188 – 9 Common Trade Show Mistakes That Can Reduce Profits

There are some common mistakes I see at nearly every trade show that cost a company its bottom line and ROI. Here are nine of the mistakes I see most often (plus one more):

1. No goals set – Saying you want to get as many leads as possible is not a goal. You have to have goals or you’ll never know if your show is a success!
2. Not training your staff on how to run a show – Many companies train their employees on their products, services, promotional items to give away, etc. But what makes a difference is training them on how to run a trade show by interacting with the audience!
3. Wait until you go to the show to fill your calendar – There are dinner and meeting opportunities for everyone when you are at the show. Don’t wait to schedule an appointment to meet with your most promising prospects! Make an appointment in advance!
4. Skipping social events – This is a great opportunity to meet great people. Don’t miss it!
5. No walk out of the booth, no catwalk – You’ll miss a lot if you just stay in your booth.
6. If your booth is poorly located or the show is slow, you don’t have a plan to attract traffic. – Shows can be slow at times, so make plans to make the most of this time!
7. There are cheap gifts – Invest in quality products. If the items you give away are of poor quality, they will end up in the trash…along with your logo.
8. Using too much copy in banners and displays – Attendees won’t read this. Keep it simple and just state your differentiators.
9. No follow-up plan – Do this before the show because when you come back you’ll spend a lot of time with your daily routine.
10. Not allowing enough time for demolition – Not putting things back correctly or appropriately can result in you having to spend money to buy new items for the next show.

Let me know what mistakes you’ve made in the past and learned from them! Contact Me

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