Dodging 10 Common Tradeshow Marketing Blunders

Marketing is the key to creating a great trade show, but it is an inexact science with room for a multitude of errors. The following outlines 10 of the most common marketing mistakes that show managers make. Learn to avoid them and you will increase your chances for a successful show.

1. Failing to have a proper exhibit marketing plan.
Having both a strategic trade show marketing plan and a tactical plan of action is a critical starting point. In order to make your show a powerful event that will inspire exhibitors and attendees to return year after year, both plans must be in alignment.

Know and understand exactly what you wish to achieve. Do you want to increase market share for existing users or provide tools that will help exhibitors introduce new products or services?

2. Failing to have a well-defined promotional plan.
A significant part of your marketing includes promotion -- pre-show, at-show, and post-show. Most show managers fail to have a plan that encompasses all three areas. Budget is naturally going to play a major role in deciding what and how much promotional activity is possible. Developing a meaningful theme or message that ties into your strategic marketing plan will help to guide promotional decisions. Know which exhibitors and attendees you want to target and then consider having different promotional programs aimed at different groups. Include direct mail, broadcast faxes, advertising, public relations, sponsorship, and the Internet as possible ways to reach your target audiences.

3. Failing to use direct mail effectively.
Direct mail is still one of the most popular promotional vehicles that managers use. From postcards to multi-piece mailings, prospective exhibitors and attendees are deluged with invitations to participate in and visit shows. Individual exhibitors also bombard prospects.

Design a promotional piece that is benefit-oriented and makes an impact. Mail at least three pieces at regular intervals prior to the show, and wherever possible, use first-class mail. There's nothing worse than a mailing that arrives after the show is over.

4. Failing to give exhibitors and attendees a reason to come to your show.
Whatever promotional vehicles you use, make sure that you give visitors a reason to visit your show. Given time constraints and the variety of displayed products and services, people need an incentive to browse the various booths. First and foremost, people's primary interest is in "what's new." They are eager to learn about the latest technologies, new applications, or anything that will help save them time or money.

Even if an individual exhibitor doesn't have a new product to introduce, help the exhibitor come up with a new angle for promotion. Think of how you can add value to your exhibitors' experience and how you can become a consultant who provides creative solutions.

5. Failing to attract exhibitors who have promotions that work.
Encourage your exhibitors to design promotions that make an impression, motivate, or increase recognition of their company. Since your exhibitors play a major role in your show, you want them to be the best.

Developing a dynamite giveaway is another way for them to attract visitors. Urge exhibitors to consider what their target audience wants, what will help them do their job better, what they can't get elsewhere, and what is educational. Suggest that they develop different gifts for different types of visitors. Giveaways should be used as rewards or tokens of appreciation for visitors participating in a demonstration, presentation, or contest, or as a thank-you for providing information about specific needs. As part of your promotional kit for exhibitors, create a handbook on exhibitor promotions that includes examples of what works and what doesn't.

6. Failing to use press relations effectively.
Public relations is one of the most cost-effective and successful methods for generating large volumes of direct inquiries and sales. Develop a comprehensive media list and direct your press releases to publications that are planning a special show edition. Send out releases that focus on what's new about your trade show, the unique products and services your exhibitors are planning to show, and new applications or market ventures. Compile press kits for the press office that include information about industry trends, statistics, and new products.

Encourage your exhibitors to work effectively with the press. Supply them with media contacts and give them examples of effective press releases if necessary. Let them know what makes a good press kit and suggest that they include interesting action product photos. Suggest that exhibitors have staff members at the booths who are specifically assigned to interact with the media.

7. Failing to differentiate.
Too many exhibitors are happy to use the "me too" marketing approach. With shows that attract hundreds of exhibitors, there are very few that stand out from the crowd. Help your exhibitors find angles that make them different and interesting. Why is this your responsibility instead of merely the exhibitors'? Because it's your show, and you are affected by every aspect of it.

8. Failure of the exhibitors to use their booths as an effective marketing tool.
On the show floor your exhibits make a strong statement about who the exhibiting companies are, what they do, and how they do it. In addition to it being an open, welcoming, and friendly space, there needs to be a focal point and a strong key message that communicates the company's significant benefits. Insist that your exhibitors opt for large graphics rather than reams of copy. Pictures paint a thousand words, and very few attendees will take the time to read. Your exhibitors' presentations or demonstrations are a critical part of their exhibit marketing. Help your exhibitors create an experience that allows visitors to use as many of their senses as possible.

9. Failure to realize that people are a powerful marketing tool.
The trade show staff are your ambassadors. They can make or break relationships with both exhibitors and attendees. The same goes for the people who staff the exhibit booths. Exhibitor staff members represent everything the company stands for, so urge your exhibitors to choose them well. Brief your own ambassadors beforehand and make sure that they know everything there is to know about your trade show: who is exhibiting, the locations of all the restrooms, even where the best nearby restaurants are. A trade show staff member should be analogous to a hotel concierge. Make sure that your team of workers is a cordial, informative resource for exhibitors and attendees alike. Consider offering an exhibitor education program.

10. Failing to follow up promptly.
There are many opportunities during the show to sell exhibitors on future shows. What are you doing to nurture prospects? The key to your trade show success is wrapped up in the lead-management process. The best time to plan for follow-up is before the show. Lead follow-up often takes second place to other responsibilities that occur when you return to the office after a show. The longer leads are left unattended, the colder they become. It is to your advantage to develop an organized, systematic approach to follow-up. Establish a lead-handling system, set time lines for follow-up, use a computerized data base for tracking, make sales representatives accountable for leads given to them, and then measure your results.

Obviously, many of these tips are applicable to both show managers and exhibitors. However, you must remember that not every exhibitor has the same resources you have. The best exhibition hall and the greatest public relations and marketing campaign in the world will not offset the negative impact of having exhibitors who are ill-prepared. Your success unavoidably depends on theirs.