TRADESHOWS for dummies
The tradeshow being domestic or international is like a big celebration, like an over the top wedding or a huge birthday. Its months of preparations and hundreds of details and it is over in a blitz of a second.
You know it is coming and you need to get a million details ready in due time, but the one big difference is that your are NOT the only center of attention. When you show it is like 5.000 wedding parties or 5.000 hosts having done their very best to take the center stage and will do their very best to outshine you.
Having been organizing or participating for an average of 10 shows a year since 1998, I come to the conclusion, that I have celebrated my 150th fair some time ago covering different business and almost every continent.
The photos in this post is from my time with Normann Copenhagen and that of LAKRIDS by Johan Bülow.
These are the few pointers that I have made and learned from, but I still see the issues being repeated again and again.
The team
If you have the right team, then a small group can pack, build, man and repack it all, but salespeople who needs to be alert for 4-5 days covering 3-4 languages, does not come off to the perfect start having build and decorated stands for 48 hours prior to the opening.
Tell the fair virgins that the investment of 4 days in Paris i likely to be above 40.000 EURO or more, so it is not a vacation, which is why:
No lunchbreak - you eat at the stand or 2 meters away, so you do not miss the ONE key client having made the entire fair a success
No chairs on the stand unless you sell chairs, meet you customers face to face and NO their do not approach you sitting down.
Big breakfast and big dinner - snacks between this.
DO DRINK - the socializing and meeting clients around the city at events after closing can be as effect full as the fair, so do not be a party killer, but remember to ask yourselves, if you have ever felt great being serviced by a stinking salesperson with hangovers.
The audience
Never judge a book by its cover and never judge guest by their outfits. Though the suits and polished shoes often reflect a salesperson trying to sell you something. The guy with the backpack and the sneakers and no name card is likely from the dream media connection and the old guy with the fishing back and loafers that you think looks like your grandfather is likely your biggest client of the following years.
The location
First timers to a new fairground in a new city, will likely be staying at an awful and overpriced hotel, eating at buffet restaurants and pay a fortune for gaffa tape and the electrical plug that does not fit locally.
But do not panic - having exhibited in the same location you will know where the nearest IKEA is located, the best cafe with a role and a coffee that exceed that of the budget hotel by which you paid 6 star prices.
You might think that you will get by with english at an international fairground, but do learn the international language of patience and sign, since the chance the electrician, the carpenter, the garbage or logistics departments speak english are almost ZERO.
The target
The basics are, that you are there to show and sell, the visitors are there to see and buy.
This is why you should take any opportunity to ask any bypassing professionals about their viewpoints to your novelties - where else would you get a professional audience to do a world wide market research, so again DO NOT SIT OR STAND AND WAIT….ACT.
When buyers are there to buy and starts ordering, then do not stop selling. Be aware that the are tired from walking (some average 20 km a day) and the professional buyers have a sales budget to meet the following 6 months, so the MUST buy. If you make it easy and comfortable for them you do them a favor of taking as much as this as possible.
The follow up
If you are showing internationally where you will meet new clients, you will like sell with pro forma payment - remember that most buyers will buy above their budgets, so the ones getting their invoices sent first are most likely getting money first.
The next fair
The chance that you need to show at the same show more than once to succeed is very likely, so do save your checklists and your contracts from the previous year, since booking of all the basics will likely not change and you will need carpet, walls and electricity.
What did we bring last time? Here the check list from last year becomes very hands so you do not overload OR have to pay a fortune in storage.
The social media
Guest prepare for the fair and see the fair both online and offline. It is no secret that more people will enjoy from their home OR needs to be convinced to move to see you. Post photos of your stand and presentation by the opening morning.
We have cases where people came because of this. Buyers and press already at their fair, but having forgotten about our location, buyers actually deciding to visit the show. But more importantly if you judge the show from counting guests, then we have had more viewers online than at the event, so if you got it - FLASH IT. The below photo from our recent show at the FORMLAND fair in Herning, Denmark has been seen more than 16.000 times on social media and shared 342 times. The fair had a little over 12.000 visitors…...
Have a great upcoming event - we have not yet perfected it, but the more we practice the luckier, we seems to get.
