Trade Show Planning

There’s no shortage of articles about pre- and post-show trade show tips. Follow those tips and you’ll not only have more qualified leads, but you’ll turn them into sales by roughly a bazillion percent. Check the research at CEIR and let me know if I’m wrong about that statistic.

Even if you maximize your pre- and post-show planning, it’s possible to miss potential sales because your planning didn’t include right before the show opens and right after the show closes. Every day. On the morning of the show, especially on Day #1, we are nervous, tense, and uncertain about what the show will bring. So we clean, vacuum, organize literature, drink coffee and eat giveaway candy. That’s not to say those aren’t important. They are. But there are other trade show tasks that need to be accomplished before that first wave of attendees descends on your booth.

As a solid Type-A exhibitor, you’ve already had multiple meetings with your team before the show. That’s what makes you wonderful and a pain in the ass. It’s now one hour before the show opens, not just on Day 1 but also on Day 2 and Day 3. It’s time to:

Before the Show Opens

• Review the show goals for the team once again.
• Remind everyone how “we” plan to meet and exceed those goals
• Discuss roles. Do those roles need to change from Day 1 to Day 2 to Day 3?
• Equipment. How does it work, who has the login information, who is the “Oh Shit” expert, and what’s the backup plan?
• Who is expected in the booth today? Are they a customer? A prospect? What’s the plan?
• Did anything happen during dinners, meetings, conference gatherings that the team needs to know?
• Does the “message” need to change based on conversations with attendees or announcements from competitors?
• What’s the break schedule?

Good job! You scheduled a team meeting each day with a specific agenda to review. Your team knows what to expect, has answers, and is prepared for another successful day on the show floor.

Four to five hours later, the show closes for the day. You and your team are exhausted. They are ready to relax, have a drink, and leave the show hall. BUT… you’re not done yet. It’s time to review what happened that day. Resist the urge to do it in a bar, restaurant, or in the hotel lobby. Do it now. In the booth:

After the Show Closes

• Review the leads and determine next steps and priorities
• Add notes to the leads (while they are still fresh)
• Discuss any missteps and changes for the next day
• Share critical news from attendees, clients, competitors, and suppliers
• Cover plans for dinners, meetings with clients, and conference events
• Lock-up and store any valuables
• Is anyone leaving to return home? How does that effect staffing and roles for the next day?
• (On the next to last day) What’s the plan for disassembling and shipping the exhibit after the show? Does any rented equipment need to be returned to the show contractor?

Now, that wasn’t so hard. It just took a little planning, patience, caffeine, and the promise of food and alcohol.  

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