What does it take to get a successful custom trade show exhibit, and what does it take to get to the head of the class? Shows are great for sales, but often the focus is on recruiting or informing a future customer and then waiting for them to circle back and contact you. Lots of companies get a boost in business for this approach. Often, companies don’t find out their ROI until after these trade shows and their work — at least at the show– is done.
As everyone who’s been to a trade show or two in their time knows, shows are all about making first impressions. They’re not about swooping in and trying to force the deal to happen. Instead, you put your feelers out there. You have information about your company ready and waiting to anyone who wants to see it. You engage attendees by showcasing products and services with live demonstrations and interactive video. You have everything available for them and ready to be taken in, digested, and considered.
Customers are like a good steak; you’ve got to take them out of the fridge, let them get to room temperature, apply a marinade and let it soak in. You can’t just pull them out of the freezer and throw them on the grill– it’s indelicate, and besides, when has that ever worked out? In fact, the entire process of planning for and attending a trade show is very involved and takes a lot of energy to be done right. However, a show done successfully can net some major business for any business. Otherwise, there would be no reason for any businesses to attend.
There are some ways that you can utilize in order to gauge how well you did at a show, though. Engagement with attendees is key. Pe-ROI is important for a show, so being able to ask attendees some questions may be able to give you some great feedback that helps you improve your overall approach. You want attendees to have a positive impression of your business and be even more likely to work with you or contact your business in the future after stopping at the exhibit. If you can say that, then your exhibit experience has been a success.
A good number of companies also specialize in measuring pre-ROI and can help you get the statistics that will indicate to you how efficient but also generally successful your business’s exhibit is. Questions may be asked of attendees about their experience with your booth, such as whether they were treated well by staffers, whether they have more interest in the business now than they did before, and things like that. Figure out whether you’ve got your exhibit down pat and are getting the interest that a business should be generating!
What do you think? Would your business benefit from a better presentation approach or figuring out your pre-ROI? Getting professional help when it comes to exhibits can often generate unexpected results. Improvement is always the goal, and having a successful exhibit experience is key to building a future customer base. A trusted team can help you build relationships with attendees and inspire more business and profit than ever before– check one out today.