As seen in the June 1991 issue
of Telemarketing (now Customer Inter@ction Solutions).

Successful Marketing At A Trade Show Is A Two-Way Street: Part I

BY NADJI TEHRANI

Background
With the exception of telemarketing, trade show marketing is, by far, the most effective way to market. However, trade show marketing, like anything else, is successful if, and only if, it is conducted properly.

There is a gross misconception among some exhibitors of all shows that if they collect a lot of leads, qualified or not, or if there is heavy floor traffic, then that is a good show!

Savvy marketers know that the process of lead qualification is extremely costly and time-consuming, particularly when only a few percent of the leads are qualified! Experienced exhibitors also know that you don't go to the fireplace and say: "Give me heatthen I will add wood!" They know that successful trade show marketing is a two-way street. The show sponsor must perform a gamut of marketing functions to bring qualified attendees to the show floor. It is the exhibitor's job to also follow several vitally important pre-show marketing steps in order to give the attendee a reason to enter the exhibitor's booth!

Checklist For Successful Trade Show Participation
For successful exhibiting, ask yourself these 15 vital questions before you exhibit at any trade show:

1. Do your booth graphics grab attention quickly?
2. Do your graphics communicate in a few seconds what type of product or service you offer?
3. Do your graphics give the attendees a good reason to stop by and examine your products or services?
4. Do your booth design and graphics communicate a benefit for any attendee to stop by your booth?
5. Have you advertised in the leading industry publications inviting your readers to visit your booth? Did you offer them a FREE VIP pass to do so?
6. Have you called all of your top 100 customers and invited them to attend the show and visit your booth with complimentary VIP Passes as your guest?
7. Does your company have name recognition? For examplewould the attendee know what you sell by simply seeing your company's name (i.e., Coca cola sells soft drinks; McDonald's sells hamburgers, etc.)?
8. Have you taken the right people, who are well trained in exhibit marketing, to the show with you? (See Publisher's Outlook, January 1989.) Remember, this is vitally important.
9. Have you sent several mailings to your database, each time giving them a new, important reason why they must visit your booth?
10. Are you visible everywhere as a company?
11. Do you regularly get your message across through your advertising?
12. Do you come up with a major new attraction or "attention-grabbing idea" in your booth to make you STAND ABOVE THE CROWD?
13. Do you sponsor events at the show to draw all delegates' attention to your booth?
14. Does your booth staff have proper "boothsmanship"? Are they sitting around talking among themselves, reading newspapers, smoking, eating, drinking or talking to the office instead of aggressively seeking out customers from the aisles 100 percent of the time?
15. Last, but not least, is there anything in (or about) your booth that would encourage a potential customer to come to your booth instead of (or in addition to) your competitors?

If your answer is positive to most or all of the above questions (and we certainly hope it is), chances are, you will have a very successful trade show. If it is not, do not expect to have a successful show, and when that happens, don't blame the show sponsor for your own failure for not giving the attendees a good reason (or any reason) to visit your booth. In Part II of this two-part editorial, we will expand on reasons for success and failure of exhibiting at a trade show.

Sincerely,
Nadji Tehrani
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

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