5 Things Your Trade Show Staff Should Know Before the Show

5 Things Your Trade Show Staff Should Know Before the Show

Staffing a booth is hard. There are long hours and hard concrete to stand on but there are ways to help your staff make the best of the show and ensure you reach your goals.  You need to ensure your booth staffers know these 5 things.  

What are the goals of the show? What should staff be focusing on? 

When your staff knows the reasons they are there and the show goals, they can really help to push the show in the right direction. This is especially true if your company has many product/ service lines and the show is only focusing on one of them. The staffers know to focus on that item while also having the other lines in their head if show attendees ask for them. 

Your staffers should also have realistic goals. You want quality leads and sales, not pushy people who are scanning anyone who walks by to hit a quota. 

Where and when is the show?

    • You should also include
      • Where is parking
      • Is there a fee to park?
      • Where is the booth
      • What times they need to be at the booth. 
        • I often will overlap the shifts by 15 minutes because people rarely factor in time for parking (and the lines to park) plus walking to the booth. 

What is the booth layout?

You want your staff to know where they can find items and what they can bring into the booth. I normally ban backpacks and refuse to hold the large “trick or treat” bags that people gain as they walk around the show. My booths and designed in a specific way and it does not include storage. If you do have storage in your booth you need to make sure who has the keys and let people know what they can bring in. 

What should they wear?

If you have branded gear, I am a fan of wearing that. If not, set a dress code that your company is comfortable with. You can also have some fun with it. I have seen everything from prom dresses to hula skirts to lime green suit jackets. Whatever your choose, make sure you are not asking people to buy clothes outside of the normal office wear. 

They will hear “No” a lot

This is the hardest one for those on the sales team. They can normally call maybe 100 people in a day or see maybe 20 if they are really hustling. At trade shows, you will hear no 200 – 500 times a day. You want to ensure that the booth draws people in and then the booth staff can qualify if people need what you are selling so that they can move to the next person if not. 

3 Places to Find at a Trade Show

3 Places to Find at a Trade Show

Going to a trade show can be chaotic. Going in with a plan helps to ease the chaos and allow you to focus on why you are there. There are many different parts to your plan but this blog post focuses on the 3 places that I look for at each show; the exhibitor office, the building facilities, and the exhibitor lounge.

5 Things You Need for a Great Corporate Tailgate

5 Things You Need for a Great Corporate Tailgate

College football is starting back up and that will hopefully include tailgates and fans in stadiums. A tailgate makes a great corporate event if done the right way. It offers you a chance to wine and dine customers outside of the normal “business” confines. People let down their guard and can be more open at a tailgate than a dinner or educational event. 

You need 5 things for a great tailgate and then are in order of importance. 

1. Good Food

Food is crucial for any event in my opinion but tailgates revolve around food. Your best bet is to find a local restaurant and have them cater it for you. If you have more than 50 people, ask them to come out to set up the food and keep it refilled. You do not want to have to be pulling food out of your vehicle all night – or have to find a place for the leftovers at the end of the night. 

When picking the caterer you should consider the following:

  • What is their reputation in the community?
  • Is their food portable? (Pasta does not work well at tailgates)
  • Do you want a full meal or just appetizers?
    • Some of my most successful tailgate caterers just had heavy apps that people could walk around with and enjoy.
  • What is your budget?
  • Do you have any customers or close business connections that cater?
    • I am a big believer that you should use your own customers to do business whenever you feel comfortable and it is in your budget. This builds greater loyalty from your customers and potential customers know that they have a better chance of getting your business. 

2. Drinks

Tailgates are often synonymous with beer but you should also consider bringing in wine and potentially mixed drinks. You also should always have water available. (I get the small water bottles because people will often drink half a bottle and then forget where they put it.)

When you are deciding what drinks to bring in you need to think about these things:

  • Are you going to card? 
    • I strongly suggest that you do if you have alcoholic drinks at your event. Even if you have a closed tailgate, carding people and wrist banding them keeps you out of the liability. 
  • Have a bartender. 
    • This can be some of your staff or someone you hire, but having the drinks behind a gate keeper helps to keep people from getting out of control. 

3. Tailgate Space

You need to have enough space that all the people you invited can fit comfortably inside your space, along with your food, bar, tables and chairs, and a tent. You can often rent a space for one game or you can purchase the space for a full season.

Know the rules of your space. Read the contract that you sign and the back of the parking pass you are given. 

  • Can you bring in glass bottles or kegs?
  • What kind of tent stakes are allowed?
  • What type of bbq’s can you bring in?

You do not want to have a major part of your event shut down because you did not know the rules. 

