I’ve worked on the exhibit side of trade shows for more than 15 years and have been producing trade shows and conferences for several more. This advice — for those of you adding a trade-show element to your event or just trying to increase booth sales — comes from my experience on both sides of the aisle.
- You’re not selling empty space. You’re in the marketing business, not the real estate business. Have a conversation with potential exhibitors to find out what their marketing objectives are and discuss how your event can help realize them. Approaching your exhibit sales this way will differentiate you from other shows.
- Anchor exhibits. Even small companies have big aspirations. By bringing in large, well-known companies as exhibitors, you show them you mean business. Smaller companies will not feel they are taking such a big risk — especially on a new event.
- Be true to your attendees. It can be very tempting when you have a young event to take in any exhibitor that wants to be at your show. First and foremost, your event is for and about your attendees, not your sponsors and exhibitors. Example: I produce a health and fitness fair and have had to say no to an exhibitor who didn’t support that vision. Don’t be afraid to do the same.
- Don’t overdo it your first year. It’s better to book a smaller venue and sell out your space early than have a half-empty exhibit hall. There will be plenty of time to grow.
- Don’t say “no” when you can say “yes.” Let’s face it, many exhibitors won’t read their exhibit manual and will miss deadlines. Your job isn’t to be the enforcer. If there’s any way you can accommodate their request, do it. We had an exhibitor ask for electric they didn’t order two hours before the doors opened. We didn’t have to say yes, but we did because we could. They were among the first to sign up the next year.
- Offer exhibitors a registration discount if they take pre-show training. A successful exhibitor is a returning exhibitor. The more you can do to help them be successful, the better. We give $50 back to all exhibitors who participate in our free training. It’s worth it, because I know it will cost more than $50 to replace them if they don’t return next year.
- Collect post-show feedback. Have a team in place that will visit with every exhibitor at the end of the event before they’ve packed up and left. Have them conduct an in-person survey. Create a list of what your exhibitors liked most, what they liked least and what they’d want to see you add or do differently. And, most importantly, integrate that feedback into your game plan for the next show.
Remember, as a trade-show producer, you have two customers: your attendees and your exhibitors/sponsors. Both need to be taken care of, but not at the expense of each other. A room full of happy attendees will make it a great show for everyone. Unfortunately, just having a room full of happy exhibitors won’t do the same.
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I’m glad that you mentioned not overdoing it your first year! I have been to many trade shows and you can always tell who is having their first one because they go crazy trying to get your attention. The most successful exhibits I’ve seen have been calm, confident, collected, and friendly without being overbearing! Overall, pretend you have been there before and prepare before by thinking about what questions might be asked. You can do it!
Awesome post! It’s very helpful and interesting. I will share your blog post with my friends.
Thanks so much for your comment about the benefits of booking a small venue and selling it out instead of having a large and a half-empty exhibit hall at a trade show. I am sure that having a fully booked venue would enable you to attract a larger crowd in the future. I bet that hiring an assistant to help you run the show could also help you promote the event.
Great Blog Post! It’s very helpful and interesting. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
I like that you recommend to not overdo it the first year. I can see why it would be better to have the place be over filled than under. It might be a good idea to take a count of how many different businesses you expect to be there. Once you have this number you could then determine how many are for sure going and how many are likely not to come.
Great article thank you for sharing- I really enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing the tips for creating a successful trade show. Really a share worthy information it is. Great article.
This is an amazing post, i am planning a trade show presently in Lagos, Nigeria, your post has really helped me with lots of information.
Thank you for suggesting that booking a smaller venue your first year is sometimes a good idea. Trade shows seem like a rather stressful task to take on. I wonder how much easier a management company would be when it comes to these events. I would hope that the people throwing the shows would look into hiring someone to manage it.
I like that you mentioned the steps to take after the trade show is over, like getting reviews and feedback. This can be really valuable to having success in the future. You want to get all the best information to improve in the next one.
Practical and no fluff content! Very helpful and I love how direct the tips you’ve shared are. A lot of these mistakes can be avoided if you just educate yourself and if people just read on and be more open to learning. This was a great article and I would recommend people read it, even simply to actually a get a broader perspective on it.