Agri-Food Trade Service

Superior Trade Show Execution
Making 'Face to Face' Marketing Work

May 2005

Introduction

Industry is realizing the importance of non-mass media promotional methods, with a trend towards marketing techniques that forge superior business partnerships between a company and its clients. As part of this trend, trade shows provide an excellent opportunity to directly interact with current or potential business partners.

Trade shows require professional displays, promotional materials including product or service samples, staffing, shipping and travel fees. Due to these requirements it is important for an exporter to identify if trade show participation compliments their exporting business strategy. Understand your participation options, you may choose to exhibit or instead simply attend to gather contacts and market intelligence.

Trade shows are intended to initiate sales, if you do not have a strong approach to attract leads and follow-up, there is no reason to engage in trade shows. Many companies spend time and money on travel and booth creation and fail to spend time and money researching shows, setting goals, getting their staff ready to sell, and implementing a tactical approach to lead follow-up. It is important to understand that trade show participation extends beyond the few days you are exhibiting; it is a marketing tool that must be integrated into your overall business strategy and one that must be done properly in order to obtain results.

Trade Show Tips

Like all other aspects of business, with experience comes proficiency; the more trade shows you attend the more refined your approach. It is important to consider each trade show as a learning experience and to approach trade show preparations, whether you are experienced or inexperienced, with clear objectives and intentions. The following trade show tips are simply suggestions on how to get the most out of trade show participation. It is important to develop unique and innovative approaches to trade show involvement in order to set you and your product or service apart; at the same time, there are general rules and suggestions that apply to the majority of trade show scenarios and are helpful towards strengthening your execution.

Pre-show Preparations

The effort and time dedicated to pre-show preparation may impact your success during and post show. The greater the understanding you have of the show in general, the audience and the necessary deliverables you must provide, the greater the potential for superior results.

Consult exhibitor and attendee information

Proactively contact show organizers, websites, written materials and all other sources available well in advance of your commitment to participate. This ensures an understanding and well informed decision as to whether this will be value added business activity for your organization.

Use Trade Commissioner and ATS regional office expertise

Contact Trade Commissioners located within the international markets specific to your trade event, as well as regionally located ATS offices throughout Canada. These resources are responsible for specific industries and sectors and are familiar with conducting business within specific locations, the key stakeholders within specific locations as well as the best approach to trade events held in specific locations.

Begin trade show material development early

Incorporate potential delays and complications into your time frame to guarantee readiness. All sales literature and marketing materials should be printed in the local language if exhibiting internationally, this emphasizes a professional image.

Set goals that compliment your marketing objectives and overall business strategy

Your goals can pertain to display theme and appearance, down to the number of quality leads you hope to generate. Establishing a range of goals gives a target to work towards and encourages action while at the event.

Have necessary promotional/selling materials (price sheets, order forms etc.) at your disposal

Understand the true nature of the event, some trade shows are primarily focused on showcasing goods and services, while trade events in other countries are focused on actually conducting business and negotiating contracts; you need the appropriate materials in either situation.

Inform current and potential clients of your participation

Contact current business partners; use trade shows as a forum to not only generate new business but solidify and build on current business. Likewise, notify potential clients of your participation; use your trade show presence as a tool for setting up first-time interactions with desirable potential clients.

Attend pre-show training

Pre-show training sessions are often offered on-site prior to the show. This training can extend to on-site training during the show. This kind of insight can only benefit your level of efficiency and professionalism within a trade show setting.

Customs and import regulations

Know the best methods and approach to getting your exhibit and samples/products to the trade event location. Consider the customs and import regulations, as well as licenses needed for your sample products. Knowing these requirements in advance will ensure a smooth transition from pre-show to at-show execution.

Show Execution

Regardless of whether you are exhibiting independently or as part of a larger pavilion, it is important to pay attention to detail to ensure the impression and atmosphere you are creating is conducive to successful business activity.

The Booth:

Pavilions and booths are often exhibitor friendly but also have to be attendee friendly. Counters or free standing displays should not block the view of back drops or inhibit visitors from entering the booth. A booth that is not accommodating or welcoming to attendees will reduce the time they are willing to spend within your booth.

Use strong colours in displays that work in conjunction with the overall pavilion look and feel (applicable only when participating in Canadian pavilion component to larger trade shows), but remember the eye appreciates and is drawn to less aggressive colours, seek a balance.

