show booth.
9. Make copies of set up instructions for trade show products such as kiosks, pop-ups, LCD TV stands and anything else you will be bringing with you. Be familiar with set-up instructions for quick assembly and break-down.
10. Have a system for tracking hot leads and likely customers. Make sure to follow up to turn leads into sales!

For more trade show tips and trade show display products, visit Trade Show Emporium.

Every company and every trade show are different, which is why deciding what trade show event your company should attend is never an easy choice.

Planning for a show requires a great deal of time, money and mental resources. Many variables go into to the evaluation of trade shows and how your company could possibly benefit from exhibiting at the show. Many times the decision comes down to whether or not the show will net you solid leads that could potentially grow your company. Other times the decision is based on what your competition does. But in all cases, your company should avoid exhibiting just for the sake of it.

You can break down trade show exhibiting companies into three parts. The first is larger companies, who have an established track record at trade shows, small companies who exhibit at industry shows and local shows and first-time exhibitors.

The companies who have the hardest time choosing shows are the first-time exhibitors. Smaller and larger companies have established a niche or refined their trade show strategy, while the first-time exhibitors may not have the knowledge of how the show will be or the reception of its product or company.

Things to keep in mind when researching trade shows is the companies’ current marketing strategy, the potential return on investment, and the overall costs of attending trade shows and following up with potential leads

To help locate trade shows your company or for trade show displays contact Trade Show Emporium at 1-866-764-2968 or visit the Web site at www.tradeshowemporium.com.

As people worldwide are celebrating the Earth Day, Trade Show Emporium provides you with a brief list of how to make your existing and future trade show displays environmentally friendly.

Purchasing a green trade show display is the first and biggest step one takes to become environmentally friendly with their booth. Environmentally friendly trade show displays are made from socially responsible materials such as bamboo, recycled plastics and aluminum, water-based inks, carpet, fabrics and LED lights.

At the show there are several options to make your display greener. Reduce literature by printing less or printing on recycled paper. After your show is over you can recycle materials through a local agency, or at designated places in the convention center. When you are finished with your display unplug as many electronics items as you can. Items, such as lights, monitors, DVD players and many more still consume electricity even when turned off. Overtime all items added up will save a great deal of energy consumption.

Instead of sending back unused materials, recycle them locally. It will eliminate the need to ship, and reduce carbon eliminate waste. Also employing local talent reduces the carbon footprint created by traveling with your own sales team.

After your display is finished use a trade show display recycling service that will ensure the process of your display and supply you with a detailed report of materials processed.

For more information on how to make your environmentally friendly visit Trade Show Emporium at www.tradeshowemporium.com or call 1-866-764-2968.

The most common trade show display graphic mistakes usually involve text, color, graphics and maintenance. If your booth has any of these mistakes, it could be an instant turnoff for attendees. But if you follow these simple rules then an attendee visiting your booth can turn into a promising lead.

In January, Exhibitor Magazine released a list of the top 10 small-booth and trade show display graphics mistakes and rules to avoid such mistakes.

1. Too Many Words
Three seconds is all you have to catch someone’s attention and having too many words may hinder that. Combine crisp, relevant text along with a strong graphic to create a cohesive message that will draw them into your booth.
Rule: Limit yourself to six or 10 words

2. The Wrong Words
Don’t waste words with needless information about your company that is not needed. Stay on point with what your company can do for the attendees and do it in as few words as possible.
Rule: Keep a direct message

3. Competing Colors
Having colors that clash can make your text hard to read. Be sure to have contrasting colors such as light on dark (white on black) or dark on light. Be careful to float text over images and graphics, especially busy areas, since it could cause readability issues.
Rule: Use light and dark text combinations

4. Artsy Fonts
Text that is hard to read will turn away attendees. Leave the art to the graphics and the images and keep text very conservative. Having fancy text makes it difficult for people to read and understand your message.
Rule: Stick with simple sans and sans serif fonts

5. Tiny Type
Attendees don’t want to worry about struggling to read your text because of its size. The general rule of thumb is for every three feet your text should be at least an inch tall. If an attendee is 12 feet away from your booth your text should be at least four inches tall.
Rule: All text should be more than four inches tall

6. Text Below Eye Level
Keep text as high as you can, and if possible within the top two feet of your booth. This keeps your text from being blocked by anyone in your booth and is more viewable from a distance. If your text doesn’t fit into this space, make sure you keep it above eye level.
Rule: Text is best placed at top of booth

7. Too Many Images
Having several images can district from what your overall message is. Creating one or a few larger images, that are clearly focused, helps keep your message on track.
Rule: Use large, cropped images

8. Poor Image Quality
Many times people think a company logo or image can be enlarged and maintain its crispness and clarity, but that is not always the case. Often, these low-res images become blurry and grainy. Use the most original file and high resolution graphics to complete your booth, and if needed consult a trade show display graphic designer.
Rule: Use high resolution graphics and work with a graphic designer

