Common Mistakes in Trade Show Exhibiting

Failure to implement a consistent marketing plan

Your exhibiting efforts must be part of an overall marketing scheme that is consistent and engaging. Many exhibitors start from scratch when designing their trade show display, and their booth ends up looking entirely different from the rest of their marketing material. While it is important to have a fresh look at every trade show, it is also important to implement a consistent marketing plan to build brand recognition.

Failure to set goals for your trade show experience

It is important to set measurable goals months in advance of your trade show. How can you possibly determine whether or not your exhibiting experience was a success if you never established what you were trying to achieve? Suppose you want to generate 50 quality leads from your trade show. If you make it an established goal, this will be easy to measure.

Failure to give attendees and other exhibitors a reason to visit your booth

Do not assume that visitors will simply wander into your display area without incentive. There are a number of methods exhibitors use to draw attention to their booths, many of which are put in place before the show even begins. Using pre-show mailers that highlight specific points of interest is a great way to make sure your booth is full of activity. Use any avenue available to you to generate interest in your booth.

Failure to follow up with the leads you generate

The biggest and most common mistake exhibitors make is that they fail to have a plan in place to turn leads into sales. Your pre-show mailers, exhibit displays, and booth staff is absolutely useless if all the leads they generate go to waste. You would be amazed to learn how many veteran exhibitors fail to implement a plan to follow up on the leads they generate. Unless you have a plan in place, you may as well not even attend the trade show.