Most of the time, when you attend or
participate in a large exhibition, the main booths....in
other words, the more obvious booths are taken by
big names....in your industry, there are bound to
be a couple of them. Anyway, for small or medium-sized
business owners, it's tough trying to make your way
to the front during such a trade
show and it can be both a waste of money AND
frustrating!
Preparing yourself for a successful
trade show can be scary stuff for those who have
never tried it before. How do we present ourselves
in such a way that it projects the right image and
attract the crowd with the space that we're given.
Given the fact that the most central spaces has been
taken up by giant names, who are we and how are we
going to tell our potential customers, affiliates
and partners that we're worth out salt?
Knowing what
you're in for is the first thing you need to do to
eliminate the 'scariness' of the whole situation.
Know the map, know the booth, know the size of the
area, know the people who are organizing the trade
show for you....everything you can get your hands
on. Contacting the organizers of the trade
show will help you too and you have every right
to demand that they give you all the information
that you need.
One of the things that most people
fail to ask is the number of power outlets available
at the booth area. You're going to bringing a whole
load of stuff to the trade show and the number of
lights, shelves and electrical items you bring depends
on the number of power outlets there are there. Ask
the organizers or
check it out with the layout.
Most trade show organizers
will give you a table cloth to use....my advice would
be to bring your own even if they're supplying you
with one. One, you don't know who has been using
the table cloth; two, it may not coincide with the
color scheme (if any) that you've chosen. During
a trade show, your image is of utmost importance!
Arrange
your trade show display is properly by putting the
larger items at the back and the smaller items in
the front. And they should all be at eye level so
that your potential buyers don't have to climb a
chair or crane their neck just to take a look. You're
losing customers that way.
Show
off your stuff with a powerpoint presentation that
continuously play-on during the trade
show. Use your own laptop or rent it....if you're
using a laptop, set up a page of a powerpoint presentation
that your potential customers can use to browse through
product specs, company information or lead them to
your corporate website. THIS is your chance to reel
them in and if you miss the boat because of inefficiency,
there's no one else to blame.
So make full use of
everything you have with you during the trade show
and good luck!
Want to get the most out of your trade
show? There are many ways to do this: a prize
vault or cash
cube money machine is great for attracting customers
on the spot. They see your booth, and they want to
come over because what you're offering looks interesting.
Clients will also be drawn by prize
wheels with trade
show giveaways, which have the added benefit
of reminding everyone who visits about your booth
the next day.
About the Author:
For ideas and uniquely different yet affordable
exhibition systems, visit Formedge's website at formedge.com.my.
Formedge is a leading exhibition and shopfitting
display system provider. It's a name that you can
trust...
