
10 Proven Ways to Prepare Well For Your First Trade show
A trade show, also known as a trade fair, is an exhibition where different companies in the same industry gather to showcase their newest products, interact with clients and partners, keep abreast with the latest trends in the market and find out what their competitors are doing differently.
It can be classified into trade-only shows or public exhibitions. Research has shown that trade shows still remain one of the most profitable business-to-business marketing strategies.
Therefore, you need to put your best foot forward and grasp all the PR and marketing opportunities. If this is your first time preparing a trade show, keep reading to learn proven ways to stand out from the rest.
1. Provide comfortable seats at the booth

Customers and other exhibitionists move from one booth to another, searching for information and enlightenment.
Undoubtedly, you would also get tired if you had to walk around all day talking to new people and reviewing new products.
An excellent way to attract visitors to your trade fair booth and stand out from the rest would be to provide comfortable lounge seats. Tired clients can rest their feet as they listen to you or review your products.
2. Be active!
It would be far-fetched to assume that you could sit at your booth all day and expect customers to flock to your station.
Avoid looking down at your phone all the time while seated at the booth. We recommend standing about a meter away from your station and smiling at everyone who walks past you.
Show a keen interest in meeting people and speak with confidence. Resist the urge to promote your products directly to your clients.
Instead, be informative and show them your product can add value to their lives.
3. Bring your A-team to the Event
The people working at your trade show booth could make or break your company. For the duration of the trade fair, they are the face of your company.
If they leave a poor impression on potential clients, you risk earning a bad reputation.
Invest in your in-house team by training them to represent you well at the trade fair or you may hire an event staffing agency to help you promote your brand.
Ensure they are friendly, well-versed in the products or services you offer, and are ready to answer any questions.
4. Post photos on social media and tag other exhibitors
The trade show you will attend will most likely have a social media hashtag where exhibitors can chronicle their day and connect with other professionals in the industry.
We recommend snapping photos at various booths and tagging other exhibitors in your social media posts.
Chances are they will share your post on their timeline and expose you to their vast following. As a result, their followers might flock to your page to see what you have in store.
5. Ensure your trade show booth is eye-catching
There might probably be other businesses at the fair, giving you the challenging task of ensuring yours will stand out.
Now, research reveals that the human attention span is only eight seconds. After these eight seconds are up, your clients will move to another booth if they do not deem you interesting enough.
This is why you should invest in wonderful trade show displays to entice your audience. Remember, the brain processes pictures faster than text.
There are a variety of materials and options available to suit different booth designs. Some popular choices include modular displays, banner stands, pop-up displays, and inflatable displays.
Custom inflatable displays are trendy and highly effective, as they can be made into unique shapes and sizes and can attract attention from far away. Modular displays are versatile and can be customized to fit different booth sizes, while banner stands are portable and easy to set up.
Pop-up displays are a cost-effective option and can be quickly assembled and disassembled. No matter which option you choose, it’s important to design your display with eye-catching graphics and clear messaging to grab the attention of your audience and entice them to visit your booth.
In all, ensure you use more visual representations to guarantee you will be noticed from afar.
6. Produce high-quality short videos
Generally speaking, customers usually have a short concentration span. Though pictures are an effective tool to reel clients in, short videos are bound to keep visitors to your booth engaged for longer.
You could feature company overviews, testimonials, product demos, and promos on your booth to capture the attention of onlookers.
Ensure these videos are professional, as nobody likes watching pixelated videos with low quality.
7. Be physically and mentally prepared
Trade fairs are hyper-social events where you mingle with people and see many new faces. These types of scenarios can be physically draining as you might be standing and talking for most of the day.
Extroverted people might not have a problem being in such a social setting. However, introverts might feel mentally drained, and their social battery has depleted.
It would be best to have a good night’s sleep the day before the trade show to have an easier time during the day.
8. Get ready to demonstrate your products
As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Knowing your business well is key. So, if you have a good grasp of product knowledge, you might convince the visitors to your booth to make a purchase.
However, you will come across clients who want to see the product in action to make the final verdict. If you are not ready to demonstrate your product at the trade fair, potential clients will lose interest and look at other booths.
We also recommend giving free samples to increase the likelihood that more people will invest in your products.
9. Bring lots of brochures and business cards
Business cards leave a tangible reminder of your business to your clients and provide an avenue for them to reach out to you later.
We recommend that you not be caught off-guard and bring as many business cards as you can.
You would rather take them back to the office after the trade fair is over rather than have a few pieces that will be gone before the trade fair ends.
10. Reach out to people you interacted with at the fair
One of the most important aspects of a trade fair is to follow up with the people you linked up with.
Keep in mind that the purpose of the fair was to turn introductions into long-term business relationships.
Ensure you take note of the individual concerns and desires of the clients you interacted with to craft personalized follow-up messages.
It would be best not to wait too long before you reach out lest you lose momentum.
Final remarks
Trade shows can help boost brand awareness, improve your sales and help you link up with potential clients and partners.
Without proper knowledge and planning, you will leave the event with few connections and fewer prospects of potential clients.
Startups, in particular, stand a great chance to gain traction in the market only if they get creative and market themselves appropriately in these events. Prepare well beforehand and you are bound to have a successful event!