Attempt to communicate the spirit and flavor of your organization, as well as compliment the overall spirit and flavor of the pavilion you are within (applicable only when participating in Canadian pavilion component to larger trade shows). The importance of creating a fresh, innovative and unmatched display and selling technique is vital to trade show success but more importantly you have to find ways to compliment and support the overall image and reputation your country is endorsing.

Avoid confusing displays, within a few seconds a passerby will appraise each booth and decide on approaching. If there are distinct focal points as opposed to numerous competing focal points they are more likely to be drawn to your display. This directly ties into the importance of goal creation; the clearer your trade show goals the more focus your overall set-up will have. You may offer 100 different products, but through goal setting you realized only 10 of your products require attention to sales promotion and sales development, at once you have refined the items you plan to display, sample, or discuss with potential clients.

If offering product samples for immediate consumption, ensure proper disposal of waste is possible with highly visible waste baskets.

The Staff:

Limit the number of booth staff; space can be overcrowded and unapproachable with too many staffers. The general rule is one staffer per 5 square meters of space.

Ensure booth staff are clearly identified and are wearing appropriate show badges.

A pro-active, friendly and well trained booth staff member is often more effective in attracting attendees than a free sample or giveaway. A staffer able to engage a visitor in relevant and business generating conversation has done more in terms of product exposure than any sample will do. Samples are valuable but should not be the only draw to your booth. The process of giving away samples or written material often detracts from the ability to develop one on one dialogue in order to qualify a potential lead. So often companies consider product exposure the main aspect to trade show participation, but exposure comes in forms extending beyond sample distribution.

Do not employ booth staff that cannot answer questions. Not only should booth staff be able to answer basic questions pertaining to your product or service, they should be able to answer extensive questions pertaining to your company’s capabilities, export intentions, current market exposure and efforts to expand into other markets. Staffers have to understand your organizations business plan and not just push a product. Their efforts will be lost on visitors if they are not able to transfer important product and company information as well as a professional and competent representation to prospective customers.

The Business Approach:

Develop qualifying questions for staff to use in order to verify booth visitors as potential clients; perform these types of activities before getting into product sampling or demonstration. Sample engagement and qualifying questions should be given to staffers prior to the show. Avoid a scripted feel, but ensure there are guidelines to what should and could be appropriate staff/attendee dialogue.

Ensure booth staff are professionally dressed and focused on being open and approachable to attendees.

Limit the amount of product on display; excessive product can become overwhelming. Product samples should be offered to qualified visitors with high clientele potential as opposed to every passer by. Remember, smaller sample sizes often send out a higher perceived value. This directly relates to the importance of setting goals in order to center your approach to business at a trade show. Clear business goals will assist in the identification of qualified booth visitors. If you have decided to focus on business expansion into the United States, then all visitors to your booth from the United States have already met one important qualifying variable. The more variables met, the greater the significance of product samples and information.

Consider promotional methods that extend beyond merely product samples and the handing out of written materials. Consider mailing product samples and written information of a larger quantity to qualified leads after the show. This addresses in the importance of follow-up and ensures costly samples are being dispensed in an effective manner. Only a small percentage of written materials disbursed at trade shows are actually read, ensure only the most interested visitors are able to access this information, in the end this is a time and money saving approach to information distribution.

Post show

In most cases trade shows are about generating qualified leads and not conducting final sales. Therefore, professional follow up within a recommended 30 day period helps to ensure your business reaps the most benefit from trade show participation; otherwise the effort and time invested in participation can be lost.

Lead follow-up

After being away from normal business practices for a few days it is easy to set aside show lead follow-up. The longer one leaves leads unattended the less likely they are to evolve into business. Prior to a show ensure there is time and man power already allocated to post-show lead follow-up. Initial follow up can be made by a simple phone call within a few days of the show, while more intensive follow up should be made within the span of a month (time frames can vary depending on the nature and seasonality of your business).

Perform evaluation

However formal or informal; ensure post trade show evaluation (qualitative or quantitative) is conducted. Feedback can be processed to ensure each trade show experience is an improvement from the last.

There is no definitive approach to trade show participation, only suggestions as to how to better approach this valuable marketing method. It is important to make your approach to exhibiting custom-made for your business; ensure it satisfies your business needs, fulfills your business goals and provides some form of return on your time and financial investments. Use your trade show participation, however frequent, as an opportunity to consistently refine your approach to business within a trade show setting. Capitalize and continue what added value to your exhibiting and eliminate or alter those aspects that did not.