Tradeshow Tips

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Tradeshow Know How

Tradeshow Know How

Believe it or not, trade shows and expositions are the number one source of product and purchasing information for business. 86% of trade show attendees have "buying power" and three out of four said they met a new supplier at the last show they visited. With a cost per sales lead half that of the next most cost effective source, no wonder businesses large and small continue to look to trade shows as a vital part of their sales and marketing mix.

In order to be successful at trade shows, companies need to understand the fundamentals of good trade show marketing. Tradeshow know.com includes a useful glossary of terms and many useful tips from industry experts. Whether you're planning on a pop up display, a panel system, banner stand or large island trade show exhibit, we hope you'll visit our site often and that you find the "know" you need to make your trade show program a success!

AIF (Audience Interest Factor)

This is the percentage of attendees that visit at least 2 out of 10 exhibits in a category. The national average is 48%.

Audit

Verification of show attendance figures by an independent organization or agency.

Booth Staff

Booth staff could be the most important-and most overlooked-part of most exhibits. 28% of trade show attendees said that they could not find salesperson to assist them in the exhibits they visited. And of those that did, over 40% said the salespeople they met did not understand their needs. The people in your booth are the most important part of your exhibit. Make sure that they are friendly, dressed to identify themselves as part of your company and are knowledgeable about your products and services.

Some staffers may be attending a particular show for the first time. Help them to do a great job by giving them a thorough briefing about the particular show. Review your objectives and their individual goals. Show them how to work your exhibit and teach them how to qualify a prospect and take leads.

A typical show audience is one-third management, one-third engineers, scientists, production and operations supervisors, and one-third sales and marketing managers and others. Staff your larger exhibit with a mix of employees as well. If you can't afford to have several people at the show, arrange a hot line or computer link to your office. This will allow you to instantly respond to a prospect's needs.

Booth Size Formula

Figure a maximum of two staffers per 10' x 10" booth size. So, for four staffers (see Booth Staffing Formula below), you would need a 10' x 20' exhibit. Should you have special requirements such as AV presentations, lots of product displays, or a presentation stage for demos, obviously more space could be required.

Bill of Lading

This is the document that serves as a contract between you (the shipper) and the transportation company. It includes the specifics of exactly what is being shipped where, and by when.

Booth Staffing Formula

The trick here is to have enough staff in your booth to handle prospects while not appearing overcrowded. A good formula to calculate your needs comes from CEIR (Center for Exhibit Industry Research). It goes like this: Take the number of leads you expect (would like) per hour and divide that by the number of leads a staffer can handle in an hour. (How long is an average contact/presentation?).So if you expect 24 visitors in an hour and a staffer can handle a lead in about 10 minutes (6 per hour), you would need 4 staffers in your booth at all times.

Booth or Exhibit Configuration

This refers to the shape or type of exhibit. The most common are in-line (straight usually one sided), peninsula (three sided at the end of an aisle (one side backs up against another exhibit) and island (open on all four sides.) There is a surcharge to rent a peninsula or island booth space.

Booth Design Costs

The average booth design cost is $1,230 per linear foot for inline (straight wall) exhibits or $130 per square foot for island displays. Add another 6% to that for booth graphics.

Source: Exhibit Designers & Producers Association 2000 Exhibit House Survey

Comfort Level

Because of the tough business climate, some attendees may be "checking out" your company at the show to get a sense as to your company's health. Urge your booth staff to mention the size of your company, positive trends, employees and plants throughout the world, number of years in business, in short, anything that will positively affect the attendee's comfort level about doing business with your company.

Consumer Show

A show that's open to the general public.

Drayage

Fees charged by the show to transport your materials from the loading dock to the booth, storing your crates during the show and getting it all back to the dock for pick-up after the show. A good way to keep drayage costs down is to use a pop-up or custom Hybrid exhibit which are usually lighter and requires less crates than custom.

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