Function (fungk’sh?n): the action for which a person or thing is particularly fitted or employed.

a. Assigned duty or activity.

b. A specific occupation or role: in your function as race car driver.

Just because your tradeshow booth LOOKS good, ATTRACTS people and WOWS the judges at the show, doesn’t mean you had a successful show.

There are other elements, such as: did you bring home more leads than you anticipated? Are you following up on those leads? Did your staff learn something good and useful for next show?

And perhaps most importantly: did your booth FUNCTION as it should have?

To determine if your booth is designed with more than just pretty graphics and a ‘wow’ factor to draw in the rubes (er, uh, show attendees), your designer should ask a lot of pertinent questions about the function of your booth.

Some typical functions you might need:

* Product display
* Internet access
* To serve samples, such as food or drink
* Storage, refrigeration, extra electricity
* semi -private area to discuss business
* Show off your product via a plasma screen or laptop
* Interact with your product (such as software) so visitors can get the feel for it

Function is getting down to the bottom line. If you need to sit down with clients or prospects and go over a product line or discuss aspects of business, you’ll need a place to do that. That’ll likely mean a small table that 3 or 4 people can sit down and chat at least a few feet away from the main traffic of the show.

If your business needs to let prospective customers get their hands on a computer mouse and play with the software to see how it applies to their business, you’ll need to make sure there’s room (and power) for the computer.

Or perhaps your booth needs room for a demo that can accommodate a dozen or more people. That space and accommodations need to be worked into the design.

It may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s still an important consideration. Many folks purchase a small booth display and go to great lengths and expense to make it look good. But if there’s a vital element missing that impairs your overall function, the time to discover that is not on the show floor!

Go over your show objectives as you sit down with your designer. If they’re sharp (as we hope all designers are, right?), they’ll make sure that your booth’s design incorporates all the essential functions that your booth will need to serve. And with such a collaborative effort between your tradeshow team and your booth design team you will ensure that all of the booth’s function needs have been met.

Tim Patterson is the VP of Sales and Marketing at Interpretive Exhibits in Salem, Oregon. Contact us at Interpretive Exhibits, Inc. if you would like to find out more details: info(at)interpexhibits.com or 503-371-9411.

January 28, 2009

When Do You Need A Tradeshow Consultant?

Does your company need a tradeshow staff trainer? A tradeshow is NOT a regular sales call. On the hot, active floor of the tradeshow, you must be quick on your feet, flexible, inventive, direct, creative and engaging. And you must know your product, your company, and your Most Important Prospects.

So how do you tell if your tradeshow sales crew could use a tradeshow training specialist?

Some questions you might ask yourself:

Are you having a hard time defining what a good lead at your show really it? You’ll have a lot of lookers, passersby as well as clients and prospects. If your sales staff doesn’t have the skills to differentiate between the various people that are there, you may be wasting time and energy chasing the wrong people, or missing important time with current clients or good prospects. If your prospect has shown in interest in your company, has the bucks to work with you and you’re able to solve her problem – you have a good lead.

Are your leads being sorted out into A (hot), B (warm) and C (cool) leads? If you’ve asked the right questions at the show, you’ll know exactly when the prospect wants you to follow up, and how. Some companies want immediate follow up, others are not ready to hear your presentation for a couple of months. Based on your company’s sales cycle, determine your categories of hot, warm and cool.

Does your on-floor sales staff know the difference between tradeshow selling and ‘normal’ selling? At least what’s normal for your company? Do they know how to attract a prospect’s attention in five seconds or less with an engaging question? Do they know how to qualify, disqualify and gather proper information for the sales team back at the office?

Do you have a list of pre-qualified prospects primed to see you at the show? Have you done pre-show marketing and made personal contacts to make sure your prime targets are attending and are planning to come see you?

Do you have a system in place to trade lead follow-up? After the leads come back from the trade show, the sales staff needs to be able to show you how they’ve followed up, what the status of the contact is, and if the lead was a quality lead. By regular checking you’ll be able to determine if your trade show sales staff were actually qualifying the leads, or just scanning badges.

Are you constantly ironing out inefficiencies in your system? This means regular de-briefings with your trade show sales staff to find out what works and what doesn’t. It means find out if your technology is doing all it should. It means reviewing your methodology for handling leads, putting on the trade show, updating your booth and more. It means going over your budget regularly with a fine tooth comb to weed out unneeded or ineffective items.

Trade shows are not a regular sales event, it takes the right staff and the proper training to insure you’re getting the level of success you should. When you bring in a trade show consultant your trade show investment can really pay off. Contact us at TradeshowGuy Exhibits if you would like to find out more details.

tradeshow booth function

Tradeshow Booth Function

When Do You Need A Tradeshow Consultant?