Cleveland Business Connects
April Issue - 2007

Make the Most of Exhibiting

Bob Chalfant has 386 tips to consider when exhibiting at a tradeshow. They range from what to wear - avoid black or brown suits because they are intimidating to visitors-keep it simple with openers like, have you heard of our company/are you looking for something specific/what did you come to the show to see.

Clearly, Chalfant, CEO of the MetalWood Bat Company in Eleanor, West Virginia and a Cleveland resident, takes exhibiting at a tradeshow very seriously. So do most people, since exhibiting can be expensive and time consuming, and professionals hope to get the most visibility and the best response from a show. Nevertheless, exhibitors often don’t prepare as efficiently as Chalfant, and they walk away from the show dissappointed or convinced that trade shows don’t generate business.

Pre-planning is an important factor for trade show success, says Neal Kandel, of Kandel Exhibits, a Cleveland company that provides pre-planning and exhibiting strategies, as well as displays. "People feel that if they drop money for a space, the business will just appear, and that's the biggest misconception."

The first step in pre-planning is making sure you’re attending the appropriate trade show, the one that best fits your business or product and that will give you maximum exposure. How do you best decide? "Take your three or four largest customers and ask them what shows do they attend as buyers. Anything that’s cross-referenced, go to that," says Kandel.

Once you’ve selected the venue, it’s time for some pre-show promotion. Inform customers and potential customers that you will be exhibiting at an upcoming show. Provide them with the date and hours of the show, the location of your booth and free passes, if possible. Include a photo of your booth if you already have it, Kandel adds.

If you don’t own a display or you’re looking for a new one, there are a multitude of options that can make you look smart and professional, including interactive displays, kiosks and pop-up displays. These don’t necessarily have to be expensive to be effective.

Large graphics and minimal copy work best on a display, according to Kandel. "Keep it simple and make it a welcoming atmosphere. You don’t need to cover every inch of the display." Don’t feel obligated to put out pencils, mugs or magnets bearing your company logo. "If you put out giveaways, nobody will remember who you are," Kandel says. Trade shows can sometimes be viewed as a trinket-collecting opportunity for attendees, and once they dump that bag of goodies onto the desk, chances are they won’t remember where they collected each item.

Better to lure them in with your display and pithy introduction. If you draw in a potential customer, you now have about 90 seconds to get their attention. It’s time for your elevator speech, says Kandel. "Tell them who you are and what you do. Check for body language: if they seem receptive, ask them what they’re at the show for."

Be sure to bring your cell phone to the show, Kandel says, but not just so you can check in with the office. When you’ve had a visitor to your booth who seems interested in your services, rather than holding on to a business card and making a mental note to follow-up, call the person at the office number listed on the card. "You know the person won’t be there," Kandel says, "and you can leave a message saying it was nice meeting with them."

Now it’s time to call your office and have someone quickly send out a package with your literature so that it is waiting for the visitor when he returns from the show. This is where you can include promotional items such as pens or keychains because they will make the package "fat" and thus entice the recipient to see what goodies are inside. "These are opened much more quickly than IRS notices," Kandel jokes.

Be sure to follow up with the folks you’ve met, and provide some type of bounce back selling device that will enable them to make a purchase if they like.

Keep in mind that you may not experience amazing success at a trade show the first time out. "If you’re just getting into the business, people will get information from you but not place an order," Kandel says.

Why? Because what if a start up goes out of business and can’t fulfill its orders? Instead, a savvy attendee will make a mental note of a company it sees exhibiting for the first time. When they see you back at the show the following year, they know you’re serious about what you’re doing. "If you’re there for the third year, they’re ready to order. That’s when people will remember who you are," Kandel says.

If the typical trade show still doesn’t feel like your type of place, you might consider a nontraditional alternative. ECRM (which stand for Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing) is a Solon-based company that specializes in private meetings between buyers and sellers, aided by a sophisticated technology that enables participants to improve their efficiency. Manufacturers-whether small or large, well-known or just starting out-register for these one-on-one conferences with retailers to show their wares in the hopes of making a sale.

Shows are held by category-home health care, photo, arts and crafts, etc.-so that vendors attract the appropriate customers, and retailers view only specific products they need at a certain time. Events are held around the country at resort locations.

ECRM provides a sophisticated distributed application software that enables vendors to preview the list of attendees and organize freight and shipping needs. They can also communicate with contacts through a closed E-mail system, record notes from a meeting and more. The timed, one-on-one meeting between vendor and retailer establishes an effective and personalized way to meet with the people who you believe need to know about your product.