Half of the year is already gone. Hard to believe, but true. In the next few months, most companies start to gear up to showcase their businesses by participating at tradeshows. A lot of businesses do not seem to prepare in advance to for this; and when a tradeshow comes up they decline to participate because they are not ready to do so. Or there is a lot of last minute preparations and stress and it shows in their booth set up. Tradeshows are a marketing venue that takes your business to the public.
When setting up your business, most have their business cards and website ready to go for any inside type of marketing, but, cannot take their business on the road. Participating in tradeshows, festivals or other events is a fast and economical vehicle to reach a lot of people in a short amount of time.
When setting up your business, most have their business cards and website ready to go for any inside type of marketing, but, cannot take their business on the road. Participating in tradeshows, festivals or other events is a fast and economical vehicle to reach a lot of people in a short amount of time.
For any size tradeshow, festival or an event where you will be showcasing your business here is a quick check list of the equipment you must have on hand and ready to go:
Most businesses are always ready to handle any inside marketing. Stand out and be ready for any marketing that takes your business on the road…even if it’s locally.
- Company banner with your company logo, name and website address.
- Canopy branded or plain, but if you have one you will always be ready for any event. Also, make sure you have weights to weigh your canopy down if the event is outdoors. You don’t want your canopy to fly away and cause injuries.
- Sales collateral. Make sure it’s up to date and that you have plenty of it. For example, for the Fremont Festival of the Arts’ Business Marketplace, on average members give away 3,000 of each piece of their sales collateral in two days.
- Develop a way to engage attendees to stay more than 5 minutes in your booth. It could be a drawing prize to sign up for; sampling your product(s); and/or participating in an activity that reflects your business.
- Branded tablecloths or plain but using your company colors.
- All staff manning your booth wearing the same shirt. This helps attendees to easily identify your staff when your booth is packed with people.
- Snacks and water for your staff only.
- Before purchasing any consumables like cookies, candies, waters to use as giveaways, make sure with event host that it will be okay for your business to do this. You don’t want to purchase these items and find out at the event that you need a health permit.
- If the event is outdoors and, in the evening, bring extra lanterns to help with lighting your booth.
- A box of extra office supplies for your staff such as pens, papers, staplers, tape, band aids, etc… Always make sure that your staff has everything they could possibly need.
- GREAT staff. Can’t say this enough. You want staff that can handle any question, issue and represents your company in the manner you want it represented. Train your staff, ready to speak anyone, have positive attitudes and cannot express this enough…train your staff. Also make sure they know they are to stand at all times (they can sit at their breaks). This may sound harsh, but have you ever walked to a booth and the staff were sitting and engage with their phones or with each other. You feel like you don’t want to interrupt them, but they are there to showcase and represent your business. They need to stand and be ready to engage with attendees.
Most businesses are always ready to handle any inside marketing. Stand out and be ready for any marketing that takes your business on the road…even if it’s locally.
 written by KK Kaneshiro Fremont Chamber of Commerce Director of Member Services KK has been with the Chamber for 18 years. |
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