GREAT 123 IDEA: Invite Associates to a Trade Show
If attending a trade show is on your calendar this year, make the trip more valuable by inviting clients, potential customers, or business associates to meet you at or near the show.
As soon as you register to attend, go through your database to make a list of everyone you know who lives within 100 miles of the show.
Meeting people at a national conference or trade show has several advantages. It saves you a subsequent trip to their city. If you can afford it, pay the registration fee so they can visit the exhibit floor. If you have a booth, they'll see you in action. They'll meet your best salespeople and watch you interact with the public.
If you can wangle an invitation to participate in a panel discussion, better yet. What a great way to position yourself as a leader in your industry.
Even if you aren't an exhibitor, it's still great to walk around the show with a good customer at your side.
If your clients accept your invitation to meet at a show, rent a hotel suite and plan a party. Or take them out for a meal. Make reservations early because nearby restaurants may be overrun with convention attendees.
Attending a trade show, with or without guests, is essential to your success. It's the place to check out your competition and let them know you are coming after them. It's also the easiest way to connect with industry movers and shakers.
Tips for Really Working a Trade Show
Hedy Ratner, cofounder of the Women's Business Development Center (WBDC) in Chicago, really knows how to work a room. A consummate networker, she has devoted years to helping women entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.
Here are some of her great tips for making the most of a trade show:
- Set goals before you go. Are you there to find new suppliers or customers or to study the competition?
- Dress for success and comfort. “First impressions are important, so dress businesslike,” Ratner advises.
- Wear comfortable shoes because you will be on your feet all day and walk for miles.
- Plan your schedule the night before to decide which booths to visit and which seminars to attend.
- Make notes as you walk the show, either in a notebook or with a digital recorder.
- Plan to attend key seminars, workshops, and parties.
- Bring lots of business cards and brochures. Toss out the stuff you collected that you don't need before you pack up to go home.
- Be flexible and be open to spontaneous meetings with people you meet. “Trust your instincts to lead you to mentors, key contacts, and resources,” said Ratner.
- Follow up immediately after the show. People forget who they meet at shows, so get back in touch right away.