A goal without a
plan is just a wish

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

orking" a tradeshow or expo successfully begins long before you spend those long hours manning the booth. The time before and after the event are just as important as the event itself.

Proper preparation beforehand, appropriate behavior during and detailed follow-up afterward will help you get the most out of the time and energy put into tradeshows, seminars and industry expos.

Before the Event

Before packing a suitcase, think about why you are attending the show and your goals for it. Whom would you like to meet? What message do you want to convey?

Do you hope to sign deals, or is this more of an information gathering or public relations event? Have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish, and share it with your staff.

Once you've decided whom you would like to meet there, invite them. Send out mailers ahead of time, and don't forget to include the press.

If you can't attract the individuals you want, perhaps you will get media coverage, and they will read all about it after the fact.

During the Event

Once you are at the tradeshow, do a few things to make your time there more successful. These include handling the booth set up, interacting with competitors, managing your staff and carrying out administrative tasks.

Booth Set Up

How your booth is set up is important. Attendees will look at it and decide in a few seconds whether they want to approach it.

Make sure that the path from the aisle to your booth is clear. Avoid placing a table, chairs or anything that limits the opening, at the booth's entrance.

Also, be early. If you start staffing the booth when the tradeshow floor opens, you may be too late. You never know who has an exhibitor pass and will come by early.

Also, when the show opens, you don't want to be under the curtained table digging materials out of cardboard boxes or wrestling with a booth wall that won't stay straight.

At the end of the day or during other breaks, put away anything that you don't want others to see. Don't assume that just because the show is over that no one will walk the floor. A neat booth looks more professional, and it prevents your trade secrets from becoming public knowledge.

Competitors

Tradeshows are not only a great opportunity to meet with existing and potential clients, but they also are a perfect venue for checking out the competition. Visit other competitors' booths and listen to their pitches. Pick up their marketing materials; get on the mailing list, if possible.

Use the time before and after the show to visit and talk with them, but try not to have competitors at your booth during show hours or when prospects are in attendance.

Booth Staff

A tradeshow booth is only as good as the individuals in it. You've probably attended an event where a company has a dazzling booth but doesn't have a lot of traffic. You've also probably seen a bare-bones booth swarming with prospects. What's the difference? The people.

It's important to staff a booth with people, but make sure that they are the right people. For example, if your goal is to sell, then you want to staff the booth with skilled sales professionals.

If you want to use this venue to boost your marketing, have marketing staff there. If your goal is to create some buzz for a new product or company, have public relations professionals manning the booth.

Whoever is in the booth, don't allow them to sit down. Don't even have chairs there. It may sound cruel, but if you include chairs for attendees, many times the staff ends up using them, and they will appear lazy or disinterested.

Just because your staff shouldn't sit down in the booth doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to take breaks.

We all need breaks to check in with the office, check voice mail, respond to e-mail or simply chill out. These breaks are necessary and will happen whether or not we schedule time for them; it's best to plan ahead and be prepared.

Make a schedule of who will be in the booth and when. This also eliminates the likelihood of you or a staff member talking on a cell phone in the booth. Just don't do it. It looks uninviting and people will not wait for you to hang up. They will move on to the next booth, and your opportunity may be lost.

Administrative Tasks

Most attendees toss out the materials that they receive at tradeshows before they even leave the hotel. They are simply too heavy and bulky to pack and lug to the airport. Instead, offer them your card, ask for theirs and offer to mail the items so they are waiting for them in their office when they return. This gives you two important things. First, you have their contact information. Second, you have a reason to contact them after the show.

If you have a support staff at the office, call or e-mail each night and give them the contact information so they can send out the material that day.

If you don't have a support staff, have envelopes pre-stuffed either in the hotel or at the office and mail them as soon as possible.

When mailing materials, make sure that the envelope or cover letter reminds them of whom you are and that they requested the materials. A simple, "Here is the information you requested," or "Following up on our conversion at XXX Show, I am enclosing documents X Y and Z," is sufficient.

After the Event

After the show, perhaps on the plane ride home, spend some time analyzing the tradeshow, what was successful and what needs improvement.

Perhaps the draw to get people in the booth didn't work as well as you had planned. Maybe your booth location wasn't ideal. Jot down some notes for the next event to avoid any pitfalls and to maximize successes.

Once you return to your office, follow up on all leads, no matter how small. They may not result in a sale immediately but, down the road, who knows?

Also, contact the attendees who were supposed to receive materials in the mail and confirm that they did receive them.

This shows that you are attentive to detail and have good follow-up skills. It also gives you an opportunity to present your products and services again. Being prepared for a tradeshow will maximize your efforts at the show while making it more enjoyable and less stressful.

Proper preparation, attention to detail and thorough follow up will help you reap the best return on your tradeshow investments.