Trade shows are an excellent opportunity for you to showcase your products and services, communicate face-to-face with prospects and customers, and bring your brand to life with live demonstrations and activations.
Whether it’s your first time exhibiting at one or if you consider yourself a trade show aficionado, it’s always a good idea to go over a few Trade Show Dos and Don’ts to keep in mind for any upcoming event.
Take a look at our list of Dos. Toronto is a mecca for industry conferences of all sorts, so these are great tips to take with you, whatever the event may be!
Work with a Team of Professionals
The first thing to remember is to always work with an experiential marketing agency in Toronto who provides the full marketing turnkey solution from display booth design to providing a full team of enthusiastic brand ambassadors.
It’s always easier to work with a team of experienced experts who can help you optimize your brand’s awareness and customer base because they know what they’re doing and always have your best interest in mind.
Get a Good Spot
Make sure to enlist in the show early and try to get a placement either around the perimeter of the event space or at the front. Don’t wait too late to sign up when there will only be places left that are too far back or in the very middle of the event hall – you’ll be too easy to miss.
Wear a Nametag and Be Positive
It might sound like a no-brainer, but try to keep a smile on your face and to always interact with event attendees positively and with enthusiasm. You are a direct extension of your brand, and you want people to remember you in a good light.
It’s also a great idea to wear a name tag, so people can take a visual memory snapshot of not just your products and services, but your face and name.
Now, consider these trade show don’ts!
Bad Mouth the Competition
Not only is speaking poorly about your competition off-putting, it makes you seem insecure and unsure of your own products and services. Concentrate on selling your amazing brand. When you truly believe in your products and services, you’ll be too busy talking about your own brand to worry about anyone else.
Overwhelm Attendees with Too Many Printed Materials
You’ve been there before: taken an interest in a vendor’s booth at a trade show only to be bombarded with loose sheets of paper and brochures. You don’t end up reading any of them, and the majority of them go directly into the recycling bin.
Make sure that whatever you plan to give out is high-impact, and limit how many assets you print. Get creative and hand out custom-designed business cards that also turn into a coupon for one of your products or services.
Be Unprofessional in the Booth
Always take mealtimes in shifts with other booth staff, and never eat or drink in your booth. Eating and drinking could be perceived as unprofessional by some. It might deter people from coming over.
Keep conversation among staff professional, and never turn the day into a gossip session. Attendees will notice when you’re not taking the job seriously.
Consider this list of dos and don’ts before you start to plan your next industry event or trade show. Trade shows are a wonderful business opportunity. And with a little organization and a professional, enthusiastic attitude – they can be fun, too!