The Beginners Guide to Tradeshows

My first "real" job was a system administrator at a local small business. I was fresh out of University and I never heard of trade shows like CES or SXSW. My degree was in CS, not in marketing.

But like most small companies, we all have to pitch in, which meant that I had lots of opportunity to learn about lots of different areas of the business including the of those trade show displays.

The two most prominent ways our companies technology was presented to the world was at trade shows and webinars.  Some days it seemed like 90% of our companies budget was spent on traveling to various trade shows around the world.

Of course hind-sight is always 20/20 and looking back.  For example different trade shows attract different kinds of people.  Therefore that one vinyl banner that you make won't work in all trade shows. You have to think about your audience and plan accordingly.

The first area of your plan should be your trade show schedule/budget. Exactly how much will you be spending this fiscal year? Be Frugal.  Attending a different trade show every month is no guarantee  of new customers, but it is a great way to spend a lot of money.. FAST!

At my first job, our product was applicable in a wide variety of industries, but in the beginning the industries did not know anything about our product..in fact, most of them did not even know they had a problem that our product could fix!

So another important tip before embarking into the world of trade shows it to establish what exactly is your goal? Are you trying to sell your product at the trade show? or are you just trying to teach others about your product and bring awareness to the industry?

Okay so you've established your trade show budget, considered your audience and set your trade show goals. Now don't forget to advertise! In my company we did this simply by having a simple calendar on your website (perhaps using google calendar). It listed all of the trade shows that we would be attending in the near future.

Finally, whether or not you "makes sales" at a trade show, remember to build and network.  Hold a contest to attract people to fill out forms for prizes, include in the form their name, business, industry. This can be a great way to gain new sales prospects, even if you don't yet have the actual sales!

Good Luck!