For the last few weeks I have been talking about Trade Shows and Trade Fairs and am in the process of listing some of the more famous ones.
Now a few people have asked me what is the process of attending a Trade Show, is it as easy as going to the show and just looking, or do you need to do some planning.
Well to be honest you can do both, But if you want to attend a Trade Show and get the most out of it there are a few steps you do need to follow.
If you do this then your time at the show will be more profitable and more relaxed.
1) The first step is to get yourself some business cards. You can get these done locally, but the best company I have so far is VistaPrint. VistaPrint offer excellent products and very good prices and at times you can get business cards free of charge and all you have to pay for is the postage and handling.
2) Once you have decided on the Trade Show you want to attend go to their website and sign-up and register for your passes. Now in most cases these passes are free of charge here in the UK. There are show Trade Shows that include a conference and these do make a charge, but this will be explained on their site.
The only other time you will be charged is if you have not registered, and attend the show, and book in on the day and do not have a business card, if this is the case you will be charged as a visitor, or not allowed in.
3) Once you have registered for the show, take a look around the website and see who has a Trade Stand, and start to make your list of stands to visit. A useful hint also is to note down which hall the stand is in and the stand numbers.
4) A few weeks before the Trade Show you will receive your pass along normally with a mini guide listing all the Trade Stands, The Stand Numbers and a layout of the Trade Show.
5) Put these in a folder along with your plans of who to visit and your Business Cards.
6) A lot of people ask what type of clothes do you wear, and again that depends on the type of show and the person attending, but normally it is smart casual or what ever you feel at ease in. (But please check your paper work and see what the Trade Show says)
7) Take with you a small case on wheels so you can put all the catalogues and samples in, as you do not want to be carrying these around with you.
Check the opening times of the show.
9) On the day of the show arrive early. Book yourself in and have a drink, it’s going to be a long day or few days depending how long you are staying.
10) Take a general walk around the show and get a feel for it.
11) Now start going down your list of Stands you want to visit, and approach each one and have talks with them.
12) Finally do not be tempted to buy on your first visit. Remember these are companies with sales people, and what might seem a good buy, and a good price, once you have looked at it and done some research it might not be so good.
Quite often they will have show specials, again do not be tempted.
This is why it’s good to spend a few days at a show so day one can be looking, evenings research and then next day buying.
But above all go, have fun, be careful what you buy, and oh yes take comfy shoes, for you will walk along way.
Andrew Milburn
