September 02, 2014

A Quick Survival Guide to Your First Marketing Show

We’re currently amidst the eye of the 2014 tradeshow storm. The Content Boost team has been busy travelling across country from one show to the next this summer (we just returned from ITEXPO 2014, which took place August 11-14 in Las Vegas) and we’re looking forward to attending CMWorld 2014 in the coming week.

Chances are your calendar is filled with upcoming events. After all, they are a solid platform for networking with like-minded marketers, prospecting sales and bolstering brand awareness. In fact, in a poll conducted by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) 99 percent of marketers say they found unique value from tradeshows that they believe they cannot find anywhere else.

If you’re a tradeshow newbie or need a fresher in the do’s and don’ts of the floor, here are a few to keep in your back pocket:

  • Come prepared to target prospects: One of the top-ranked, unique values of tradeshows is the ability to interact with a large number of prospects and customers over a short period of time. But you shouldn’t walk into your first marketing show blindly; thoroughly research the event and its exhibitors and come prepared with a list of companies that would make solid leads. Not only that, but reach out to these prospects beforehand to see if you can schedule meetings with them. There’s no better feeling than accelerating the meet-and-greet process.
  • Take notes after every valuable interaction: You’re going to have a lot of meaningful conversations with a lot of prospects. In addition to taking their business card, be sure to take notes of who you spoke with—from the basics of the individual’s role or position within the company to interesting quirks or tidbits of information (i.e. the company’s headquarters is only 30 minutes away from your hometown or you both happen to love biking)
  • Don’t forget to send follow-up emails: Once you settle back into the office from a successful event, follow up with each and every person you connected with in the form of a “thank you” email. That’s where all of those interesting, valuable notes come into play. For example, if you remember that a prospect flew cross-country to attend the event, including a simple “Hope you traveled home safe and sound” can make a world of a difference when following up. Remember: these emails can’t be all about business.
  • Know the event’s Twitter hashtag so you can live tweet and network: A great opportunity awaits tradeshow attendees to network and engage via social media. Find out the event’s hashtag and Twitter handle beforehand so  you can be ready to fire off a targeted message when need be (think a quick “thank you” to a prospect after speaking with them at their booth; a short reminder for attendees to meet you at your booth; or a last call for attendees to check out an exciting breakout session).
  • Make connections during downtime: You should never be off your networking game at a show. While sitting down to grab a quick snack or catching up on emails in the Wi-Fi lounge is important, you should still be on your A-game and attentive to who is around. Swap a few business cards during your spare time and see who else you can share your company’s unique story with; you never know what business opportunities may result from that seemingly quick conversation.
  • If you’re exhibiting, prepare short answers to commonly-asked questions: What does your company do? What do you offer? What do you do in your role? The last thing you want to do is freeze up when a genuinely interested prospect comes to you for answers at your booth. You need to be the subject matter expert on deck; even if you don’t necessarily feel like one, your boss is entrusting you to be. Therefore, perfect your elevator speech before you walk the walk and talk the talk at your next marketing event.

Whether you’re the newest member of your company’s marketing team or a seasoned player, venturing off to your very first marketing show is nothing short of overwhelming. Hopefully these quick tips and tricks of the trade (pun intended) will help guide you along your way! 




Edited by Brooke Neuman




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