You will most likely have to choose between attending different trade shows unless your company is among those who set an unlimited budget to exhibit at trade shows every year. It is of the utmost importance for you to put in the time and effort into appearing at the events that will get you the highest return on your investments. But how can you know which trade shows will be the best for your company? Prior to booking a booth space at any conference or event, you must ask yourself and the event organizers the following questions.
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When Is The Event Taking Place?
If you’re similar to most businesses, there will be a few times a year when your business will be truly booming. Hence, if any show takes place during the peak season for your business, will it be feasible for you to send your best salespeople away from the office during that time? During such an event, you must weigh the value of the prospect of obtaining new customers against that of supporting old ones.
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Where Is The Event Taking Place?
This is an important question to ask not just because of the hotel expenses or the airfare associated with it, but also because the further the event is, the more it is going to cost to ship your displays. Also, if an event is happening halfway around the world, you could justify the cost only if one of your premium vendors, key partners, or a high-priority customer is in the same city. This will allow you to split your time between nurturing your existing business relationships and also searching for new opportunities.
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Who Is Attending The Event?
It doesn’t make a difference if a trade show is being attended by 10,000 or more people if a mere 50 out of those will be good prospects for your service or product. Ask the event organizer if the attendees match your target demographic. Also, make it a point to inquire about the percentage of attendees who are actually decision makers among the rest. However, if it’s a new show for you, or a new show altogether, you must ask the organizer to provide a list of references. This can be obtained from companies which have exhibited at the event previously.
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How Many Competitors Will Be Present?
You might have to rely on the list of previous exhibitors’ if it’s still early in the registration process to get a hold of this information. You can make assumptions about the competition who will turn up for the trade show. It’s also worth asking yourself if you can afford not to turn up for an event that some of your top competitors may be appearing at. Alternatively, if you notice a lot of your competitors skipping a particular show, it could be because of a reason you may be unaware of. In such a case, you must hold off on making a deposit for such events.
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How Much Will It Cost?
Every event is different, especially if you consider the effects that your trade show booth displays will make. Find out about the things that may cost you extra or what you will be receiving out of the display box. You must also make sure to read the list of display limitations as many exhibit venues and convention centres have restrictions on the sound, signage and lighting.
Before you pick out your next event and book a booth, make sure you ask the correct questions. Proper research and the right planning can go a long way in ensuring you have a successful show. We will discuss a few more questions that you should ask the event coordinators in our next blog.
