3 Steps to Mastering the Tricks of the Trade(show)

An exhibitors guide to maximizing your ROI at your next tradeshow

Tradeshows can be a quite a shock to the uninitiated, the steep learning curve that comes along with attending any show is also paired by large expenses to your time and money. Yes it goes without saying that tradeshows can be risky business. But if you do manage to go in with a plan and see it through to the very end, you're looking at huge returns to your investment in the form of new business. Here are HD's 3 steps to ensuring that you understand the tricks of the trade...show.   

Step 1: Pre-show planning

They say planning is everything, well this is twice as relevant when it comes to tradeshows. Anyone with tradeshow experience will tell you that you need to know which where you're going to go during the event. To take that a step further you need to prioritize your time at the show, which will ensure that you make the most of your experience. Check the maps and make a route of where you're going to be and when. In a sea of different people coming from all over the globe, everybody is after the same thing, business.

Know what you want to achieve when you're visiting the show. Is there a certain business attending the tradeshow that you want to get in touch with? Know your top hot spots and plan accordingly. If your company is sending you, understand what your boss wants you to achieve by attending the show. To make this easier, make a grid to track and help narrow down potential partners you'd like to have a more in depth discussion with and why.

After you've scoped which booths you'll be making your rounds to, know what information you need to have from each one. Research the different vendors to find out what sets them apart and what is most important to you and your business. Then plan intelligent questions to ask them. 

Step 2: During - Network

The opportunity to network is exactly why you've spent so much money to get here in the first place, so make the most of it. There's absolutely no chance that you're to get to speak with every single exhibitor at the tradeshow. In order to cover more ground, split sessions with your colleagues to maximize data gathering and networking.

If you're planning attending some of the different workshops, introduce yourself to people around you - hand out and collect business cards like there's no tomorrow. When mealtime comes around, hook up with these new contacts for more information on their products and services. It's also important to track your progress through the day(s), so write a trip report as you go along and summarize your notes every evening. 

Step 3: Post-show evaluation

When it's all said and done, how did the tradeshow end up for your business? Identify if the objectives you set out to meet were met and if the cost of attending the trade show has had a positive long-term effect for you and for your business. Evaluate if you had not attended the trade show, what would have been the cost and time to achieve the same amount of business? If you planned your attack, you will be confident in knowing the time you have spent at the show was worthwhile.

Once you've sat down and had a good look how the tradeshow went, plan how you are going to implement information gathered. Be sure to expect a lot calls from all of the people you managed to connect with, and be prepared to follow-up after the show for literature and sample requests.

Now that you understand how to operate at a tradeshow, the only thing left to do is attend one yourself. Exhibiting or even attending a tradeshow is a skill, nobody starts off an expert, it takes hands on experience to really master the tricks of the trade...show.