Trade shows are a significant part of the marketing mix, generating new leads, offering great ROI, and building prospect relationships. A successful exhibition opens the gate of opportunity for businesses and provides them with a competitive advantage. However, hosting a successful trade show means paying attention to common pitfalls and avoiding them.
Stating the obvious, these pitfalls affect the quality of the exhibition and may lead to wastage of time and resources. As an entrepreneur or exhibition manager, you surely don’t want any wastage. So, follow this blog post as your guide to avoid common mistakes.
Not Planning 5 W’s
Planning for a trade show begins with setting up the objectives of the show. Once the objectives are finalized, the rest of the action steps are directed towards accomplishing them. This often continues without formulating a strategy consisting of the 5 W’s- what, when, where, why, and who.
Understand that formulating the show’s plan using the 5 W’s will ensure that every aspect of the event planning is covered. It further helps assign the task to the right person, making it easier to manage all the tasks at hand.
Blending In With Other Booths
Typically at a trade show, numerous businesses have established their booths with the help of trade show experts to capture a wider audience. The booth of your brand must look distinctive. Blending in with other booths (including your competitors) is likely to result in the loss of a golden opportunity. Even if the exhibition has a theme, you must try to stand out from the crowd.
An easy way to do so is by choosing or designing the trade show displays wisely. Make sure the graphics are vibrant to grab the target audience’s attention. You can choose between regular displays or backlit ones, depending on the product you promote. Also, ensure that all the necessary details of the brand or product are included in the display.
Another thing you can do to help yourself stand out from the crowd is by offering branded free goodies, like a tote bag or your branding on a promotional mug. Giving away free merchandise that someone can use will help keep your brand fresh in their mind after the event and can become a free promotion for you if they use your branded mug at work or use your tote bag out and about.
Over Or Under-Staffing
Having an appropriate number of staff is an underrated quality of a good show. Over-staffing results in wastage of resources, and the booth looks overly crowded, which might not help gain the target audience’s attention. Similarly, understaffing makes it challenging to manage the booth efficiently. It can significantly affect the marketing of the brand and product.
It is also worth noting that an adequate number of staff is not sufficient; they must know trade show booth etiquette. It will allow them to generate leads and make sales.
Not Preparing A Clear Conversation
Another common pitfall that entrepreneurs or managers face is that they do not have a clear pitch for effective communication. It is vital that each staff as well as managers have adequate knowledge about the product and showcase the same to the attendees.
Instead of focusing on how great your product is, your aim should be on how the product will add ease to the life of attendees.
To Sum It All Up
Avoiding pitfalls in a trade show ensures that you grab the target audience’s attention and market your product and brand effortlessly. It further enables you to reap the benefits of great promotion. So, make sure to keep this guide in mind for your following exhibition preparation.