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Expos, Conferences And Product Shows
- How To Make Them Serve You
By Marcus P. Meleton, Jr.
Expos, conferences and product shows are powerful business tools for
profit-making entities. Companies, big, small and home-based,
utilize them as a way to grow, develop and display their products.
But these shows are notoriously underutilized, sometimes misused and
some shows are downright useless. Given the cost and time, if you
are considering attending or participating in a show you need to get
full benefit of its resources. Ive worked and set up at a few
conferences and have learned a lot from the process. At the last
conference I attended, I interviewed participants to find their
success tips. I combined these with what Ive learned and am
providing it to you.
Purpose And Benefits
Expos, conferences and product shows come in many forms and are
useful in many ways:
Opportunity to meet and build face to face business and customer
relationships.
Opportunity to sell your product and generate immediate income.
Opportunity to meet and build long term customer relationships.
Get training in your product field or service.
Evaluate your competition.
Test new products.
Introduce your company and products to the market.
Failure To Capitalize
The major reasons people un der utilize conferences and shows
include:
Being unprepared to properly set up a display.
Poor booth handling during the conference.
Arriving with unfocused objectives.
Paying for a booth when merely at tending the show was adequate.
The conference chosen does not provide any benefits to your
business (unrelated, too small, wrong attendees, too expensive.)
It takes preparation to avoid these pitfalls and take full advantage
of the benefits of a conference or product show.
Check It Out
Expos, conferences and product shows can be an expensive waste of
time if they are unsuited for your business. Request information
from the organizers. This will let you know what the theme of the
show is, who attends, who participates, if products are sold
directly from the booth or if just orders are taken. It also lets
you know the price of attendance and how much it costs to display.
Of utmost importance is how many years the conference has been
operating. Call some participants to see how they liked it and if it
was worth the cost.
Display, Attend or No Show
The first step in preparing is the decision to display, to attend or
not to go at all. Based upon what you know of the conference, first
determine what can be accomplished for your business. This may
include:
Introducing a new product or service you provide.
Introducing your new company or franchise.
Display your business and products.
Educate the customer on your product
Build alliances with suppliers and customers
Check out the competition
Education opportunities for you and your employees
Test the market
Direct sales.
Order taking.
Determine the costs associated with these benefits, such as travel,
lodging, booth equipment, attendance fees and personnel costs.
1. No Show
The cost of travel alone may be more than the anticipated benefit.
But also consider lost time attending to your business, especially
if the theme may not apply to your business. If the show is new and
not well attended, this is also a disaster.
2. Attend
Based on the benefits, if your primary reason for attending is to
evaluate competition, make business contacts or to increase your
education, attending is all that is needed. Many conferences and
shows offer free or low cost education associated with the industry
that is invaluable. The decision to buy a booth and become a
participant of the conference is another matter.
3. Display
Buying a booth is a major decision. If you can make sales, introduce
a product, take orders, or draw customers, it may be best for you.
Some conferences stagger prices according to how far in advance you
purchase. Location is also a variable in the cost. Locations by the
entrance are good and may cost more or may be available
first-come-first-serve. Loca tions close to food centers can be a
benefit because people linger in the area whereas they will walk
quickly by in the middle of an aisle. End booths are visible by two
aisles and provide more front table space.
What To Do As an Attendee
Even as an attendee, there is a lot of work involved. Prior to
leaving, make sure you have business cards. Some bring stick-on
address labels for use in speeding the completion of all the
informational cards filled out at conferences.
Always list your objectives such as looking for a supplier, meeting
retail outlets, education opportunities. If you get an early copy of
the conference catalog, you can literally plan your visits. In
addition, many contacts are made at scheduled parties, events,
training classes and speeches.
Your Work As a Participant
All the duties of an attendee are also necessary for a participant
but there is plenty more. Pre pare yourself for arrival. Get flyers
and press packages (if necessary) prepared in advance. Map out your
booth and even do a mock setup if you can. If sales are involved,
make sure you have a sales license. Bring any supplies you need such
as: tape, stapler, paper clips, hangers, change, receipts, credit
card processing equipment, portable PC, pens, markers, and camera.
On arrival, concentrate on being there for setup as early as
possible. Set up your booth and step back to take a look as any
passerby will. Adjust as necessary. Dont let people walk by without
looking. Get their attention. Hand them a flyer and ask them a
question, or speak to them so they have to stop and notice you. Your
response will increase 3 to 4 times over the attention you will
receive sitting passively by, hoping they will approach you.
As the conference goes on, meet the people at other booths. See what
they have done and get advice on other conferences.
Post Conference
The conference is over. Now is the time to nurture the new
relationships that will bring revenue and success to your business.
HBM
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