Make the Most of Your Tradeshow Exhibit with an Effective Strategy

If you’ve been thinking about ways to get in front of potential customers who would purchase your products, consider becoming an exhibitor at an industry tradeshow. I love attending tradeshows because this is when I have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with qualified buyers. The tradeshow producers have done the leg work to target and assemble individuals with specific needs; leaving me the opportunity to put my best foot forward. Attending tradeshows can be an effective marketing strategy for many business industries.

Don’t get me wrong! Just because you attend a tradeshow does not mean you will walk away with tons of business. A tradeshow can be a very expensive marketing investment; but if done correctly you may end the event with enough sales to cover your vendor fee and maybe even a few new contacts. Developing a strategy to get the most return on your tradeshow investment will require a great deal of preparation, creativity, and energy.

Making the most out of a tradeshow starts with picking tradeshows where qualified buyers of your products will be attending. If you provide insurance for small businesses, then attend a tradeshow that will target those buyers would be helpful. Qualified buyers are those who are more likely to purchase your products and they are in need of your services. Contact the tradeshow producers and ask questions like, “What is your expected number of attendees, how are you promoting the event to them, and what industries and job titles will be represented at the tradeshow?” Asking these simple questions will help you determine if you will meet some qualified buyers.

Once you’ve decided you should attend the event, there are pre-conference marketing activities you can implement if you have the budget. For example, get an ad in the pre-conference journal or on the tradeshow producer’s website. See if you can purchase the list of pre-conference registrations and send them a direct mail piece with your booth number to encourage them to stop by. Pick the best location possible for your display. I recommend close to the entry way and the front center aisles.

Choosing an exhibit stand depends on your budget, but you should always have eye catching display items. You will only have a few seconds to get someone’s attention as they walk by. All your marketing material and display items must have a clear and concise message so passer byes will quickly read your marketing message. Most attendees go to the exhibit hall to pick up free stuff or visit a particular vendor table. I remember a recent tradeshow exhibit hall I attended where the vendor had lounge chairs, computers, and TV monitors at their booth.

First, the chairs caught my eyes because my feet were killing me from all the walking; then it was the nicely laid out display area. Now, you may not have the budget to do all of this, but you can do creative things like having a magician, massage therapist, impersonator, games, prizes, or drawings to get someone’s attention. Drawings are great ways to gather customer information for future use. Maybe they won’t buy that day, but get permission to add them to an email list to be notified of future offers. You never know, they may become a customer soon after.


Depending on the size of the event, bring someone along with you to man the booth as you walk the aisle handing out flyers about special offers – for this event only. Please be respectful of other vendors and don’t steal people away from their tables. Tradeshows give you an opportunity to learn more about your competition. Walk the floor, visit their booths and pick up some of their literature. Ask them about what they offer. Be up front with them as to who you are because they are just as curious about your company as you are theirs. Pay attention to what kind of traffic their display gets and what activities they use to draw people to their table.

After the tradeshow is a pivotal time for follow up on the contacts you’ve made during the event. Go through all those business cards that were left at your table and send them letters in the mail thanking them for stopping by your table. Extend a special offer on your products to encourage them to buy. If they gave you permission to email them, request that they sign up for your newsletter to receive additional deals. Don’t forget to make follow up calls to those hot leads (people who said they would like a meeting or detailed discussion about your services).

You can make the most out of a tradeshow with an effective strategy. Just take the time to do a little research, creative thinking, and budgeting to get the most return on your investment.

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