Preparing for a Trade Show

Prepared for Your Next Trade Show

Trade shows provide excellent opportunities for small business owners to build brand awareness and potentially sell their products or services to a wider consumer base. Trade show event planning in San Francisco is especially important, as the Bay Area is home to a wide range of small businesses, so the field of competition is larger. To ensure that you are prepared for your next trade show visit, follow the tips below.

Design Your Display

First, you must formulate a marketing plan for the trade show. People will not visit your tent or stand if your display is not visually appealing. A simple colored tablecloth and your company logo will not be eye-catching or memorable. Several months before the trade show, contact an event rental service and reserve your tent rentals, along with any other equipment you think you may need to make your display stand out.

Prepare Your Materials

Once you have attracted people to your booth, you will need a hook that keeps them interested—and free samples or snacks are not enough since there will be countless other businesses at the trade show offering those. If you make and sell a product, have at least one (preferably several) display versions available for customers to see in action and to handle, if appropriate. If you provide an intangible service, you might need to consult with a trade show event planning professional to figure out how to best represent your business to potential customers at the show.

Train Your Staff

To ensure success at a trade show, staff training is just as important as event planning and marketing. Trade shows are often very busy, and if you are successful, you may have dozens of people visiting your booth at once. If any of your booth staffers need to pass questions on to someone else, your potential customer may become impatient and leave. You need to bring your most personable and engaging staff members in the trade show, and you need to make sure they are fully prepared to answer any question put to them about your products or services.