Benefits of Walking the Trade Show Floor

Posted by Bill Barrett in Planning, Tips, Trends

Trade show exhibitors should go beyond the booth and explore the exhibit floor. Walking around the event will provide you with the full trade show experience. You will be able to see what your competition is doing and identify trends throughout the show. Take notes to find ways you can increase the success of your next trade show.

Jonathan Edelman provides a list of tips and key benefits of walking around a trade show in his article, “Walking A Trade Show Can Benefit Your Future Trade Show Marketing.”

Tips for Walking the Trade Show Floor

• Make a list of booths you want to visit before you hit the floor.
• Observe booth staff, layouts, visuals, graphics, location, traffic volume, contests, etc.
• Map out your route so you can visit every booth on your list.
• Interact with booth staff and attendees like an attendee. Be sure to ask product questions.
• Take notes while you walk the trade show floor. Based on your observations, evaluate your trade show booth and make improvements for your next trade show.

Read more in an excerpt from the article.

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To maximize your time on the floor, plan a trade show strategy for visiting other booths that allows you to take in their marketing flavor, as well as gather information about products and services on display at the show. Here are some of the things you should look for:

• How do the other booths look? Are there any exhibitors who have jumped out of the box with their design? What booth styles are dominate?
• What type of giveaways are they offering? Do booth workers dispense them to everyone or only those who stop and provide information?
• What techniques are other exhibits using to attract visitors? Contests? Looping videos? Games and attractions?
• Do they offer scheduled demonstrations or in-booth seminars?
• What type of product information do they offer? Do they have only small tri-folds or flyers on the counter? Do they promise to mail more detailed information if you request it? Or have they gone digital with QR codes?
• Does booth location seem to affect traffic?
• When you stop at various booths, how do the workers engage you? How do they collect leads?

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Read the full article.