There are many reasons why a company enters
a trade show, and it is important that a company
spell out its objectives before making
this decision. These objectives can include: to make sales; to
maintain an image and continuing contact with customers; to
initiate contact with
new customers; to introduce a new product or service; to
demonstrate equipment; to offer an opportunity for
customers to bring their technical
problems and obtain solutions; to obtain feedback from
booth visitors; to relate to the competition;
etc
The most common objective, of course, is the first
one: to make sales and the trade show can play a unique
role in leading a prospective buyer
from mild interest to the decisive act of placing an order.
While making sales and sales contacts is the most common
objective of an exhibit, it is
certainly not the only one. Participation in a trade show
is a good way to sharpen one’s sensitivity to the
conditions of the marketplace.
At a trade show, you can sense the general attitude of
people more rapidly than any other
way.
Pinpoint your
objective:
In order to utilise the special characteristics of
the trade show exhibit to their maximum, you must make
it an integral part of the marketing
program. You must define exactly what you want your exhibit
to accomplish, and then see that all decisions about
design, copy, scheduling, and so on, are based on these
decisions. It all starts with the company’s marketing
goals, which are broken down into goals for each division
or perhaps for each product or product
line.
When you set an
objective, be sure it is meaningful and measurable.
Objectives are written statements of measurable goals,
prepared before
participation in a trade show. Putting these objectives in
writing not only helps you, the exhibitor, clarify your
planning, but provides specific guidelines to everyone else
involved: design; implementation,
participation and
evaluation.
These
objectives have two components:
(a) Target
audience (to whom, specifically are you
communicating?)
and
(b) Quantifiable
objectives:
It is not adequate to say ‘My objective is to display
our new product’. This is not
measurable.
These statements are
measurable:
·
To attract 15% of the total attendees to our
booth to see a demonstration of our new
product.
·
To communicate Benefit 1 and
Benefit 2 about our product to attendees and to
obtain 1,200 literature requests and 750 requests
for
demonstrations of our product.
With proper research these can be measured and the
data will pinpoint a contribution of the show, will help
justify the cost and, will be a benchmark
of accomplishment against which future participation can be
compared.
Plan your
objectives:
The first groups of question to ask are basic: “What
shows shall we enter?” ”How much space do we need in
each?” “ What do we want to say?”
“ Whom do we want to reach?” “What do we want to
accomplish?” “What kind of an exhibit design do we need to
achieve our objectives?”
“How do we tell our story?”
Once these are answered you need to ask: “How much
will this cost us?”
However, the most important questions to ask
and really the place to start, because they get to
the essentials of your marketing plan are:
“what is the real reason for going into this show at all?
“What end do we wish to reach?” and “What are our
goals?”
Next article: Promote
your trade show product story
2011
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How to participate profitably in a Trade
Show.