Whether you’re getting ready for your first ever trade show or you’ve been attending the events for years, there are common mistakes everyone has been victim to at some point. Most of the mistakes in trade shows can be avoided with proper planning but if you haven’t had the experience before, it’s unlikely you’ll be on the lookout to avoid the issues. Having the best banner holder stand design, promotions, or giveaways can help, but there are simpler ways to ensure a successful trade show.
Not Setting Higher Goals
Everyone at a trade show wants to increase brand awareness and make sales. In fact, every business has that goal every day at their office. But why did you attend this trade show? Are there companies you hope you can strike up a partnership with? Did you hear a competitor will be there and you hope to grab the attention away from their products? Having a higher goal can help set the stage for your experience at the event.
Defining the overarching goals of the trade show early on can prove helpful for your marketing and sales efforts. After all, the goal will drive how the event is generally handled. From booth designs to how many people will attend the event, you can better plan for success when you know what success looks like for you.
Too Last Minute
Sometimes you hear about an opportunity right before it happens. Last minute preparations can ruin a promotional event. If possible, start planning a minimum of six months in advance. Finding the right colorful banner or banner holder stand alone can take time. When considering how branding will play a part, the presentation, and getting all the material items in order, rushing can be a detriment. Instead, take the time to fully prepare. If you attend events often, continually update your inventory of banner displays and banner material.
Poorly Made Graphics
If you don’t have an in-house graphic designer, you may try to use what you already have for your branding or you may have an intern throw something together. Having bad graphics can significantly lower your ROI at a trade show event. Be sure to get graphics as vector images from graphic designers. Vector images use an algorithm rather than pixels to create the image. This means the same image can be used at 1 inch tall to 65 inches tall. The small consideration will save a ton of time and stress while working with a company to get printed banner standing displays or table top graphics.
Wrong Staff
Sending the right people to the event is imperative for success. It might seem like a good idea to throw a new salesperson into the deep end and see if they can swim. This may be a good tactic, but be sure you send a seasoned salesperson, as well. They can ensure the newbie has the sales support they need. If the salesperson gets too overwhelmed or is ineffective, this will also ensure the company has the opportunity to recover the ROI lost on the newbie.
TradeShowPlus makes getting the right trade show booth design quick and easy. Check out our website today to see what solutions we can offer to help you succeed at your next trade show.
