The Exhibitor's Resource – Trade Show Marketing Blog

Just after the fall busy season is a great time to look back at your 2009 Exhibiting successes and to consider your 2010 schedule. What shows were your best performers? Where could you expand your company’s presence to get more out of your event marketing effort? One strategy employed by some of our clients is to seek out shows in vertical markets outside of their primary industry in order to access to new business.

Take a look at your top 5-10 clients. What trade shows are they exhibiting at? Would it make sense for your company to have a presence at their industry shows? Would this give you an opportunity to get in front of similar companies who have similar needs for your products and services? Often, exhibitors become so focused on their own industry that they miss opportunities in other vertical markets. But having a presence at shows in industries that your company supports or works with gives you the opportunity to stand out in a less saturated field. It may even be worth investigating exhibiting at a show that your competitors’ top clients exhibit at.

Have you already been applying this strategy with success? Great! Perhaps there are still some niche vertical markets that are still untapped. Seek out regional shows or new shows that shift the focus slightly towards your best target audience. Test out these additional shows with a portable inline trade show display with graphics tailored to the attendees at that show.

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If you are rolling out a new product or are re-launching your brand, you are probably anxious to get out on the road and in front of new customers, prospects and the industry media. But no matter what the focus of your trade show effort is, you should put thoughtful consideration into which trade shows you exhibit at.  Research has shown that picking trade shows or events that are a good fit is a major factor in the number of qualified trade show leads acquired at the show. Below are some tips to help narrow the list of trade shows you plan to exhibit at:

1. Get Answers to Your Questions
Basic trade show questions include “What audience do I want to reach at this trade show?” and “What outcome will make this trade show a success?”

2. Do Some Legwork
To determine whether a trade show might be a good fit, find as much as possible about the show demographics. Check the list of previous exhibitors and cross reference the information provided by the trade show management company. Try to connect with past exhibitors and attendees to get a feel for how successful previous shows have been. Read news articles about past shows and try to learn if the show is growing or not.

3. Consider the Venue’s Geographic Location
Typically 40-60% of trade show attendees are from within a 200-mile radius of the trade show site. Think about your distribution area and target customer and determine whether the attendees match that target audience.

4. Large or Small Trade Show?
Try to think about what type of trade show traffic you would ideally like and then compare large shows with smaller, vertical market shows. It’s possible that your business model would benefit from a trade show with smaller attendance numbers, but with more relevant attendee traffic. Niche trade show audiences may include key decision makers looking for your particular offering.

Popularity: 5% [?]