If you’re new to tradeshow marketing, how do you find a tradeshow that’s appropriate for your company? After all, you don’t want to invest a wheelbarrow full of cash and find out that your target market doesn’t come to the show.
Not that you’d do that…but you’d be surprised what decisions are made in the world of business based on hearsay or minimal information.
Best bet is to ask a lot of questions.
Start with your clients. Find out what shows they attend. Then go online and check your competitors. Most businesses these days have an ‘event’ section in their website which usually lists the tradeshows they exhibit at. Also check also with manufacturers and distributors in your industry.
Next, search online. One good resource I have always steered people to is tsnn.com (‘The Ultimate Event Resource). You can search shows by state, country, industry and date. Go to the show’s website and review the information with an eye to determining if this is a show that your target market is likely to attend.
The next thing to ask yourself is: ‘what is my objective for this show?’ Your goal of launching a product may indicate a different show than your goal of creating a great media buzz for your company. Determine your
Once you’ve compiled a list, target the top 2 – 3 shows and make plans to visit them as an attendee in the coming year. By attending before you invest in exhibiting, you’ll get a good feel for which show(s) make the most sense for you. Besides, attending a show as a guest is a lot cheaper way to find out if it’s the right show than to show up with a booth, your staff and thousands of dollars of product – and wonder why your target market isn’t there.
photo credit: Incase Designs
Heidi Thorne ,
This is SO important! When you are at the wrong show, you attract the wrong customers. The advice to attend before exhibiting is good.
One thing to look at when you are checking out another show to attend is the potential business that you could get from fellow exhibitors. I, and many of my network colleagues, have exhibited at events and get some great leads from other exhibitors. There’s a sort of kinship that develops between booth neighbors. So also look at shows where you can develop referral partner relationships.
Great post as always!
.-= Heidi Thorne´s last blog ..RSS Feed Now Available for Promo With Purpose Today Blog =-.
How to Find the Right Tradeshow for Your Company « Expopedia ,
[…] March 30, 2010 If you’re new to tradeshow marketing, how do you find a tradeshow that’s appropriate for your company? After all, you don’t want to invest a wheelbarrow full of cash and find out that your target market doesn’t come to the show. Not that y … Continue reading … […]