Exhibitor Tips: Helping you prepare to exhibit at your next trade show
Exhibitor Tips: Helping you prepare to exhibit at your next trade show
The Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants understands that you are investing in our organization. Deciding to exhibit at a trade show can cost your company a lot of money, resources and time. Strategically planning for this event can help you get the most out of your trade show experience, and hopefully get you the leads to grow your business and increase your sales. We would like to provide you with some tips to help you get the maximum return on your investment when exhibiting at our conferences.
Set clear goals for your trade show participation
What do you want to get out of it? How many attendees do you want to stop at your booth How many leads do you hope to generate? How many products do you want to sell? Are you focusing on promotion or hoping to launch a new product?
You can have more than one goal, of course, but the point is that you need to be clear about what your participation in the trade show is going to achieve. Determine what your ROI would be – if one new customer helps you justify you being at the event, then focus on getting that customer.
Do your research
You need to choose the trade shows that will give your business the best ROI in terms of your goals. If your goal is on-site sales, exhibiting at that big splashy trade show where your booth is among dozens that sell similar products may not be the best choice.
You want to choose a trade show that best targets the audience that you want to reach, and best suits your participation goals. Find out what the particular trade show's objectives are, and investigate and evaluate the show's audience.
Budget and book your space
Find out everything you can about your space, including:
- Location on the trade show floor
- Other exhibits nearby
- Whether it's a high traffic or low traffic area
- Physical conditions of the booth space, such as lighting
The MNCPA provides a diagram for our Management & Business Advisers Conference and Tax Conference to help you determine the best location for your booth.
Plan your exhibit in terms of your audience
Who are you targeting with your trade show display? Sole practitioners? CEOs? Tax managers? The MNCPA provides demographics to help you determine which audience might be best for your marketing plan.
If you are targeting multiple audiences, make sure you have appropriate information to meet the needs of each.
Advertise in advance
Put the word out that you're participating in a particular trade show by inviting your clients, customers, suppliers, and other contacts to attend the show. Be sure you give them all the details, such as your booth number. Be sure to advertise your coming trade show attendance on your website as well.
The MNCPA does allow our exhibitors to purchase pre-registered attendees list. The list will contain attendee’s name, company, and address (we do not provide phone numbers or e-mails). We can e-mail you this list, or provide you with labels.
You can also advertise in the MNCPA conference program. Programs are handed out to our attendees and provide them with conference information, such as session topics, times, and descriptions. Conference programs are published for the Management & Business Advisers Conference and Tax Conference.
Maximize your exhibiting experience
So now you're ready to attend that trade show -- almost. Below are tips for putting together a trade show display that wows your audience and draws a crowd.
Engage in social media.
