Trade show success or failure for business of all sizes is real.
I recently attended the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Trade Show in Portland, Oregon to introduce bookstore owners to my latest book, The Far Unlit Unknown. I paid good money to have a table with my book on it because trade shows can be an incredible venue for generating new business.
For many businesses, including the business of writing and publishing, trade shows are an integral piece of their marketing puzzle. By their nature, they can be hit or miss. I’ve experienced both -- and the misses are worse than a bad night's sleep.
Thankfully, the PNBA 2023 trade show was a hit.
It had been a minute since I last tortured my body for eight hours standing on carpeted concrete floors engaging with strangers. Even in my cushy and stylish Adidas, I was hurting by hour four. (I will spare you the gruesome details of how things felt after I got home. All I can say is yay for Advil.)
Despite the physical toll attending a trade show takes on your body, it can be a powerful part of your business model. In between the times when I was talking with bookstore reps and owners, I took notes on what I saw working and not working around the show.
The vibe was robust, with good attendance and an excellent set of vendors and attendees. All told, the 2023 show featured several dozen exhibitors and hundreds of folks looking to find great merch for their stores.
Reps from the big publishers were there:
Random House. Scholastic. HarperCollins. Simon and Schuster.
Plenty of indie publishers had tables, too, with beautiful displays of merch.
Included in the mix were exhibitors who sell the add-ons now popular in many bookstores. I’m talking about greeting cards, stickers, and yes -- even socks with snarky sayings seem to be a staple these days alongside shelves of Kristin Hannah novels and the ever-increasing Brene Brown collection.
Trade Show Success Tips
Plenty of people have written blog posts and books about how to succeed at a trade show. I wanted to compile a handful of unconventional tips designed to prevent an unfortunate fall into the pit of trade show despair (and trust me, every trade show has one.)
These tips are in no particular order. Each has its own place in the overall strategy for trade show success.
Trade Show Success Tip #1: Lighting in hotel ballrooms sucks.
You are planning to take photos, right?
And post them somewhere online as part of your branding and marketing strategy?
Of course you are.
Today, everything is social and you are participating. Therefore, with bad ballroom lighting practically a given, your selfies are going to make everybody look like Halloween night gone wrong.
Pay attention to the lighting.
Some exhibition halls have windows with natural light. If possible, snap a few selfies or group shots facing the window (not with the window behind you) with the light illuminating your faces.
If you find yourself in a windowless space, take some photos with the flash on. Get as far away from the harsh prison cell lighting of the overhead chandeliers as you can.
You can also do what a woman I recently met at a fundraiser does: carry a small ring light in your purse or bag, the kind that clips onto your phone. For less than ten bucks on Amazon, you can instantly create studio lighting that makes everyone look amazing.
Trade Show Success Tip #2: Don’t forget to bring business cards.
Or bookmarks. Or notebook paper with your contact info scribbled on it in ink.
Something.
Anything you can exchange with the people you talk to.
I was surprised (shocked?) at how many business owners didn’t think to bring business cards, or in some cases, didn’t have business cards at all. I understand some people don’t think business cards matter anymore.
They do.
Especially at a trade show.
You will meet and interact with a lot of people. There is no way you will remember everyone you promised to send your book, or trinket, or gizmo sample.
How will you follow up effectively without contact information?
Speaking of following up:
After talking with a potential buyer about your product or service, ask if you can take a picture of their badge. Badges have their name, their company and where they're located printed on them.
I don't care how much Prevagen you're taking for better memory. You will not remember people's names and where they work.
Better yet -- take a picture of the person wearing the badge because then you have a face with a name.
As Jim Rohn liked to say, “The fortune is in the follow up.” Stack the odds of raking in some cash by taking photos of interested parties.
Trade Show Success Tip #3: It's not all about you.
As much as we want it to be.
It's about the attendees.
What are they looking for?
Why are they at the show?
Spend a little time engaging in general conversation.
Ask the people who stop by your booth questions about them vs covering them with verbal diarrhea about your product or service the second they enter the booth.
You should know why people have taken precious time from their busy lives to attend the trade show.
Generally speaking, buyers at trade shows are looking for stuff to sell “back home.” Find out if there's even a fit for your product before you start talking about it.
Ask questions like:
- What brought you here today?
- What's exciting about what you're doing in your business right now?
Then, if there's a natural segue, ask them permission to share your product or service with them.
"May I tell you about x, y, z?"
In my case, I asked if I could show them a copy of my poetry book.
You know what's awesome?
Not one person said no to looking at the book.
Whether or not they decide to include it in their store or bring me in for a reading and signing has yet to be seen and is part of my job to find out when I follow up.
Trade Show Success Tip #4: Don't be afraid to leave your booth.
Walk around, talk to other vendors. Ask them how the show is going for them.
Are they glad they paid good money to attend?
What they tell you gives you some good intel about the success of the show. Has it been a good investment overall? Has there been traffic to every booth?
If you hear a significant amount of grumbling from enough vendors, or if you aren't getting the traffic you expected, the show was not managed well. Not your product, not your service. But the way the show was handled can be the reason for low ROI.
Trade Show Success Tip #5: Bring your own snacks and water.
This was my mistake and here’s an insider trick I picked up from a trade show veteran.
Payday bars have ten grams of protein.
So if you're looking for something tasty, salty and sweet with a decent shot of protein and you don't want a granola bar, or you're not into the protein bars because they're like gnawing on a brick and you happen to like your teeth, stuff your purse or your bag with a couple of Payday bars and you're good to go.
And hydration is a given. Trade shows take a lot of energy. We need water to keep our brains alert and on point.
Skip the diet soda and keep a water bottle -- or three -- close by. Be sure to take a drink every 15 minutes. Staying hydrated also helps with recovery later.
Trust me -- whether you're a vendor or attendee, you will feel the trade show later.
Bonus Trade Show Success Tip
Last but not least, make sure you follow up with people if you promised to send a sample of your product. Include a handwritten note with a detail about something they said to you and talked about. Make your follow up about the relationship, not just the transaction. Nine out of ten sales people don’t do this.
You will stand out if you do.
Your business will also grow like beautiful wildflowers if you take the time to invest in a strong follow up.
After all, what is the point of attending a trade show as a vendor if you aren't specifically there to grow your business?
Following these unconventional tips for trade show success can make a positive difference in your overall experience as a vendor. They have for me, and they can for you, too.
