Achieving Trade Show Success
by Ellen Gooch

This past fall, 63 Greek olive oil companies exhibited at the Greek Pavilion at Anuga.  I am going to make an educated guess here and suggest that for many of those olive oil companies, the show was not a success.  How do I define success?  Sales.
As with any marketing activity, trade show participation must have a measurable ROI (Return on Investment).  Obviously, if a company spends money on a marketing activity, it expects that activity to be profitable.  Trade shows can be a particularly good marketing activity for food and drink companies because of the sensory nature of the products.   I say ???can??? be because trade show participation can only be profitable if performed correctly.  Here is how:

1. Choose your shows carefully. If your company is one out of 63 promoting a similar product at a show, differentiation is difficult (possible, but difficult).  There are many shows to choose from, both those with a Greek Pavilion and those without.  An excellent trade show database can be found at www.tsnn.com.  Speaking of Greek Pavilions, consider whether it is better to participate as a Greek company or on your own.  It is certainly more complicated to arrange a booth directly with a trade show organizer, but you may get a better location or a better price.  As for location, if possible try to get a space abutting a large exhibitor.  Large exhibitors usually attract heavy traffic and heavy traffic is exactly what you want.

2. Set goals.  It is important to know exactly what you want to achieve through trade show participation.  A vague idea that you might meet a potential customer and maybe make a sale is not a goal.  You know how much participation will cost (the booth, travel expenses, food, hotels, etc.) and you know how much in sales you need to cover these costs and turn a profit.

3. Identify potential customers.  One way to do this is by carefully reading the show handbook.  These can be a source of valuable information.  Perhaps a distributor or retailer you are interested in is speaking at the show or having an event ??" now you know where to find them.  In addition, many shows offer a web site that lists participants and attendees from the previous year. 

4. Prepare in advance.  If you know who some of your sales targets are, send them an invitation to visit your booth or call them to set up an appointment.  Write a news release well in advance of the show and send it to the proper media (like Epikouria).  Show handbooks also often contain contact information for key media.

5. Stand out. Crafting an attractive booth is extremely important.  It is not enough to simply slap your logo on a banner and put out a tray of snacks.  See what your competitors have done and make sure you do better. 

6. Train you staff.  Write down your sales pitch and make sure every person that will be manning your booth (all of whom will be smiling, happy people that don??Tt smoke, chew gum, eat, chat on the phone, etc. while on booth duty) knows it by heart.  It is important to be professional and consistent.  Define a dress code.  I??Tve seen female company representatives wearing outfits more appropriate for a strip club than a trade show.  Food and navel rings do not go together.

7. Talk to people.  Staffers should have time to walk the show.  During this time, they should try to meet people.  I once attended a trade show with a serious sales guy.  His eyes were glued to the chests of the trade show participants and if he saw a company name on a badge that our company was targeting as a potential customer he would walk right up and introduce himself to the badge holder.  Once he nearly tackled a target on the hotel bus.  He wasn??Tt shy and you shouldn??Tt be either.

8. Track your leads.  You want to know who visits your booth, and if they are potential customers, you want to be able to contact them after the show.  Keeping track of leads is therefore important.  Many shows provide a (usually fairly expensive) machine that scans participants??T banners and stores the information contained there in a USB mini drive.  This is one option.  Another is to buy a lovely little product called Neatreceipts (www.neatreceipts.com).  This is a handheld business card scanner that connects to a notebook USB port.  It is cheaper than the show device and can be used over and over.  Whatever you do, do not expect potential customers to give you their card.  Maybe they don??Tt have enough cards to go around.

9. FOLLOW UP.  Over 75% of trade show leads are never followed up.  What a waste.  As soon as the show is over, send a follow-up note (preferably personalized) to all the potential customers you met at the show, whether in your booth or in the bathroom.  You might also want to consider sending a sample or samples of your products.  Give your targets a few days and then call them.  Marketing gurus claim that it typically takes at least three contacts to make a sale.

Extra Tips
1. Wear comfortable shoes. 
2. Make sure you offer something fun at your booth, like a snack or a give-away
3. Bring twice as  many business cards as you think you will need
4. Keep your promotional material light and easy to carry.  Heavy brochures often end up in the trash.
5. Read the trade shows promotional materials early on.  Often they contain special deals on hotels, etc.