Trade shows, such as ConExpo-Con/Agg, are great for discovering new goods and services, and for making profitable contacts.
But businesses face the challenge of getting the most bang for their buck spent attending such events. Therefore, smart follow-through techniques and networking can help make the investment in time and money pay off.
After all, trade shows offer many opportunities for meeting new vendors, learning from seminars and hobnobbing with colleagues. All those activities can pay off with a fatter bottom line.
“A trade show is the best place to see everything that is happening in the industry, and to learn what companies have to offer,” says Alice Heiman, founder of her own sales consultancy in Reno, Nevada. “Your presence at a show brings you face to face with three groups of people: attendees, speakers and exhibitors. You can learn from each.”
Despite their attractions, though, trade shows can toss monkey wrenches into any organization’s operations. How can you spare the time and money required to send yourself and staff members to a show? And how can you maximize the return you get on all the time and money spent?
The answers lie in smart follow-through after returning from the show. This means keeping the dialogue going with vendors, passing along lessons learned with coworkers and sharing industry trends with customers.
Doing all that in a way that boosts profits is a constantly evolving skill. Like expert golfers working on their follow-through, successful trade show attendees are always improving the quality of their after-show swing.
Prepare to win
The best follow-through begins before you leave for the trade show. Each person attending the show must plan in advance to take the right steps after returning. That means having an answer to the question: How will I maximize the contacts I make with show exhibitors and other individuals I meet?
“Trade shows provide the chance to communicate with the entire industry under one roof,” says Peter LoCascio, a Salem, Oregon-based consultant at Trade Show Consultants. “Each attendee should assume accountability for the time spent away from their workplace and for travel and hotel expenses. There needs to be a personal commitment to spending the money well by following through on new contacts.”
LoCascio notes some organizations are cutting back on expenses by sending fewer people to shows, making it more important than ever for each person to maximize the return on their company’s investment.
Every attendee needs to exercise the best techniques to maximize their time. Maybe that means collecting business cards, having their badges scanned to receive product literature, scanning QRC codes in booths or taking photos of new and interesting products.
“Six to eight weeks in advance of the show, bring your people together to make your expectations known,” Heiman says. “Tell them how you expect them to dress and to conduct themselves. What kind of notes should they take and what reports will they be making? Suggest that they consider recording sessions and taking photos of the visuals that speakers put on the screen, and that they pick up any interesting handouts that would help their team learn.”
Set specific goals
General goals are important, but translate them into specific actions. Define your game plan in detail and be able to answer the key question: What do you intend to achieve?
“Develop specific answers in advance to critical questions,” says Nancy Drapeau, vice president of research at the Center for Exhibition Industry Research. “How many booths will you visit, and which ones? Are there specific educational seminars you will attend? And how about networking events? How will you track your activities?”
As a team, plan your time in concrete terms to help meet your defined goals.
“Get an advance copy of the exhibitor list from the show sponsors,” LoCascio says. “List the products and services you are looking for and draw up a plan to visit the booths of the relevant exhibitors. Avoid walking the aisles aimlessly.”
Not to be overlooked, of course, is that reaching your specific goals will require effective networking skills.
“If people don’t know how to network, they won’t know how to obtain valuable information,” Heiman says. “Teach your staff how to start productive conversations with strangers and how to keep people talking. Make sure they can answer the question: ‘What do you do?’”
Networking goals can also be specific. You might require your staff to find 10 new people with whom they can develop continuing relationships. They can do this by attending various networking events and by splitting up to sit with different people at lunch, dinner and cocktail hour.
“The idea is to learn about the industry trends that will be affecting your company and your customers,” Heiman says.
Debrief coworkers
When a show is over, have attendees share what they learned with their coworkers. What were their impressions of the show? What did they learn from exhibitors about new products? What did they gauge from seminar speakers and colleagues about critical trends in the industry?
“Set a date and time for a follow-up meeting to make sure the job gets done,” says Meridith Elliott Powell, a sales and leadership strategist based in Asheville, North Carolina. “Decide in advance how the meeting will be structured and how you will debrief. It’s important to tell not only what happened, but also to share your leads. Whom did you talk to? What did you discuss? What will the next steps be? What topics were of interest to you?”
According to Powell, when talking about vendors and their offerings, it’s important to go beyond a list of new goods and services and explain how purchases will integrate into your current structure.
Encourage attendees to present their findings in a way that engages their colleagues. That means more than just standing and reading their notes.
“One approach is to present findings in the form of a quiz,” Heiman says. “Or engage the audience by repeatedly asking for ideas on how what has been learned from the show can be applied to current operations.”
If the show has been particularly extensive, avoid overwhelming the audience with too much material and keep it simple.
“Consider having each attendee pick two or three vital insights discovered at the show, then do a deep dive into each one, perhaps doing additional research on the topic before the presentation,” Heiman says.
Review performance
Good trade show follow-through includes reflections on how well the attendees utilized their time and how they might improve their technique the next time around. Consider what you were looking to achieve and assess whether you were successful.
“If something worked, point it out and plan to repeat it in the future,” Drapeau says. “If something did not work, discuss the reason. Was the problem with the show or with your team’s performance?”
Other questions to consider include: How could attendees have improved their use of time? Should the business send more or fewer people to the next show? Or perhaps not attend the show at all, because there are not enough potential contacts?
Follow up with vendors
Once you’ve briefed your colleagues on the show, follow up with important vendors. Trying to reach out to everyone will seem overwhelming since you have your regular duties to attend to at the same time, so start with a few who have the most potential.
Above all, make it personal. Remember that the most important reason to go to a show is to build relationships, not to get information.
“Write handwritten notes,” Heiman suggests. “In an age of email, these can be especially effective because no one does them anymore. Say things like ‘It was nice to meet you. I had so much fun discussing how the industry has changed over the years. I look forward to continuing our relationship and discussing business trends.’
“And include your business card,” Heiman adds.
New school tools and resources, such as social media, can also personalize your feedback.
“Are some vendors active on LinkedIn? If so, connect with them,” Heiman says. “And don’t just connect. Interact by ‘liking’ or sharing posts they have made that would be interesting to people who follow you.”
In some cases, Heiman says, it is appropriate to schedule a phone call. Maybe the person has special knowledge and you want to know if he or she will present virtually to your company.
Share with customers
Coworkers and vendors may be the most obvious contacts to follow up with, but don’t overlook customers who could not attend the show and who will appreciate your thoughtfulness and expertise.
“Communicating your show experience with customers can be one of your best marketing tools,” Powell says. “You want to stay visible to your customers, and you want them to see that you are staying knowledgeable about the industry. Consider sharing the top three things you took away from the show, and explain how they will benefit your customers.”
While updating your customers in person is always preferable, consider including some information in your social media posts and your newsletter, or cover the topic in a webinar or video you email to your customers.
The big picture
Getting the biggest bang from your buck invested in attending a trade show depends on how you sweep up after the dust has settled and the glitter has faded. Smart trade show follow-through begins before you even leave for the show, and it continues long after you have returned to your workplace and debriefed your coworkers.
Done right, the time and effort involved in attending a show can pay off in happier customers and a fatter bottom line.
“The convening of such a large audience at a trade show creates a profound and impactful experience for everyone attending,” Drapeau says. “Face-to-face marketing remains very strong in today’s world.”
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