A trade fair (trade show, trade exhibition or expo)
is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their
latest products or services, study activities of competitors and examine recent market trends and opportunities.
These events have huge impacts on business. A tradeshow creates a chance to
develop and/or expand the customer base, establish partnerships, learn better
ways to improve operations and many more methods by which to improve your RoI.
It is an excellent opportunity for an organization to boost its profile or
reputation and increase sales. There are a few things to be kept in mind while
preparing to participate in a trade show:
1.
Proper
planning is key to the success of any endeavor.
In this case, planning well means having a creative display, a
well-defined budget and a highly trained staff. It is a good idea to take help
from professional convention planning experts. Here is a
checklist to help you in the preparation:
a.
Have
you reserved your booth at the trade show?
b.
Have
you set aside your budget for meals, transport and other essentials?
c.
Have
you arranged for all the accessories you will need during the show? You may
need banners, seating, lighting, etc.
d.
If
travel is involved, have you made the required arrangements? Booking flight
tickets and accommodation in hotels and arranging for your transport in that
city.
e.
Is
the promotional material you will use in the show ready? If not, place your
order for the brochures and other material. Remember to review it well before
it is printed. Proof reading is another important aspect which is often
overlooked.
f.
Discuss
and finalize your display at the tradeshow.
g.
Train
your staff thoroughly. Well trained personnel are crucial to the success of
your booth at the tradeshow.
2.
Proper
event marketing is essential to the
success of your booth at the tradeshow. Remember to use all online and offline
resources to advertise your event.
3.
Do
you have any new products to launch or any announcements to make at the
tradeshow? If yes, the tradeshow can be an ideal platform for you to let your
existing and potential customers know about the news.
As any corporate event planners will tell you, there
are two main factors for your booth at the tradeshow to be successful:
1.
What you are selling is very important and has to be on par
or better than the products or services offered by your competitors.
2.
Whom your customers see at your booth are your staff. They
have to present themselves and your goods in a very professional manner.
Plan well so that
failure to plan is not the reason for the failure of your booth. You can also
get help in your planning by engaging a good event management company, like Plan Ahead Events, who have the necessary experience
and exposure to ensure that your event is a success.