4. Event Staff

A good tailgate requires that you have people to help you. You need people to:

  • Mingle with the guests
  • ID the guests
  • Pick up after the guests
  • Serve food
  • Serve drinks
  • Set up and tear down

You can hire people or assign people from your team or do a mixture of both. I prefer the last option as it allows your team to really mingle with the guests which is why you are hosting the tailgate in the first place. 

5. Rentals and Decorations

You will need tables and chairs for you and your guests to sit at. I would suggest a mixture of banquet height tables and cocktail height tables. I like the look of fabric table coverings with a centerpiece on the bigger tables as it keeps the space from looking cheap.

You also need to think about:

  • Do you need shade or rain cover for the space?
  • Do you need to bring in a generator for anything?
  • What happens to the trash? Do you need to pack it out or are their trash bins for your area?
  • Who is bringing in the ice chests or buckets to keep the drinks cold?
  • Do you need cups for any of the drinks?
  • Do you need a bottle/ wine opener?
  • Who is bringing in the ice for the drinks?

If you have any questions about how to host a corporate tailgate, please reach out to me and I am happy to answer your questions. 

Best of luck to you and your team this season!

Bonus: Think about who you can partner with to do a better tailgate and get a better audience.

Picking the Right Time for Your Event

Picking the Right Time for Your Event

The complaint that I hear from the sales people that I work with most often is that the events are never at the right time. I will tell you now, there is no perfect time for an event. Early in the year people worry about taxes and saving money. Spring brings on Graduations and other end of school year items along with a wanderlust for people to travel. Summer is a time for vacations and family. Fall is filled with football, back to school, and shortened days. Year end brings the Holidays – the worst time to hold a non-holiday event.

With all these obstacles, how do you choose when to host your event? Here are the questions that I ask to determine the optimal date and time.

Who is your audience?

Are you looking to reach business owners or stay at home moms with elementary age children? Narrow down who your perfect attendee is and then learn when they have the time. A business owner often likes lunch events or afternoon events ending at 6 pm. This allows them to still be a part of the family time. A mom, you may need to host an event around 9 pm or during school hours.

What else is happening at that time?

When you have narrowed down a date and time, look at what else is happening in that community. If you are looking to attract football fans, you don’t want to host an event during Monday Night Football – unless you are showing the game. Is there a big concert going on? A big television event? A political event? Know what your target audience would attend other than your event.

How far out do you need to plan the event?

Remember that people will need a few weeks to put an event on their calendar. I prefer to give attendees at least 3 weeks before the RSVP deadline and do at least 4 weeks of marketing. If you are planning a large fundraising gala, add in time to gather sponsors etc. Understand what your timeline is and what is the level of commitment from your target attendee? Are they traveling out of town? Do they need to get baby/pet sitters? Do you have a dress code that will require time to adhere to? The larger the level of commitment, the more notice you need to give attendees.

Lay this information out on a calendar and then pick the date and time that overlaps with the least amount of other events. Remember, no time is perfect but there is an optimal time.

You can also do some market research and host events at different times throughout the day and year to see what brings in the most interest. The biggest thing is to know your perfect attendee profile. This will allow you to answer when is the best time for your event.

One more tip – I would not rule out breakfast events – if they come with a good breakfast (not runny eggs and/or small, stale pastries.) Breakfast can actually be a less expensive meal to cater than lunch or dinner and allowing people to start early in the morning and then head on with their day can bring in a great crowd.

Managing Trade Show Leads in 4 Steps

Managing Trade Show Leads in 4 Steps

Leads collected at trade shows are some of the best you can get. Managing those leads can be complicated but it doesn’t have to be. Knowing the plan before you go to the show allows you to close those deals and keep your business growing.

Collect Your Leads as Efficiently as Possible

If the show has a lead retrieval system, take a good hard look at the cost. Being able to scan a badge and get a name, company, phone number, and email from someone is worth it. The $500 – $900 you will spend to get leads will balance out the time you will spend inputting business cards or even the lost opportunities because you didn’t get someones contact information. Many businesses are not printing business cards anymore, how will you collect someones information if that is the case?

It can be a larger expense but the time it will save when inputting your leads will make it worth it. I have spend 8-24 hours sorting and typing in information from business cards.

If you have to go the business card route due to the show not having lead retrieval here some tips to streamline.

Gather your team and split the work up. You need to have all the information in a useable format within 72 hours after a trade show. The more people you have on this project the better.

Now, before I hand out the lead cards, I will separate them depending on the information that I received. Group 1 is full information, name, title, business, phone, and email. The physical address is a bonus for me. Group 2 is name, phone, and email. Group 3 is name and email. Group 4 is for those that only gave me a name and a phone number. These groups go onto a different sheet of my Excel file. If I know someone is interested in what I am selling, I will place a star on their lead card. This serves as my reminder to follow up with them first. These leads are marked in a color.

