Planning for Trade Show Exhibit Success

What are the parts of a successful event strategy? There's major parts.

Why does strategic planning appear to be last on the to-do list for trade shows? Of coursework, planning for all the details involved in an exhibit is a given. But it is all simple to fall in to the trap of showing up at an event, hoping for the best. Based on sheer number of attendees, you will probably receive a few leads. However, going to a show without strategic objectives in mind is not the best use of your promotion dollars & sales staff.

Business Objectives

It all starts with the general business objectives of your company. While working from your basic business objectives may appear obvious, the basics can be overlooked. How can this event promote your overall company objectives, sales revenues, brand character, products & services, & target markets?

For example, you may be introducing your products to a new industry in a new event. In that case, your event strategy needs to include educating the market about both your company & your products. By focusing on the business objectives, you can generate an event strategy to meet those objectives while promoting the identity of your company & targeting the right audience. Take the time to research & analyze these parts before putting an event plan in place, or hire somebody to help you.

Marketing Strategy

The next part is fitting the event in to your overall promotion strategy. The key is to make definite that each part of your promotion plan is working together with your event strategy. When you are preparing for an event, post it on your web-site, promote it through industry publications & social media, & promote it through public relations. The worst feeling is to attend an event where your customers did not even know to look for you! Trade show events ought to help you both reach new prospects & reinforce your existing customer relationships. Take advantage of all of your promotion efforts to promote your trade show event activities.

Event Strategy

One time you have focused on specific business objectives & overall promotion objectives, you can generate an effective event strategy specific to a trade show event. The same strategy cannot be used for every event, because every event is unique.

Show objectives: What results would you like to accomplish from the show? Perhaps you are looking for opportunities to actually sell your product on site & require to set a sales quota. In case you have a long sales cycle, your aim may be to set appointments with ten key prospects. Your objectives must be something that you can measure after the event.

In generating an event strategy, identify the following elements.

Target audience: What segment of attendees might buy your product or service? What are they specifically looking for that your company can provide? How can you best reach your exact target?
Brand messages: What major messages do you want to communicate that will be remembered after the show? How can your exhibit and all your collateral materials work together to communicate those messages?
The best event strategy involves planning for before, during and after the show.
Pre-show marketing: How will you communicate that you are attending the show before the event? Will you send an invitation to key prospects or advertise in the show catalog?
Booth experience: What will happen when they visit your exhibit space? Do you need product demonstrations or a private conference room or both?
On-site marketing: What information will you convey at the event and how will you capture leads?
Post-show marketing: How will you follow up with clients and prospects after the event? A surprising number of exhibitors collect names but have no plan for getting in contact with those people after the event.


Evaluation

The final step is to evaluate the parts of the plan and your results after the event to select whether the event was successful. Work with the sales team to find out if the leads met their objectives and how much business they closed as a result. Document what worked and what failed and choose whether to participate in the event again based on your results.

By taking a strategic approach to every event, your bottom-line results from your trade show efforts are bound to get better.Evaluation