7 Things Your Business Needs to Know Before Your First Trade Show

Your first trade show will probably feel like a trial by fire, but you don't have to go into this feeling unprepared. Keep these fundamentals in mind as you're putting together your plan.

1. Get Into the Team Spirit

Even if your company is a sole proprietorship you operate out of your garage, you probably have folks helping you get the work done. When it comes to planning your first trade show, you need to make sure you have a team to help you spread out the responsibilities and ensure coverage for your booth.

You don't need legions of employees representing you — but it's wise to arrive with no fewer than three people to cover your bases at all times. You should also choose a team "uniform" that calls attention to your branding and presents a united front, so visitors know immediately whom to approach for information.

2. Study the Attendee List in Advance

Exhibitors often have access to trade show attendee lists before the festivities begin. Use this opportunity to see who else is there and who's worth visiting. If you can do so without coming across as spammy, you can even reach out to some of these prospects on social media before the event — just keep it light and personable to avoid turning them off.

3. Don't Put All Your Faith in Tech

The temptation with trade shows is to lean heavily on technology to get your point across or create an eye-catching spectacle. But tech is a double-edged sword: The more elaborate it gets, the more there is to go wrong before or during the show.

We understand the appeal of, for example, having a row of tablets for visitors to interact with or see your portfolio of past works. The best tech-related advice is to show up with spares in case something fails, and to supplement the flashier elements of your booth with lower-tech solutions, like banners, literature and other physical presentation materials.

4. Decide What's Worth Measuring

What constitutes a "good ROI" after the trade show is over and the dust has settled? That's essentially up to you. Your first trade show is bound to be a learning experience, but you should embark on this endeavor with a goal in mind. Maybe your goal is to come away with a certain number of email addresses or phone numbers you can reach out to and make a more serious pitch. Whatever it is, make it clear and measurable.

5. Prove You're a Dynamic Company

Remember there's nothing automatically exciting about setting up a booth at a trade show. Visitors need more context and a better call to action than, "Here I am, and please buy my stuff." You're sharing event space with potentially hundreds of other business owners networking or hawking something. Everybody knows what you're doing here, and everybody's asking the same question: "So what?"

Prove you have a reason to be there in the first place. Consider centering your trade show appearance around a new product launch, for example. Doing this immediately makes you stand out from your competitors and helps passersby see you as a dynamic company that, as the saying goes, always has "irons in the fire."

6. Give Something to Get Something

If there's a quintessential element of the trade show experience, it's going home with armloads of useful — and sometimes not-so-useful — branded merchandise. The thing is, folks only need so many click-top pens, frisbees and lanyards.

There's also the matter of accumulating contact information from prospects. If you want something from them, like an email address, you should prepare to give something of value in return. You can solve both of these problems by taking your giveaways up a notch. What about a microfiber cloth in branded packaging? Everybody needs to wipe their gadgets or glasses sometimes. You could also try socks, edible treats, reusable metal straws, desk fidgets, small tool kits, travel accessories, eco-friendly notebooks or any of hundreds of other out-of-the-box ideas.

7. Put Your Best Foot Forward

If there's one thing you retain from this conversation today, it's to remember to be personable and put your best foot forward. You don't have to individually greet everybody who passes within earshot, like an overeager Walmart greeter, but you should be ready with a welcoming smile. Sometimes that's all it takes to get somebody's attention. And if it's genuine, why shouldn't it?

You're putting in an appearance here, first and foremost, because you want to build relationships. If you remember to project a welcoming attitude with plenty of confidence to back it up, you'll probably do just fine.