With times changing as fast as they are, event trends are evolving year by year. That’s why it’s wise to place your company in a position that will bring more exposure to your services and products. The Event Planner Expo in NY is just the place for you to exhibit your business! Having a booth may come with its costs, but the ROI will justify the expense so long as you understand that attendee behaviors shift as much as event trends do. That means that it’s crucial for you to know how to prepare and plan for the days leading up to the Event Planner Expo, as well as what to do during and after the show.
According to tradeshow expert Jefferson Davis, “No matter how cool your products are, the single most important factor influencing your exhibiting results is your booth staff. It’s what they do or don’t do in that short window of opportunity with buyers that makes the difference.” That being said, here’s what you should do:
Before the Event Planner Expo
- Whether it’s in writing or by practicing with staff, you must establish your brand message. Learn what it is you want to convey and what you want a booth visitor to take away from visiting your booth.
- Do a “booth run-through” to look at your display from an attendee point of view. Is it creative? Unique? You want your booth to have high visibility activities that will attract attention and keep attendees engaged long enough to converse with you. By doing a run-through you’ll notice what may need enhancing or tweaking to make you stand out above the rest.
- Layout a go-to list of conversation pieces that will lead to probing questions that will help you quickly decide if your booth guest is a potential lead for you. There has to be at least 3 questions that will help you qualify the attendee.
During the Event Planner Expo
- Tradeshows are about facetime, and not the iOS service, but actual face to face conversations. It’s important that you know how to engage attendees by offering conversation. Find a way to intertwine your sales pitch into regular conversation so that they’re interested in you before your product or service.
- Ensure that your booth is easy to enter, so circle around your space and make sure to remove any obstacles that are blocking your entrance. I.e. chairs, tables, displays, etc.
- Document each visitor and make sure to jot down what you may have offered or promised them. Then list how you plan to follow up with each visitor and set a date to do so.
After the Event Planner Expo
- Before you start your follow-ups, take time to analyze whether or not your Event Planner Expo goals were met. What goal did you set? Did you reach it? Why or why not? Once you’ve decided this, you can brainstorm ways to make sure your goal is met, even if it’s after the show.
- Separate your leads so that you can decide which were quality leads vs. not. Once you’ve decided which leads were more valuable to you, start to strategize your follow-up approach. Your qualified leads are who you will reach out to first, but don’t discount the other leads because you may be pleasantly surprised at what may come of them.
- A few months after the exhibit, create a plan for next year’s show. Base your plan on what worked and what didn’t. As professionals in the events industry we always have after-the-fact ideas that will work for the next event, and they usually work wonders! Using this form of forward thinking will be beneficial for your outcome at next year’s Event Planner Expo.
Stay tuned for more great articles that will enhance your experience at our annual expo by visiting our blog each week!
