It is turfgrass tradeshow season once again. And the burning question is always how to get the most bang for your buck. Exhibitors want to know how to bring more business to their booths, and customers want to know how to get the most out of their time spent on the tradeshow floor.
Bottom line, neither party wants to waste their valuable time, and therefore need to come in with a game plan.
Set Your Company Up for a Successful Turfgrass Tradeshow
As the exhibitor, you need to have goals set before even leaving the office. Here are four simple suggestions to help set your company up for a successful show:
Market your booth number. You have to make sure your customers know which shows you will be attending and what booth you will be at. Advertising through your website, social networks, emails, and direct mailings are great ways to get your booth number out.
Choose your show staff well in advance. Letting your employees know which of them will be attending the shows in advance allows them to prepare as well. They will have time to contact customers and set up important meetings and attract more traffic to the booth.
Have a lead retrieval system in place. A lot of shows have a lead retrieval scanner available to rent. These are valuable tools because you can gather all the customers’ information by simply scanning in their show badge. If a scanner is unavailable, print off your own lead retrieval sheets to make notes about each interested customer.
Follow up with customers after the show. Collecting your leads is great; however, if you don’t plan to follow up with them, then they are useless. Talk to your customers and find out the best time to follow up. Making adequate notes when retrieving your leads will help you determine the best time for a follow-up call or email.
Steps Turfgrass Tradeshow Attendees Can Take For Visiting Your Booth
It’s not just the exhibitors who need to come prepared – customers visiting the booths need to prepare for their attending shows as well.
Talk to your employer and know what they want you to gather from the show. Make a list of objectives. Before stepping on the show floor: you should know if your job is to gather quotes, purchase new products, or just research potential items that may purchase in the future.
Map out a route ahead of time. Tradeshows can be large and a bit overwhelming at times. Luckily, most tradeshows have websites that will virtually show you the tradeshow floor map. Once you know what companies you want to talk to, find their booth numbers and start mapping out your route.
Set up meeting times. If you know you want to talk to a certain company representative at the show, go ahead and make an appointment. Most company will be more than happy to set up a time they can dedicate specifically their interested consumers.
Follow up after the show. Yes, each exhibitor should follow up with you after the show, but it’s ok to take that extra step and contacting them first. This will let them know you are serious about their product/services and will move your needs to the top of their follow-up list.
Setting Goals and Knowing Your Objectives Leads To Success
A successful tradeshow season is directly related to adequate planning and preparation. Make sure you and your staff set goals and know your objectives. Going to shows with a plan will make it a lot easier on you and will leave you feeling a lot less overwhelmed by the many different booths on the floor.