Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Trade Show Booths - How To Keep People In Them

Posted by k.pohlman on 9/25/2007 at 1:45 PM ET 500 Points
My company will be at a major trade show for the heavy equipment industry early next year so of course we are starting to plan for it now. We're good to go with booth set up/layout, SWAG, and literature. We are also doing demonstrations of our equipment and qualified visitors will be allowed to 'test' them.

The concern is, how to keep people interested enough to 'stick around' the booth since more than likely key staff members will be conducting equipment demonstrations.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 9/25/2007 at 1:59 PM Member
    The goal for your booth is to get people interested in your products. You should capture the contact information of booth visitors and prequalify them. Don't try to hog them at the show - they're looking to see as much as possible. Do make it easy for them to find out about you and to schedule a 1 on 1 15-minute meeting during/before/after the show to further answer any questions.
  • Posted by terri on 9/25/2007 at 2:07 PM Member
    We hired professional models to serve light hors devours during a trade show presentation. People hung around. You can usually hire these people through trade show services.

    You can also do hourly drawings for prizes.
  • Posted by k.pohlman on 9/25/2007 at 2:11 PM Author
    Good point Jay.

    The contact info is captured via swipe cards, the Sales reps usually make notes on the 'tape' for qualified leads.

    That being said, LET ME CHANGE MY QUESTION TO:

    "What can I do to make their visit to my booth memorable other than with SWAG?"

  • Posted by ilan on 9/25/2007 at 6:48 PM Accepted
    develop interactive demonstrations of your equipment, so that the visitors can "test drive" them on video screens inside the booth.
    It releases you from any problems of letting them try your real products, including the insurance fees...
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 9/25/2007 at 11:09 PM Accepted
    To make the visit to your booth memorable, don't try to sell them anything. Interview them for what problems/challenges they have. Keep track of the list, because therein is the goldmine. All you need to do is solve their problems and they'll be most grateful. Most booth personnel are all about talking at the prospect. Very few listen. If you listen well, then you can intelligently present a solution to their problem during the next follow-on conversation.
  • Posted by Giselle on 9/26/2007 at 12:42 AM Accepted
    A Hook. You need a pre show mailer/email/contact with some sort of hook. Something that will have people coming over for a specific reason.
    A hook can be designed according to your budget. You want something clever that ties in with your product/solution. Once you've decided what that is, the message on/with the hook could call to action to schedule a time, hence guaranteeing your team is ready for that specific visit.
    The event itself is a good start, yet not the main meeting.
    Plan on a follow up also in line with the initial mailer and whatever was presented at the tradeshow!

    It's a lot of work, requires planning ahead.
    Good Luck!
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