Helping Laura Briere, president of Vision Advertising and World Green Business Association promote her company at the Rt 2 Business Expo, I was fascinated by how many exhibitors were making the master blunder of exhibiting: sitting down while their prospects walked right by them.

It boggles my mind as to why companies spend money on a booth, graphics, space and opportunity cost only to watch as visitors stroll by their exhibits with barely a glance in their direction.  My theory is that these exhibitors believe that they are “getting their brand exposure” and that is return enough.

You do not need to be a corporate magician to to avoid this exhibiting blunder.  With no tricks or gimmicks, Amy Mosher, Director of Programs at the World Green Business Association, did something the majority of the exhibitors failed to do: she stood at the front of her booth, had open body language (smiling and no folded arms) and greeted visitors with a hello and a handshake.  After making a connection she sparked conversation by asking a question.

Here is the result: Amy was engaged in conversation about 85% of the time.  She qualified and collected contacts throughout the day.  For her, the event flew by as she made connection after connection.  All it took was a stroll down the aisle to see that she was the exception.  Most “exhibitors” were sitting behind a table of brochures and giveaways.  What they really were giving away wasn’t pens with logos, but opportunity to do business with every passing prospect that left the hall learning nothing about their company.

Avoiding this exhibiting blunder is almost cured by simply being aware of it.  If you know any exhibitors, please forward this link.  Chances are they will benefit.

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“Our flat-screen TV booth prize was a huge success”.

“Man, we raffled off Red Sox tickets and a flat-screen at our booth - what a disaster”.

Quotes from two of my trade show clients who told me what they had done in the past to generate exhibit traffic.  Why the difference?  Show type and primary objective.

The first case was a success for two reasons.  It was an industry-specific show where the vast majority of visitors comprised the exhibitor’s target market.  An example of this type of show is a dental conference, in which almost every attendee has an interest in dentistry.  The second reason for success was that the company was aiming to build brand recognition.  The flat-screen TV pulled in the masses, who then saw the exhibitor’s logo, heard the company’s tag line and signed up for the prize.  These visitors then received follow-up underscoring the company’s message and showcasing the logo.

In the second case, the flat-screen and sports tickets were a wasted investment.  It was a general show. For example, a home show attracts some visitors looking for candy and others looking for a kitchen remodeler.  In addition, the exhibitor was looking to make sales from prospects interested in his product. He later lamented that he had a whole bunch of leads for a television; painfully few were interested in his product.  This exhibitor would have faired far better if he offered a high-value giveaway from his own product line.  In this case, it would have selectively attracted prospects.

It’s interesting that broad-appeal products work best in focused trade shows and specific-appeal products are more effective in broader shows.

It is my experience that, in general, larger companies are less concerned with generating hard-sales from a show as compared to medium and smaller companies.  This is partly because larger companies see branding as facilitating sales down the line.  Smaller companies do not have this luxury.

The trick is to consider the show type and objective before launching into your giveaway strategy.  If you are promoting copier services at a business expo - think twice about giving away David Copperfield tickets, unless you want to see your profits vanish.  A nifty prize might be $400 worth of toner for the winner’s copy machines.  You’ll probably leave the show with significantly less leads than the exhibitor across from you who pulled in the masses with fancy electronics.  That’s good, because your sales staff will be calling on a handful of qualified leads, while the other guy’s sale staff will quickly grow discouraged from following up on a mountain of junk.

We invite you to share your experiences with prizes and giveaways right here.

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Exhibitors can easily become a PEST to show visitors.  Here is an article I’ve written with Jason Kallio and posted on Peter Caputa’s bolg - enjoy!

Don’t Be a PEST

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