Trade Show Management

Management & Planning Services for Trade Shows & Business Events

 

A lot of planning goes into attending a trade show or, at least, it should. Whether you're attending as a vendor or a participant, you've got to decide whether you're up to the challenge of trade show management or to bring in a professional trade show consultant to help with some degree, if not all, of the planning.

trade show management, trade show planning services'Planning for what?' you may ask.

  1. Booth location. Some venues provide booth location selection up to a year in advance. Where your booth is placed can make all the difference in whether you're a "splash" or a "drip" at the trade show.

  3. The ideal time to start planning is three to five months before the trade show event. This should give you plenty of time to identify your strategy, determine your marketing approach, design the pre-show and post-show mailers and decide which personnel will be involved. It will also give you time to create a checklist and delegate responsibilities.

  5. Proper trade show management should always be rooted in a solid strategic foundation. Plan your strategy because if you don't position your company, your products and/or services, what message could you possibly hope to convey to attendees? Now is the time to decide what you hope to accomplish and the resources you're willing to commit to making this show a success.

  7. Create a marketing plan. You can dazzle the masses with the best looking booth at the show but if you don't have a marketing plan, it won't take attendees long to figure out you're all fluff and no substance.

  9. Requirements? Once you've got a strategy and a marketing plan in place, next comes the booth and all of its requirements: electricity; lighting; seating and tables; carpeting; internet connection plus laptops, monitors and assorted peripherals; the means to track leads and measure every lead's level of engagement and interest (for after the show) and your marketing supplies/materials. Now, who is going to setup before and breakdown after the tradeshow?

  11. Before and After the Trade Show: There are things you can be doing to pique the interest of prospects and clients before the trade show begins. A few weeks before the trade show is a good time to send out a mailer to the prospects and clients you believe are likely to attend. The mailer should provide the place, date and time(s) of the trade show along with the location of your booth. After the trade show is a great time to follow up with all the leads you generated with the intention of converting prospects to clients. That goes back to the tracking list in #5, above.

  13. Storage. Finally, since you probably don't use your trade show booth every day, you've got to consider where you'll store it along with the furnishings and lighting until the next use.


Feeling overwhelmed? Consult with Apple Rock. Apple Rock can handle all of your trade show management needs as well as answer questions you haven't even thought of. The Apple Rock consultants are trade show management professionals that can help you get through your first trade show event or the one-hundredth.

The 21st Annual Piedmont Triad Business Showcase was a great success! Our preliminary calculations indicate that over 2,000 business professionals toured the showcase and participated in the various seminars, luncheons and events hosted by the Chamber. It was a true Chamber of Commerce day! Eric, thank you and Melissa and the entire Apple Rock Team for your participation and continued support as an exhibitor and sponsor of our Biscuits & Business Before Hours. Each year your team’s creativity and hard work reflect their dedication to making the Chamber and the show the very best. Let’s start planning your participation and Apple Rock’s Team’s increased visibility for 2009…

Chamber of Commerce