Exhibiting at an industry trade show is a significant investment but can have an unmatchable Return on Investment if done properly. Here are our top tips to boost your trade show ROI.

Step 1 – Let your clients know that you will be there.

An important part of making the most of exhibiting at a trade show is ensuring that your customers, and potential future customers, know that you will be exhibiting.

The companies that achieve the best trade show ROI are usually the ones who have done their pre-show marketing well. It’s crucial that all your pre-show marketing tells people that you are exhibiting. If you don’t tell them then your competitors will get there first!

Some good examples of pre-show marketing that can boost your trade show ROI include

  • Promote your attendance and your stand number on your social media
  • Send out a direct mail campaign to your database
  • Run a competition with the winner being selected at the show
  • Put the show logo on your marketing
  • Offer a free or discounted product or service exclusively for those attending the show

Step 2 – Set your objectives in advance.

For max trade show ROI, you’ll need to ensure that you have a clear idea of your objectives long before you get to your event. Whether you intend to use the event primarily for lead generation, brand awareness or networking, it’s important to know this ahead of time and have clear objectives that you want to meet. This will help with measuring trade show ROI, so you can work out if it is worth returning for more events.

It is the companies with strong objectives before their exhibition who perform the best and gain the best Return on Investment. Some good examples of considerations could include

  • How many leads are you aiming for each day at the show?
  • How many potential new clients do you want to meet?
  • How many existing clients do you want to meet?
  • What (measurable) level of customer feedback do we need to achieve?
  • Which products/services do we want to focus on for this particular show?

 Step 3 – Make an impact with your stand.

Exhibition halls are filled with hundreds of stands, so it’s vital that yours stands out from the crowd!

Exhibition stands come in a variety of materials, shapes and sizes but very few can match the impressive visuals of a Prestige Events System stand.

At Quadrant2Design we design and install spectacular bespoke modular trade show displays that can draw eyes and, more importantly, visitors from all over the exhibition hall, with features like our high-level branding, suspended banners and rotating headers towering over many of the surrounding stands.

Once visitors have been drawn in, your stand presents a visual representation of the quality of your business. With Quadrant2Design you can immerse visitors in your branding with our seamless graphic displays, show off your products with integrated showcases and even include demonstrations with our LED Wall digital displays.

Your exhibition stand will have a significant impact on your trade show ROI and that is why it is so important to choose a stand that will best represent your business.

Step 4 – Choose the right stand staff and train them well.

The achieve the very best trade show ROI it’s important that your exhibition stand staff are all well prepared and are all working towards common objectives.

Staff who will be representing your brand during your trade show should be fully trained and prepared ahead of time. Ensure that all staff attending the event, particularly those who will be manning your stand, are fully aware of the objectives for the show and how ROI will be measured post-show.

You will need to ensure that your staff look professional and approachable and are knowledgeable enough to answer any questions visitors may have about your products or services. As your business is in the spotlight it’s really important that your team are at their best and all on the same page.

Step 5 – Prepare high-quality marketing materials.

The marketing materials you give out during your exhibition are the primary prompt for visitors to recall your brand once the show is over.

It’s worth investing in high-quality materials as these will present your business as a high-quality option amongst your competition.

Combined with your follow-up call, having your brand imagery present in your target audience’s life (even in this relatively small capacity) will mean your business is more likely to be the one they call when they need your services.

Step 6 – Follow up with your leads.

For many businesses, the leads they gain while exhibiting at a trade show represent a significant aspect of their return on investment. In order to translate these leads into sales and revenue, they must be contacted promptly once the show has finished. Wait too long and you give the impression that they either aren’t important to you or that your business is unorganised and slow – neither are impressions you want to give out.

You may be surprised to learn that almost 80% of leads are either ineffectively followed-up after a trade show, or simply not followed up at all. This makes gaining that lead a significant waste of time, effort and money. Not great for ROI!

Often we come back from a show and are busy catching up with things we missed while away, then a few days pass and we begin following up with the exhibition leads. However, if exhibition leads are not followed up within 6 days of the initial meeting the chances of converting those leads into sales are reduced drastically!

Ensure you follow up with all leads gained promptly and professionally after the show is over. It can also be useful to have a few details of your previous conversation to hand so that they know you were engaged and interested.

For more information on how Quadrant2Design can help you increase your trade show ROI, contact our team on 01202 723 500 or email us at design@quadrant2design.com.