An experienced trade show company can make all the difference when it comes to creating an engaging exhibit for your trade show ambitions. However, to truly succeed, you should look at these five things you should avoid when planning to attend a trade show.

Don’t Attend The Wrong Show

While it might seem like this is a mistake that’s impossible to make, you’d be surprised. It’s true that if you sell food, you can easily avoid attending an electronics trade show. However, a trade show can still be wrong for you in other ways. For example, if a trade show is primarily aimed at consumers, and your product or service is mainly B2B, that’s not the right show for you. Other factors, like whether a show is relevant to your target market regions, also come into play.

Don’t Forget To Have Data Capture Tools Available

You’re not going to make the most out of a trade show experience by just collecting business cards. In modern business, this is far from the only or most efficient means of gathering business data. Digital quizzes, QR code implementation, surveys, forms, and even apps are all ways companies can engage with visitors and collect more detailed data.

Don’t Forget To Promote Before The Show

While you are bound to get some visitors who arrive at your exhibit simply because they are walking the floor, it’s not a good idea to rely entirely on this. As with your product or service, more people will come to you if they know what you offer. Take the time and effort to do some pre-show promotion, so that even on day one, potential customers know you’re there.

Don’t Arrive With Untrained Staff

Just because your team knows what to do on the job doesn’t mean those skills translate seamlessly to a trade show environment. Make sure you take the time to prepare and rehearse with your staff for these new roles. Whether it’s walking visitors through a product demonstration or gathering leads, ensure they’re prepared.

Don’t Forget To Follow Up

This is incredibly important. Once you’ve attended the trade show, you’ll have various things to follow up on. They could be promising leads, business contacts that you can solidify into new relationships, or just reviewing how things were done and how to improve for the next show. Always make sure you follow up on the trade show with all the post-show actions that should be undertaken.

If you want to work with an experienced trade show company to make sure your investment yields returns, contact Lighthouse Exhibits. We can help.