Read the Complete Article at: http://onestopinventionshop.net/blog/2019/06/how-to-decide-if-a-trade-show-is-right-for-your-product/
Trade Shows are expensive, so you want to be sure to carefully check out trade shows you might attend to ensure they are a good fit for your product. Here are some steps you can take to decide if a trade show is worth attending.
{Don Debelak’s new book, Turning Your Invention into Cash is now available on Amazon for $3.49. Go to Amazon.com and enter inventions Don Debelak to purchase. From the author of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Bringing Your Product to Market.}
Ask
you industry contacts, or any potential customers you may have talked to, which
trade shows they attend regularly. If there are one or two shows everyone
mentions, those are the shows you should investigate. If
timing permits, try to attend a show a year before exhibiting. This is the best
way to investigate a show, and it allows to talk to small companies exhibiting
about their experiences. You will also be able to see exactly what type of an
exhibit display you will need. You can also see how your competition exhibits
its products. You will want your booth to be comparable, or better than your
competition’s booths. See
if the show is sponsored by a major trade magazine or industry association
targeted at your key potential customers. These shows often have educational
seminars related to the industry and they are typically the trade shows key
buyers attend. Some shows are run by independent groups and my experience is
they are not as worthwhile.Ask
for a list of last year’s trade show exhibitors. Also ask for the floor plan
from last year’s show. Most trade shows will give you this if you call up their
sales departments. Look first, to see if all the main industry players exhibit
at the show. Second look for names of smaller companies who have small booths.
You’d like to see a variety of smaller companies exhibiting as they typically
won’t exhibit if they don’t get a good return for their investment. Call up some of the small exhibitors and ask
for their Trade Show Manager, who usually will be the Sales Manager. Tell them
you are considering exhibiting at this year’s show and ask them if they felt the
trade show was a good investment for their company. After you receive some
general feedback ask these questions. Were
there many of their target buyers at the show?Did
the show have good traffic?Was
the company satisfied with the number of leads they received?Have
they attended the show for more than one year, and will they go back next year?Was
the company looking for sales representation, and if so, did they meet any potential
reps?Was the meeting well-attended by industry
press, and if it was, did the company receive any press coverage?Were
there unexpected costs of the trade show, for example costs of setting up the
booth, charges for bringing the booth into the hall, or electrical charges for
plugging in equipment? Ask
the trade show exhibitor sales persons if they have a new product showcase,
which is typically less expensive, or do they have another exhibitor who might
want to share a booth. Find out if you can bring in your own booth and set it
up yourself, or if you need it to go through the drayage company. The drayage handles, for a
price, handles the movement of your exhibit
items between your carrier’s vehicle and your trade show booth space. Try
to find options for keeping your expenses as low as possible. Consider
the impact of the trade show on your budget.
You don’t want to spend your entire marketing budget on a trade show.
Your costs include the exhibit, marketing materials, the space rental charges
as well as travel and hotel expanses. If
the costs are too high at a national show, consider attending regional shows,
hopefully in your geographic area.
The post How to Decide if a Trade show is Right for Your Product appeared first on One Stop Invention Shop.
