Our Successful Trade Show Marketing Strategies presentation will help you get results by revealing the essential aspects of a successful trade show program.

1. 10 Mistakes Exhibitors Make
at Trade Show

2. 10 Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
• Exhibit design
• Booth staffing
• Promotions
• Lead management
• Logistics

3. Mistake 1: Underselling Your Company
With Bad Graphics

4. Mistake 1: Underselling Your Company
With Bad Graphics
• Poor fitting pop-up display graphics

5. Mistake 1: Underselling Your Company
With Bad Graphics

6. Mistake 1: Underselling Your Company
With Bad Graphics

7. Mistake 2:
ARE
THESE
YOUR
DISPLAY
GRAPHICS
?

8. 5 words, including the URL. Their name brand is
already on their wonderful can and bottle packaging.
Green light on clarity and a clear benefit.

9. 5 words, including their company name. Green light on amount of words. They
sell a service – and use photos of happy, confident people in their graphics.

10. Bold color. Image is a play on their company name.
8 words

11. Including logos. Words are bigger, and organized. Says who they are and what
they do. But not why you should buy from them, other than the idea that the
brand name Armor means protective. There is no benefit offered in the text. At
29 words it’s getting hard to receive a message quickly from this.
29 words

12. Strong single background color and product image photos maximize the visual
footprint of your 10 foot display. Nice curve, nice visual texture. Type is very small.
The words are not to be read unless you get close – the big blue image is meant to
grab you, and the list of products is handy during a discussion. You could never
read them from the aisle.
40 words

13. The lists of words are getting in the way of making a bigger impact. The idea is to
use the 10 foot display to make an impact and get attention. Why put as many words
as a brochure on the display, when you’ve got the brochures right at hand?
103 words

14. Mistake 3:
Not Promoting Your Presence at Trade
Shows

15. Mistake 3: Not Promoting Your Presence
at Trade Shows
Pre-Show Mediums
• Email
• Direct mail
• Phone
• Social media

16. Mistake 3: Not Promoting Your Presence
at Trade Shows
Pre-Show Invite List
• Show organizer
• Previous show leads
• Your database
• Best sales prospects

17. Mistake 3: Not Promoting Your Presence
at Trade Shows

18. Mistake 4: Depending on a Fishbowl for
Qualified Leads

19. Mistake 4: Depending on a Fishbowl for
Qualified Leads
Why Ditch the Fishbowl?
• No engagement
• Wrong people
• No insight
• No qualifying
• No differentiation

20. Mistake 5: Not Training Booth Staff and
Setting Expectations

21. Mistake 5: Not Training Booth Staff and
Setting Expectations

22. Mistake 5: Not Training Booth Staff and
Setting Expectations

23. Mistake 6: Not Listening to Your
Prospects’ Needs

24. Mistake 7: Hauling Too Much Literature
to Your Booth

25. Mistake 7: Hauling Too Much Literature
to Your Booth
• Write ‘show sample’
• Have a few copies
• Send literature after the show

26. Mistake 7: Hauling Too Much Literature
to Your Booth

27. Mistake 8: Not Planning for Trade
Show Success

28. Two Kinds of Planning
• Logistics
• Marketing
Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success

29. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: 6 Months Out
• Review past objectives
• Set new objectives

30. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: 5 Months Out
• Set budget
• Select shows and booth spaces
• Evaluate exhibit

31. Timeline: 4 Months Out
• Select booth staffers
• Research technology
• Invite exhibit builders
Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success

32. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: 3 Months Out
• Review the ‘showbook’
• Create promotions

33. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: 2 Months Out
• Arrange staffers’ travel
• Order services
• Choose your exhibit builder
• Order promotions
• Order uniforms

34. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: 2 Months Out
• Arrange staffers’ travel
• Order services
• Choose your exhibit builder
• Order promotions
• Order uniforms

35. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: 1 Month Out
• Send promos
• Train staffers, part 1
• Order more services
• Order at-show promos
• Ship exhibit

36. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: 2 Weeks Out
• Train staffers, part 2
• Send more promos
• Ship supplies

37. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: 1 Week Out
• Prepare fulfillment
• Verify exhibit arrival
• Collect documents and backup
• Verify staffers
• Love your loved ones

38. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: At the Show
• Be your best
• Make it happen

39. Mistake 8:
Not Planning for Trade
Show Success
Timeline: After the Show
• Come home
• Say “Thank you”
• Fulfill your leads
• Check costs
• Measure and analyze
• Report results

40. Mistake 10: Not Following Up On Leads!

41. Mistake 10: Not Following Up On Leads!
Speed Up Lead Fulfillment
• Fulfillment packets
• Pre-assign data-entry people
• Import data file
• Ship leads every day
• Hire a temp

42. Mistake 10: Not Following Up On Leads!
Speed Up Lead Fulfillment
• Fulfillment packets
• Pre-assign data-entry people
• Import data file
• Ship leads every day
• Hire a temp

43. Thanks for Attending!
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