Trade Shows are an important piece of the puzzle for any entrepreneur. When you attend your first trade show event, it’s a massive opportunity. It can be a chance to introduce your business to the market, gain the attention of key investors and essentially make waves. It’s important then that you don’t give this chance away or simply neglect it. You need to make the most of this opportunity. Let’s get started by considering what you should do before the trade show even begins.
Pre-Planning
You might assume that you can jump straight into a trade show once you have signed up. However, this probably won’t be possible as companies sign up for these events months before. Do your research and ensure you meet the registration deadlines for the trade show events you want to attend. Immediately after registering is when you should start planning.
You should have a whole year to plan your trade show appearance. There are two reasons for this. First, attending a trade show is actually quite expensive, particularly when you think about everything you need to plan and prepare. There is no way that you could spend less than a year getting things ready and still manage to reach your maximum potential.
Getting The Equipment
You might need a lot of equipment for your trade show event. At the very least, you will need a stall or booth. This will house the setup for your trade show with everything from examples of products to test services to marketing. Your booth can be the ultimate marketing platform if you set it up the right way.
There are two directions to take with your trade show booth. Either, you can think about buying a second-hand stall, or you can build one from scratch. One of these options is cheaper, but it could also mean that you sink into the background. Remember, you will only have one shot to impress and entice investors and those that could be interested in your products and services. If you have it in your budget, buying a customized booth might be the best choice. That way it can be completely connected to the message and model of your business.
Of course, the booth is just the beginning. You might want to add some extra features to make your booth more appealing. Sound systems, HD monitors, and even virtual reality (VR) are all worth considering. While VR certainly used to live in the realms of science fiction, today it’s a strong possibility for marketing. You can use VR to allow customers to reach out and feel or touch a product, rather than simply seeing what you’re offering. It’s a compelling idea and something that you should definitely consider.
Hiring The Staff
Of course, it’s not just about the tech, but rather the people who are utilizing it. That means you need to think about who you’re going to hire to run your trade show booth. Now, you might want simply use you, your partners or even your current employees. But don’t be surprised to see some very impressive, insanely attractive employees at a trade show. That’s because it’s not uncommon to hire models for a trade show event, even if you do dress them up in business clothing. Remember, a trade show is about demonstrating what your company is and what it can be. First impressions are important here. That’s why hiring models could be the way to go. You might think that investors will know that these employees are bought and paid for. This still shows that you have the money to focus on small details and make sure that everything is perfect.
Content Is King
You do need to think about how you sell your message, and this is all about content or rather the content form that you choose. You can opt for plastering it across your booth, hire employees to sell the message or you can use something more visual and immersive. Video content could be the key here and to read more just take a look at the portfolio of a marketer that specializes in this type of content creation. Running creative content on HD monitors around your tradeshow booth is a brilliant way to gain the attention of the crowd.
Starting Early
Make sure you’re utilizing social media. Social media is a strong tool and a great way to build a buzz around your trade show appearance. You release your content, and your followers will do the rest with shares, retweets, likes and even UGC. You should be targeting key individuals who might be attending the trade show and working on winning their interest.
In addition, you need to think about offline promotion. Trade show events are often held in massive cities. Think about how investors will be attending events like this. Many will be using public transportation. You can target these by purchasing promotional space advertising your appearance at the trade show. Before they even walk through the doors, you’ll have their attention.
Last but least, you need to think about sensory stimulation. Touch, sound, smell are all options for how to bring investors to your stall. Baked goods will ensure that plenty of people want to stop by and see your products with a heavenly aroma to lead them there. Interesting music might also grab attention while letting investors reach out and touch the products.
Use this advice, and you will win your first trade show event as an entrepreneur.
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