Friday, November 22, 2013

Before the Show: Research and Plan

Achieving our goals often hinges on pre-Show planning. Those exhibitors that develop a thorough understanding of the Show and the opportunities it represents towards their organizational goals and resources will dramatically increase their chances for success. It is known that the single most common mistake exhibitors make is “just showing up” without properly preparing. Marketplace Events delivers buyers to the Show but it's up to you the exhibitor to attract them to your booth and interact with them.

Getting the right people into your booth is critical to your success. However, you also need to know what to do with them when they arrive. Take time to think through your goals, write them down, and make sure that everyone on your team understands them.

Speaking of time, the best time to start planning is as soon as you book your booth - or even better - well before you book! Our teams at Marketplace Events know what it feels like to have the show quickly approaching and not much time left to complete the task list. At this point it's time for an all-nighter. You can avoid having to stay up all night by creating a work back calendar with all your key dates marked out in advance. Working on your goals months away from the show can help ensure you meet them and experience the greatest amount of success. Trust us, you'll be light years ahead of the guy that just showed up.

Do you want Show attendees to see your new equipment demonstration? Meet a celebrity or your company VIP?  Try out your new product/service? Collect a premium? Leave behind a resume? Whatever the objective, make sure that it moves your business plan toward your final goal.

The next few weekly blog posts will be dedicated to "Before the Show" and offer tips and strategies on how to get the most out of your participation in a Marketplace Events home show through pre-show planning.

Some topics we'll cover are:
- Setting Goals and Measuring Success
- Deciding How Much Space You Will Need
- Training Your Team
- Developing an Effective Lead Card
- Learning the Marketing Opportunities

Remember the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

Marketplace Events

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