You will create a system for grouping your leads and what is most important for your business.

Learn tips on how to bring traffic to your booth.

Input Leads into Your CRM

However you track your leads, input these new ones into it. If you do not have a CRM system, look into HubSpot. They have a very robust system that is free. This allows you to track when and where you received leads, when they turn into customers, and the value of those customers. This information allows you see what your cost of acquisition is and how much you can spend and still make money.

Send a Thank You Email

Every email that you have collected may not be a warm lead now, but can turn into one later. Sending out an email to them within 72 hours of the trade show ends helps to keep your company top of mind. You then have a collection of emails to send newsletters and promotions. Do not over do the number of emails you send out and always comply with the laws of your area for unsubscribes.

Follow Up

Those leads that you marked as urgent should be contacted within 72 hours. I would suggest the phone for this follow up. Email can be used but anyone who has been to a trade show knows that they will return home to an inbox overflowing with “Thank You” and “Follow Up” emails. If the lead urgent, pick up the phone. You can follow up with an email after your phone call but

Trade shows are only as effective as your follow up. Ensure your company has a great ROI on its trade shows so you can grow.

4 Steps to Choosing the Best Trade Shows for Your Small Business – Mini Course

4 Steps to Choosing the Best Trade Shows for Your Small Business – Mini Course

I am very excited to announce the launch of 4 Steps to Choosing the Best Trade Shows for Your Small Business.

This free mini course walks you through the four steps in selecting the best shows for your specific audience and budget, while producing the best return on your investment. 

Sign Up Here

This course will help you get clear on your goals for your event participation, teach you what type of research is most helpful in meeting those goals and provide resources on finding the shows that will add value to your business.

The Hidden Costs of Trade Shows

The Hidden Costs of Trade Shows

When setting up my trade show budgets I attempt to input estimates for every place that money will be spent but there are always hidden costs. After budgeting for hundreds of trade shows here are the things that people often forget to add into their budget.

Food for You and Booth Staff

You will want to have a good breakfast and lunch for a one day show. You need the energy that comes with having a good meal – it helps. Don’t forget about drinks and snacks as well. I estimate $50 a person per day for just breakfast and lunch or $100 – 150 a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many shows now have water bottle refill stations. Buying branded reusable water bottles can save money on water and promote your company. Most convention centers are charging $4 for a bottle of water. That can easily add up and all these little things can really add to the hidden costs. Learn other ways to keep your Booth Staff Happy.

Travel Costs

Gas, mileage rates, and parking are the biggest culprits of this. Even as an exhibitor or booth staff, you are often required to pay for parking near the show. I offer to pay mileage for anyone who is staffing a booth. You need to understand how people are arriving at the show and what their costs will be.

Think also about hotels and airfare for shows that are out of town. The extra fees and taxes on hotels can add up along with baggage fees. The last thought on out of town travel fees it transportation to and from the show. Staying within walking distance of the show can save you a ton of money. If that is not possible, using the plans for Uber or Lyft can bring some discounts.  Estimating $800 – $1,000 for travel costs per person is a good basis.

Invoice Errors

Check your invoices for accuracy. Trade shows are big and errors do happen. It is much easier to correct them at the show than after. Labor is often the biggest item to look at. Make sure that if your ordered people for certain times but they were late and ended up on over time – that you don’t pay that. It is not your fault that they were not on time.

Shipping

When you travel to shows and plan to ship items either to your hotel room or the trade show floor, sit down and crunch the numbers on what is the best way to go. The first item you need to know about is what the rules are for bringing items onto the trade show floor. (See three rules that can derails your booth set up.) If you can bring items onto the show floor and don’t have to ship them all in, then an overweight or oversized bag fee may be cheaper than shipping and drayage (the cost to move your items from storage to the booth and back to storage).

If that is not an option, then make sure that every item you are shipping is worth its weight.

I suggest digital literature whenever possible because that is one of the most expensive items to ship and it is the one most likely to end up staying at the hotel. Also, consider the size of your giveaways and always make sure that they can make it through airport security if you are doing an out of town event.

Bonus: Other Booths

I enjoy trade shows and craft fairs because there is so much to see. I almost always come home with something from another vendor. Having that in your budget is helpful. You can also use this purchase as a way to start a conversation with another vendor that you are interested in doing business with.

One way to encompass all the hidden costs or items you may have forgotten to budget for is to add 20% to your total budget. I put all of my costs into a spreadsheet and then have a line item that adds 20% to the initial total. That final total is my budget. If I do not spend the 20%, great! That money is shifted to the next trade show or project.