Did you know that being an exhibitor at a tradeshow has several benefits?  As an exhibitor your focus may be to transact with potential new customers as they approach your table or booth. If this is your sole focus as an exhibitor at events,  you are missing out on several opportunities and leaving money behind. You may also be left  with the feeling  that you have not gotten a bang for your buck as it relates to exhibitor registration fees.  As we know,  exhibitors fees could tend to add up. Especially if you are not getting the most out of what you are paying for to be a part of a show. Have you ever been at an event where there is down time,  traffic is low or not that many customers are coming to your booth? Please don't make this the fault of everyone else around you. After all  this is your business and your investment, you should take charge and start making the most out of your exhibitor space.  Here's five ways to help you maximize your business presence at tradeshows:

1. Use Your Booth:  Having your business participating in a tradeshow can set you apart from your competitors. You will have the opportunity to make face to face connections with new and future customers.   You will have the opportunity to make the connection on a more personable level as customers love to hear the stories of the person behind the brand as well as the reasons why the employees love the brand. You also will get immediate feedback on the customer experience such as what customers  love and what seems to not work as well.  Use your space to take advantage of making the right connections with customers.
2. Make Your Booth Your Canvas for Advertising: You have your booth decorated nicely, now what? It's time to sit down and use this time to take  a break before anyone comes to your booth. Not quite, however, this is common. Only do this if you want to leave money on the table.  You can use this time to advertise your business. Snap photos of your booth that you can use for content for the day and future advertising for your social media pages. This would be a great way to show customers how to find you at events. Advertising that you are at events can allow your current customers and social media followers the opportunity to connect with you in person and  to drive more traffic to your booth.  This also makes for a great opportunity for photo snaps of you engaging with your customers and having your customers pose with pictures of your products and branding. Some customers love to post photos on social media and this is your opportunity for free advertising of your brand and add followers to your social media pages. Sell your products live on social media, think QVC show style. You have a wonderful booth set up, use it! Showcase your best products/services and deals.
3. It's Show Time: Now is the time to get as many eyes on your booth as possible. Check with the show organizer for  any opportunities available to have you present to the audience. If there is a line up of guest speakers and entertainment, pitch for your opportunity to host a fun segment featuring your products or services. This opportunity will allow for you to draw the show's attendee traffic to your booth.  Capturing photos or video footage of your segment could also provide you with content of your show experience to promote on social media or email newsletters.
4. Bring the Fun: A great way to attract attendees to your booth is to make your booth a fun experience for everyone that steps foot into your booth. Host a fun game with a giveaway prize such as 10% off, free sample etc.  This is a win - win as your attendees are having fun with the game while learning more about your products and services. Hosting themed booth parties are also a fun way to attract attendees.  When you have a crowd of people at your booth others become curious to know what's all the hype about and may want to join in.  An example of this could be a wine company hosting  a 15 minute wine tasting segment  where attendees will learn about the varies wines and what to pair with wines with the segment themed "The Wine Experience" . This booth would have an attractable sign that says sign up to join us every hour for a Wine tasting limited to the first X amount of people.
5. Network, Network, Network :   Be sure to network with fellow exhibitors, show host and anyone that is a part of the show. You would be surprised of the opportunities that networking will open up.  Exhibitors may know of future shows that they recommend you attend. Show organizers may recommend your business to other area organizers as well as having your business placed in high traffic areas of the show. Networking also allows for word of mouth recommendations of your products and/or services.                                                                                                                                           ​

Have you ever been to an event where people are just walking past your booth? Better yet, when people come to your booth they are solely asking you questions such as where is the nearest restroom, for someone else's booth or what time is it.  This can be a bit discouraging and give you the idea to just pack up your area and leave. Please DO NOT do this.   After all you have paid for your event space. Leaving early looks bad on your business to your fellow booth mates and to the event organizers. You never know who may show up so just stay put. Here are a few tips that can help you attract more traffic to your booth to have a successful event 

1. BE CREATIVE with your displays by having a prop that will grab  the attention of  any one that is walking by. This could be items such as a fun interactive game,  festive blinking lights, fun sign, attractive graphics,  bright colors etc.  You want to be able to attract the attention of the attendees from across the room. Think about when you go to the amusement park and you see an attractive game with blinking lights it makes you want to go play. No, we are not saying have an amusement park themed booth just have a visual appeal that will attract attendees to want to learn more about what you are selling. 

2. OFFER AN EXPERIENCE to the attendees that are stopping by your booth. This is key for businesses that offer beauty, food, clothing and any products that give the customer a solution.  Please allow for the attendees to give your products a try. For example, if you sell makeup, allow for the customer to sample the products by having a makeup artist or yourself apply the makeup application. Customers would love to feel like they received a makeover and will purchase your product because they know how the product will look on them. You will give the customer a great experience, build trust and could possibly have them purchase more items in the future.  You are leaving money on the table when attendees are unable to try your products. Think about going to a perfume counter and not being able to smell the scent of the perfume. You will most likely be reluctant to purchase. 

3. PRE-PROMOTE to your own audience to let them know where to find your booth at the event.  This can attract supporters that are already familiar with your products that would like to come support your business. People love a great discount or giveaway! Provide your supporters with a special discount or freebie (affordable swag with your company logo)  if they stop by and mention your email, your social media post or flyer.  

Hey there!  We've gotten our fair share of experience with events and have created this Blog Spot to share those experiences that may assist you and your business in crushing your presence at events. Stay tuned for upcoming blog post!