First Time Exhibitor? Don’t Make These Mistakes

July 28, 2017
8:47 pm

Posted by DMA Solutions Team

Are you a first-time tradeshow exhibitor at PMA Fresh Summit in October? If so, you’ll soon find out that the next few months are a flurry of lightning speed preparations and deadlines. As seasoned Fresh Summit veterans, we’ve identified a few pitfalls and common exhibitor mistakes to avoid that can save you a lot time and trouble. Keep the following tips in mind as you navigate your pre-, during- and post-show plans.

Mistake #1 – Underestimate the Value of Communicating Your Presence to Your Audience

There is a lot of planning that goes into those 2-3 days your booth will be open to visitors, but it’s never a good idea to rely on organic foot traffic to bring in your best prospects. Get the word out in advance through your advertisements, personal emails, mailed invitations, social media posts and by utilizing all the marketing resources on your show host’s website. For those of you about to exhibit at PMA’s Fresh Summit for the first time, check out their Marketing Toolbox for several great resources.

Mistake #2 – Not Setting Expectations for Booth Staff

Bringing a team to a tradeshow to work a booth is much different than bringing a team to simply walk the floor, network and host individual meetings. One is a coordinated team effort and one is an individually guided effort – though certainly with some different goals and expectations.

Create an equal balance of responsibility and engagement by assigning roles and responsibilities that include all aspects of your exhibition from set up to tear down and everything in between.

Mistake #3 – Overstaffing Your Booth

Odds are, if it’s your first time to exhibit, your booth is closer to a 10×10 than a 30×30. That means you only need 2 – 3 booth workers at any point during the show. The goal is to provide adequate staff to welcome visitors and engage in meaningful conversations; however, you don’t want your booth to be filled to the brim with your own employees and give the perception that you are too busy to handle another conversation.

Mistake #4 – Underestimate the Power of Unified Branding and Strong Messaging

We know – tradeshows aren’t cheap. And sometimes it’s easy to want to want to forego additional costs by using what you already have in the way of booth materials and handouts to just make due. Unfortunately, those decisions can be counterproductive and actually minimize your tradeshow ROI. When you put your company on display at a tradeshow, it’s important to put your best foot forward with cohesive, up-to-date branding and messaging that best represents what your company stands for and the solutions you can provide show attendees.

Mistake #5 – Not Having a Plan for Follow-up

Post-show follow-up is critical for defining tradeshow success and those efforts start with a strategy for collecting booth visitor information throughout the show and having a plan for effectively following up after the show. And that is, again, a group effort. Make sure your team is informed of your information collection system whether electronic or manual and plan to have a team meeting when you get home to discuss follow-up opportunities and who will do what.

Want to make sure you get foot traffic at your booth? Build buzz and excitement around your brand with strategic press releases! Click below to get started.