Question

Topic: Other

Best Trade Shows/expos To Attend To Get Clients

Posted by Anonymous on 2/21/2010 at 11:19 AM ET 250 Points
I was wondering which trade shows/expos were the best for ad agencies to attend to find potential clients. General business expos? marketing/advertising expos? Show biz expos? Any suggestions from people who have experience would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Erika
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  • Posted by thecynicalmarketer on 2/21/2010 at 12:27 PM Accepted
    Here is some general advice based on a few years of applying this technique.

    Pick shows that are in your field. Every agency has a specialty. If you have all apparel clients, I would not trust you to do my technology marketing, so pick shows that align with your target audience.

    A lot of exhibitors will resent you taking their selling time to do your pitch. Try off-peak hours. Also, find a way to make it into the parties and social events around the show/expo. We have gained many clients this way.

    For you, I would bring thumb drives emblazed with your name/logo that contain your web site, case studies, and sample work so that you can give this to large/important prospects who have an interest but don’t have time for a deep dive on the show floor. At worst, they will keep the thumb drive and have your name in their face every time they use it.

    Best of Luck, JohnnyB.
    The TCM Blog, https://bit.ly/75KkSG
    https://twitter.com/tcmblog

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 2/21/2010 at 3:24 PM Accepted
    Use the trade shows to ask questions and learn about their business face-to-face. Don't try to sell yourself at the trade show - follow up soon after with your observations on how specifically you might be of service to them. You can't sell your services if you don't know what their needs are.
  • Posted on 2/22/2010 at 4:17 PM Moderator
    I'm with Jay. Trade shows may not be the best place to sell what you're selling, but they could be a great place to do research on your ideal client, so that when you are ready to approach them you have a real understanding of their needs.

    The way you've asked the question it sounds like you've already decided that trade shows are the way to go. What led you to that conclusion?

    And where are you located? It's possible that the answer to the question could be different based on where your clients are located. (A trade show in Africa might be very different than one in Europe or South America, for example.)
  • Posted by Clare Mckee MA on 2/26/2010 at 4:08 PM Accepted
    If you can get a speaking slot at a trade show this can resonate well with attendees. You need to get in early for this and be creative. Case studies on challenges are good if your clients are happy to be talked about.
    You have to watch who attends the trade shows, dependent on the show it can often be junior level staff who have no decion making power and have just been 'sent' there to collect brochures. In my experience seminar based shows pull the best quality attendees if the seminars are highly relevant and credible.
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