What are the Characteristics of a Good Trade Show?
When trade show season rolls around, you and the rest of your team could be feeling overwhelmed by all the planning that comes along with it. It can be difficult to pin down exactly what a trade show needs to be successful.
If you’re new to the trade show world or you haven’t been performing well in trade shows, you could benefit from learning what exactly makes a trade show worthwhile to attend. Not only can it be difficult to get ready for a trade show, finding the right one is a big challenge itself. If you feel like you’ve been doing everything right, but it hasn’t paid off, it could be that you’ve been going to all the wrong trade shows. Depending on what industry and area you’re in, you could be deciding between hundreds of different trade shows every year. Choosing the right one to attend will help you get the most out of attending a trade show.
To get ready for your next trade show, here are some of the characteristics that the best trade shows have.
Choose a type of trade show
The first decision you’ll have to make is what type of trade show would be most beneficial for your company. You have two options for this, either consumer trade shows or industry trade shows.
Consumer trade shows – These trade shows are open for consumers to learn more about the products and services. If you’re looking to show off a new product or introduce yourself to the public, this could be the right type of trade show for you.
Industry trade shows – Industry trade shows are only open for other companies in your industry. If your goal for a tradeshow is to expand your network and find out more about what’s going on in your industry, you might want industry trade shows instead.
The size of a trade show
You might think it makes sense to go to the biggest trade shows you can find, but this can end up hurting you. If you’re a small or newer company, you might benefit more from attending smaller trade shows and then working your way up. Being a small company around a lot of well-known companies might not get you as much attention as you might like. If you think you’re ready for it, you should look into taking on larger trade shows.
Keep a budget in mind
Attending a trade show can get expensive quickly, so you need to establish a budget that works for you. Between show services, promotional items, and travel expenses, some trade shows you’re interested in might not be feasible due to the costs. If you’re just starting out and don’t have a large budget, it might be better to stick to more local trade shows.
What size booth you’ll have
One of the most important parts of preparing for a tradeshow is getting signs that will make people want to visit your booth. The design of your booth is going to be what attendees see first, so you want to be sure you’re making a good impression. If you don’t have anything noticeable from a distance or your designs are dull, people might skip over you altogether.
Not every trade show will give you the same size booth or area, which can make a huge impact on how your day goes. Maybe you have a product or service that needs a lot of space to be shown off. A booth that doesn’t work with what you need can make it hard for you to be appealing to attendees. Before you commit to any event, find out what size booth you’ll be able to have and what area it will be in. If you’re torn between two trade shows, one might end up giving you a bigger booth in a better location.
What type of media the event has
A major reason that so many companies love attending trade shows is the media coverage these events gets. If you haven’t already planned which trade show you’d like to attend, ask around to see which will have the most press coverage. This can especially be important if you’re a new company or releasing a new product. Not only how much media coverage the event will get, but the type it’s getting. Some media outlets would be more useful for you to be featured in To help you get more coverage you can try reaching out for interviews ahead of time if you have something interesting to be shown off.
Find an event that has presentations
Most trade shows will have the opportunity for you to be a speaker on a panel. Some might also allow you to give an individual talk at the event. While you’re looking for trade shows to attend, look for the ones that have the best chance for you to speak in front of an audience. Whether it’s an audience of people in your industry or customers, being a speaker is a good advantage to have. If this is an option for you to do, you should always go for it. Even if you don’t feel comfortable with public speaking, you’re bound to have someone on your team who can take this role.
Work with Alliance Exposition for your next trade show
At Alliance Exposition, we specialize in small to mid-sized trade shows. As the only nationwide general service contractor, we help create amazing trade shows all across the country. With services like an in-house design department, online exhibitor kits, and nationwide resources, putting together your next trade show will be easy. If you’re organizing a trade show, you can trust the experienced team at Alliance to have the resources and service that you need.
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