Tips for Non-Exhibiting Attendees

You are going to the show and want to make the most of your time. You are looking for new opportunities, new knowledge and likely exploring new vendor relationships. In other words, you are looking for solutions to business issues such as increased revenue, greater profits or manufacturing issues. The great news is that there is a tremendous amount of information available at the show. The bad news is that there is a tremendous amount of information available at the show.

How do you make the most effective use of your time? Here are some tricks that are used by veteran tradeshow and convention attendees.

TIP 1: DECIDE IN ADVANCE WHAT YOUR GOAL IS.

There will be too much information for you to take in during any worthwhile show, and the natural tendency is to get distracted.
Plan in advance what you want to accomplish and stick to your plan.

TIP 2: SHARE YOUR GOAL.

Make your goal part of your greeting. When stepping up to a booth, introduce yourself and clearly state what your goal for the show is.
I am at the show to see what new products I might add to increase my sales next year”.

TIP 3: COLLECT USEFUL INFORMATION.

Leave the material collection bags in the lobby.
Instead of becoming a pack-rat (I probably still have somebody’s marketing material from last year’s show in a box, file or pile somewhere, unread of course), print out pre-addressed mailing labels and hand them out to people from whom you truly desire information. Let them ship it directly to your office for you.
Saves you money, time and cuts down on the amount of junk you don’t really want or need anyway.

TIP 4: DON’T EAT ALONE.

Even in a crowd, there remains a tendency to eat alone.
If you see someone sitting alone in a restaurant wearing a show badge, ask to join them or ask those waiting in line to join you. Remember to tell them why you are at the show, they may have found the perfect solution for you.
Who knows, you might be the perfect solution for them!

TIP 5: ENTHUSIASM.

Exhibitors, contrary to what you may think, are humans just like you. They get tired standing, just like you get weary walking.
Greet exhibitors with enthusiasm and friendliness and they will show more interest in you and your needs. Exhibitors have made a large investment to help you! And like buyers, exhibitors are looking to do business with people they enjoy spending time with.
Approach a booth with bored or arrogant attitude and chances are, you won’t get much from the show.

TIP 6: FOLLOW UP.

Keep a small notepad (or index cards) in your pocket to write down the names of the companies and people you want to make a point of contacting after the show.
Don’t leave it up to the exhibitor to follow up (though they should) as contact information can become lost.

Rule 5: Learn from the Pros

RULE 5: Learn From The Pros.

LIQUIDS.

For the geographically impaired, Las Vegas is in the desert. Low outside humidity and lots of indoor climate control greatly increase the chances that the unprepared will succumb to dehydration.

In its mildest form, dehydration leads to fatigue, lethargy, cotton mouth and bad breath!
Unfortunately, by the time you recognize some of the symptoms of dehydration, you are behind the curve and will find it difficult to get back on track. Rookies drink expensive “re-hydration” mixtures, pros start drinking extra water the day BEFORE they begin their travel.

To clear the air, beer, booze and coffee will not rehydrate you, they only make it worse. They cause bad breath, sweaty palms and quite possibly, stupid comments. They also have the potential of delivering dark stains to light colored khaki pants and shirts.

COMFORT.

The one area of clothing that can greatly impact your comfort is footwear. Skip the brand new pumps.
Wear comfortable, broken in (not broken down) shoes. Rookies bring one pair of comfortable shoes, pros bring two (pairs not shoes). Long term show vets know that one of the tricks to re-energizing yourself is to switch shoes (pairs, not feet) mid-day.

LEFT/RIGHT.

This is an old trick, worth its weight in gold. If you are wearing a jacket, keep your business cards in your breast packet and the ones you collect in your pants pocket.
For those of you like me, working a show with a jacket on is simply not an option. For my jacket-less brethren, keep your business cards in your right pants pocket and the ones you collect in your left. Lefties may want to reverse this.
Send follow up “thanks for visiting cards” sent while you are STILL at the show! Who else does that? NOBODY!

LOST ART.

Shaking hands is becoming a lost art. Too few people shake hands as they greet one another.
At a trade show, or any networking activity, focus on physically drawing people close to you by offering your hand. One trick of the trade is to keep a handkerchief or wadded up tissue in the pants pocket on the side of the hand you use to shake with. This allows you to quickly “dry off” those sweaty palms.
When you couple a good, firm handshake with open-ended questions, your audience will find themselves fully engaged with you, which, given the distractions in large group setting, is precisely what you are trying to accomplish!

ENGAGING QUESTIONS.

Certainly, we want a friendly booth atmosphere so as not to repel folks. However, there are two common mistakes that people in pursuit of this atmosphere generally make.

