Thanks for Following Along! The Four Rules of Tradeshows

Follow Up to The Four Rules of Tradeshows! 

Over the past week the Four Rules of Tradeshows, as described by Exhibit Associates has been discussed.  For those that have read all 4 Blog Posts - Thanks!  We hope it was worth your time.

To Recap here are links to the blog posts;

1. Tell People You Are Going
2. Exhibit With A Plan
3. Follow Up!
4. Stand Out!

And as a bonus, here is a link to our SlideShare Deck:  The Four Rules of Tradeshows.


And these rules are not just thrown together.  It comes from years of doing this.  This being design, fabrication and services.  We sum that up in Four Words:  Your Brand Our Business!

What does all this mean?   Stay Tuned!

Rule #4 of 4: Stand Out!

(My apologies for this post in advance.  This being the 5 straight day of posts I am getting a little "punchy"   Enjoy!)

Stand Out! There are many ways this could happen.

Getting pulled out of line at TSA for 2 lbs of cocaine is one of them.   But I am sure not what you are looking for.   For tradeshow booths here is a great way to stand out: LED Tiles! All this leads to Rule #4:

Rule #4 is to Stand Out.

Mostly when we speak of standing out we are at the foundation level talking about professionalism.  Clean, Organized, Consistent in appearance.   Having your old logo and new logo in the tradeshow booth sends a message.  (hint:  not a good message either.)

But your tradeshow booth isn't the most important thing at the tradeshow: Your people are the #1 Brand Representative your company has at the tradeshow.  Make sure they understand that.   So hint - No late night/early morning celebration in Las Vegas by team members prior to Day 1 of the Tradeshow so they show up hung over and hurt.

Your tradeshow booth is #2 on how to stand out.  Spend the extra to get great graphics.  It makes a difference.  Something as simple as one cool light and one warm light accenting the same product can send the wrong message.  Preview the booth - have it set up, do a walk through to make sure everything is clean, organized and consistent.

People will remember the sales rep with the onion breath after lunch more than they will remember your old logo.   But....neither should be there. 

Clean, Organized and Consistent wins every time.  That Stands Out.   The flash, the sizzle helps and Exhibit Associates can help with that, it is just a matter of budget.

Rule #3: Follow Up!

If you do not do this - Don't Go.   Don't exhibit, don't attend, don't even get out of bed in the morning.

Follow Up!  Follow Up!  Follow Up!

The key to success on this Rule is to hold one person accountable.   One client of ours had over 700 leads after their 3 day tradeshow.  They made one person responsible to report to the senior executive team about the follow up success.  The weekly report went something like this: "900 touches, 30 appointments, $220K in new business after 30 days"  "After 45 Days...." "After 60 Days...."   And you can believe that individual was on the regional directors about tradeshow contact follow ups. 

So we know you need to collect the leads and make One person responsible, but how do you follow up?

Email:  You have collected business cards.  Put them in a spreadsheet and upload them to your email marketing system and send a thank you email from the company to them at the end of the tradeshow.  The very next day!  (Touch #1)

Phone: From that very same spreadsheet who is the rep assigned to call the prospect?  Actually even your existing clients need a call.  They stopped by the tradeshow booth for a reason.

Direct Mail: A postcard that ties in the marketing that was used for you tradeshow.  (New Product?  New Service?) 

Phone:  (Yeah I know it's a repeat.) Yes - Get that appointment.  After the 3 touches above, the sales team member has got to do the work to get the appointment to get the sale.  Again:  They stopped by the tradeshow booth for a reason.

There is no Secret Sauce on this one:  Just get to work as a company, as a sales team.  Follow Up!

Contact Exhibit Associates to find out more!

#tradeshow #booth #exhibit #display #kansascity #service #awesome

Rule #2: Exhibit With a Plan!

Rule #2 of the Four Rules of Tradeshows:  Exhibit With a Plan!

If you know anything about the United States Marine Corps then you know Parris Island is home to Boot Camp.   When young recruits show up to this South Carolina "vacation spot" little do they realize that for the next 13 weeks as they transition from civilian and earn the title Marine - their time is scheduled in 15 minute increments for the entire 13 weeks.  That is 8,736 blocks of time planned out.  Now the Marines have been doing this for a couple of hundred years.   You have until next month.

So What is Your Plan?

• Who is going to double check that you have the correct product brochure for the product on display?
• Who will walk through the tradeshow booth with you the evening before?  (Or the hour before.) 
• Who will be there when the floor opens?
• What is the lunch schedule?
• What is the 1st, 2nd and 3rd days schedule?
  • If your tradeshow booth is ideally manned by 4 people - Who are those 4 people?   This is important whether the tradeshow is 4 hours long or 4 days long! 
• Which networking events will be attended and by who?
• Any corporate VIPs coming by?
• Is your largest client going to be there?
• Is your largest prospect going to be there? 
• What happens to all the leads?  Business Cards?

The Marines have 8,736 blocks of time, you only have at max 32 blocks per day you have to plan out if you do it in 15 minute blocks.   

Earning the title Marine just doesn't happen - neither does getting results from your tradeshow exhibit.   Contact Exhibit Associates today to find out more.

Rule #1: Tell People You Are Going!

The 1st Rule of tradeshows is Tell People You are Going!

Ever been on a vacation?

To a tropical island?

How people did you tell before you left?

Did you get paid to tell people?

Think about your tradeshow as the more you tell people, the more you get paid.  Ok, the more traffic you get at your tradeshow booth, the more business you do as a result, and the more money your company makes, or the more commission checks you get.  That simple.

How do you tell people?

#1) Direct Contact with existing clients

• You have existing clients?  They know this tradeshow is going on - it's their industry as well!    They need to know you are exhibiting.  Phone call is best.  Email 2nd.  Direct Mail 3rd.

#2) Prospect List Contact

• You have future clients.  Let them know.   Please do this 3 months out.   Direct Mail is a great reminder.   Email blasts.   And about 1 month out call to see if they are going.   Great reason to call you next best client!

#3) Social Media

• Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram are all great ways to broadcast (as a company and as a individual) that you will be at the ABC Tradeshow showing off the new XYZ Product of the great company you work for.   Your marketing team should provide support if the company is spending the money to exhibit and send you!   Use them.   

#4) Twitter

• Wait - isn't this Social Media?  Yes but when it comes to tradeshows Twitter is king.  There is a tradeshow Twitter handle and hashtag.   Use them.  3 months out once or twice a week.  2 months crank it up, 1 month even more.
• The day of the show, use Twitter scheduler like Tweetdeck to remind people upon wake up, 1 hour to go, 15 to go, 10 to go and 5 to go.   Trust me - before the floor opens every attendee will be searching twitter.  Use the hashtag and your booth number.   You can set this up a week in advance.

So before the floor opens you have had contact with existing and future clients, let people know on Facebook and LinkedIn and blasted Twitter - attendees will know to look for you and your company.   

Hopefully enough to pay for that beach vacation! 

The Four Rules of Tradeshows!

Today!  We are going to review the Four Rules of Tradeshows in detail.  They are 

simple in concept, but execution can be tough on your own.    Over the next 4 blog posts you will

learn in detail what the Exhibit Associates version of the Four Rules are for Tradeshows.  In addition there will be a special #selfiesticksunday on @YouTube and a slide deck up on @SlideShare.  

Since we are in the 2020 Tradeshow Season, these rules will yield success for you and your tradeshow program!