Trade shows provide excellent marketing opportunities for your business in terms of networking with prospective clients and engaging with consumers. However, it is not enough to merely make an appearance at a trade show and hope for the best. Here is what you need to consider before, during and after the event to ensure that you
maximize your efforts:
Before
Before heading to the show, familiarize yourself with the list of exhibitors and guest speakers. This way, you can start to develop a plan for how you will proceed while at the show. You'll have limited time to walk the show floor when you are not manning your booth, so you'll want to make the most of the time that you have available to you. If possible, you may wish to bring more of your team with you so that you'll have more flexibility while at the event. It will cost you more to have more attendees, but it could be well worth it in terms of the new customers you could generate.
During
Focus your efforts on the areas where you think you'll be most successful. If your business markets primarily to consumers, you will likely do best to focus on interacting and engaging with those who come to visit your booth. If your organization is more geared towards serving other businesses, you may do better to roam the trade show and visit the booths of other companies instead. Take care to visit any seminars or demonstrations that are of interest to you to further your knowledge of the latest developments in your industry.
After
Take stock of all the new contacts you made. Enter them into your online address book or scan all of the business cards that you collected. Set yourself to-do list items to follow up with all of your new contacts. Send out emails reminding them of who you are and what you spoke about at the trade show. Try to do this within a couple of weeks of attending the show so that people won't have forgotten who you are. Even if nothing comes of most of your contacts right away, you never know when they might be of use to you in the future.
Here at
AlphaGraphics, we can assist you in designing and creating all of the
printed materials you'll need to effectively promote your booth at the trade show, including business cards, brochures, flyers and more. We have just opened up a new location on Michigan Avenue and are now accepting appointments for service. Get in touch with us today to schedule an appointment at a time that is convenient for you. We are always more than happy to assist with all your printing and graphic design needs.