1. First, extroverts often times believe that a big smile combines with a little add-lib, they are prepared to greet the masses.
2. Second, less outgoing personality types tend to become nervous and self-conscious when they first meet a person and as such, they are too rigidly focused on what they are saying (speech vs. dialogue), just to get through it.

By preparing three to five open-ended questions, you are ready to engage your audience in a conversation, with your goals in mind, and without worrying about what you will say.
For this to work, practice, practice and practice!

MOST OBVIOUS, MOST NOT DONE.

The single most obvious tip from any trade show vet is, FOLLOW UP! Seems obvious, but rarely is each and every lead followed up upon.

Think back to your last show, how many people contacted you afterward? Bet it was less than one in twenty (if that high).

Rule 4: Personality

RULE 4: Personality…Feel Free to Fake It.

Douglas MacLean (President of MacLean Marketing, a tradeshow consulting firm) lists five character traits for selecting booth staff;

1. Assertive (without being pushy)
2. Outgoing
3. Other – Directed (focused on the needs of attendees)
4. Persistent (physical and emotional stamina)
5. Positive.

Let’s assume that you find yourself slightly lacking in one of the character traits and that you cannot undergo a complete change in your character in the next few days. The answer? Fake it! Remember, you will be on stage, it’s a show baby!

Rule 3: Attitude

RULE THREE: Attitude.

Remember, the event is a “tradeSHOW” (emphasis on the “show”). Develop an attitude of showmanship combine with customer focus.

Attitude = Showmanship.

• Smile,
• Meet,
• Greet.

Work the crowd and make it entertaining. Pump yourself up with some Rocky music or listen to a great comedy tape before you go “on-stage”. Why comedy? Comedy makes you smile. A warm, genuine smile will attract more people to your booth than the best booth graphics. Remember, this is work, but as physically and emotionally demanding as it is, it should also be fun. The more fun you appear to be having, the more people you will attract and the more they will want to be around you. People buy from people, not just any people, but people they like! Don’t you prefer to be around people who exude enjoyment? Guess what, so do your prospects.

Attitude = It’s All About Them, Not You.

Comedians teach us more than just how to present a friendly face. Take Cosby or Foxworthy, both comedians that rely heavily of “life and family” experiences. Neither comedian approaches the stage as a platform to tell you about their family or their life. They approach the stage with a single goal, to make you laugh (and get paid for it). Foxworthy’s audience is not emotionally interested in how to become rednecks, they watch and listen because they want to laugh! The goal of the comedian’s audience is to laugh. The goal of your audience is not to talk to you or to learn about your products, get a copy of your new brochure or even to get a price list! The goal of your audience is to find out what you can do to help their business (if that’s not their goal, move on, they are not as serious about their success as I hope you are about yours). Address their problems with your solutions and you won’t need dancing bears and bikinis to have a successful show.

Rule 2: Prepare and Practice

RULE 2: Prepare, Practice and Practice More!

Remember how Mom told you that you only have one chance to make a good first impression? Well, at a trade show, you are going to make a lot of first, second and third impressions, some in the booth, some in the hallway and more at the bar and in restaurants. At this late date, you should be preparing yourself mentally and physically.
Prepare a list of three to five open-ended questions to engage visitors as they near and enter your booth.

Skip the, “How are you enjoying the show” and “Can I help you” questions.

The same questions work in taxi lines, check-in lines and yes, even at the bar.
Practice shaking hands and asking your questions. “Why shake hands?” you ask. Shaking hands physically draws you and the prospect closer and when combined with your open-ended questions, if performed well, you will be sure to fully engage a greater number of prospects.

A Series of Show Tips for Exhibitors and Attendees

First in a series of on-going tips for people who want to make the most out of their Expo 2009 experience.

RULE 1: Take Personal Responsibility For Your Success!
Adopt the “The Buck Stops Here” mindset. You are investing your personal time in this thing, so take nothing for granted. Make appointments NOW for people to come and see you, don’t wait and hope to run into them.

More Ideas on Making Your Trade Show Profitable

Back at the ranch, we are feverishly working on our trade show preparation. Preparation is just one of the keys to having a successful trade show. Here's a great video for more ideas.




For a look of some of the things that you definitely DON'T want to do...

Making the Most of Your Trade Show

Links to resources to better prepare you and your team mates for a successful trade show event. Check out the following links:

For Exhibitors

More For Exhibitors

Even More For Exhibitors

If you are attending and not exhibiting, are there tips and techniques that you can use to make your experience productive and profitable? ABSOLUTELY! Here are a few:

Attending a Trade Show

More Attending A Trade Show

... And maybe the best thing you can do as either an attendee or an exhibitor is spend some time with the fine folks at InkCycle's booth or private meetings in our suite.