9. Bad Lighting
The choice to light your booth comes down to a very simple question of wanting people to see your booth. Having poor lighting decreases the ability for your graphics to be seen. Place lights, no less than 100-watt halogen or LED, every two to three feet for maximum coverage.
Rule: Lights placed every two to three feet<

10. Nicks And Dings
Accidents will happen, but generally wear and tear can be reduced with careful handling and cleaning. Starting with a laminate that will protect your graphics is a good first step. Also careful assemble and careful storing, using plastic or paper sheets between graphics is important. If you have to clean your graphic use light Windex, being extremely careful near the edge. Use a multipurpose cleaner for marks and sticky substances, and rubbing alcohol along any magnets.
Rule: Clean and maintain, if needed replace graphics

A fairly common question for companies exhibiting at trade shows is the number of people that is needed to staff its booth. Having too low of a number means people will visit the booth and leave, a possible lost sale or lead walking away. Too many staffers and the booth may look overcrowded making people hesitant to visit.

Using the following mathematical formula will help you figure out how many staffers you need at any given time to be stationed at your booth. You’ll need to do some research first and figure out a few key numbers before figuring out the formula. First contact the conference organizer and get an anticipated count of attendees and figure out how you what percentage will potentially visit your booth. This number can range from 12 to 20 percent, with higher figures representing more interest among attendees in your company, booth or product.

Once you have those figures you have to determine if the show is either highly targeted or a general show towards your company. The more targeted the show, the lower your percentage will be. If the show is highly targeted use numbers between 30 and 40 percent, and 50 percent if the show is broad to your industry. Finally, get the total amount of exhibiting hours.

After you figure out these important figures you can use the following formula to determine the number of staffers needed to work your booth.

Attendees x Popularity of Exhibit = Visitors to Booth
Visitors x Type of Show = People Interested In Booth
People Interested x Hours Exhibiting = People Visiting Per Hour
Per Hour Visitors x Amount One Staffer Can Handle An Hour = Total Staffers Needed

Example:
You work for a highly reputable and successful company in your business. The show is one of the larger more important trade shows in your industry and you expect 20,000 people to attend the convention. Your company recently purchased a new custom trade show display that will be located in a 40×20 booth space. Since you have a new booth and it is one of the larger industry shows you anticipate a great deal of buzz about your display and new product being launched.

The show is four days long with six hours each day for people to visit exhibits on the floor, giving people 24 hours to visit your booth. Typically your customers come in groups of four people and it takes approximately 30 minutes for someone on your staff to explain your company and its products to potential clients.

20,000 attendees x 20 percent = 4,000 potential clients visiting your booth
4,000 visitors x .40 (large show) = 1,600 people truly interested in your product
1,600/24 / 24 hours exhibit is open = 67 number of people per hour visiting your booth
67 / 8 each staffer can handle per hour = 8 staffers needed

Assuming these figures are fair representations for the amount of people visiting your booth and the expected buzz that your company and its booth generate, you should expect to have at least eight staffers at your booth.

Attending a trade show is a big investment. Choosing the show, purchasing a trade show display, and planning the logistics of getting both your staff and your trade show display to the convention are leading concerns of most exhibitors.

Smaller considerations boil down to pre-show preparation, and believe it or not, these smaller activities are ones that really make attending trade shows worth the expense.

Invitations: Create a good looking invitation to send out to attendees and potential new clients alerting them that you will be in attendance. Remember, some of your fellow attendees can be converted to customers too, so don’t limit your thinking to those who will be walking through the trade show aisles. Send invitations to your current clients advising them you will be attending the show as a vendor. Let them know they will be V.I.P. at your booth and include some kind of incentive reward to them for stopping by your booth. For example a you can say, “Bring this invitation for a chance to win….or bring this invitation for a free gift.” Using incentives and also friendly reminders, an email a few days before the show or a phone call, will greatly increase your chances of people making a point to stop at your booth. Track who comes to your booth and follow up with a thank you note. You’ll see results in your improved numbers.

Public Relations: If the show venue offers it, get in contact with the show promoter and see if you can feature your company and booth number in show guide or other show print materials. You can also see if you can advertise on that particular trade show website. Some shows will have a special press hour where only press are let into the show. If this is the case prepare a media kit with extra information on your company; graphs, charts, DVD’s, awards, and other information that will help the media understand who you are. This improves your chances of getting into the news later!

Training your staff to manage a trade show is one of the most important pre-show activities. Make sure to send your employees that get along with everyone, are personable, know their product, and conduct themselves in a respectable and professional manner. These people may not know the product as well as the engineers but this person will be able to draw people into your booth, engage them in conversation, inform them with qualified information, and sell your product or service with their charm. Make sure that you are dressed in a professional manner and never wear too much perfume or cologne as you never know who might offend. Also instruct your staff to stand up during the trade show, leaving the seating for passers by. And remind your staff to keep the personal conversations for later, after the show, and instead smile and make eye contact with passers by to let them know you welcome their questions about your product.

Put these smaller pre-show activities into motion and you net greater return on your trade show investment.