4 Ways To Pick The Right Trade Show

Working with exhibit professionals to participate in a trade show potentially generates a lot of new business. It educates the industry and public on new products or services you have to offer. However, companies only get these results if they pick the right trade show to put an exhibit in. How do you go about ensuring your expenditure in a particular trade show will yield a return on investment?

Define Your Goals

Different trade shows focus on pursuing other goals; it’s not just a matter of varying products or services. The Consumer Electronics Show, for example, is designed primarily to educate retailers on upcoming general consumer products that will be available that year. On the other hand, the NBAA-Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition is mainly for aviation industry members to network and learn about new trends and industrial advances.

Press Opportunities

In some cases, a crucial component of business success will be getting the word out on a product or service, which is where the press comes in. If you are hoping that notable publications—both on and offline—will promote your product or service with media coverage, then take a look at which outlets have attended in the past and see if the ones you want coverage from have been or will be, on that list.

Budgets

A major concern will be the affordability of a trade show. Trade shows are for all levels of business, from small start-ups to established multi-national corporations. However, not all trade shows are appropriate for all levels of business.

Ensure that the trade show you’re looking at is something you can afford to participate in. If the expected minimum is a two-floor exhibit space with 5000 square feet, and you are only looking at an exhibit space of 10 x 10, you need to rethink your budget.

Personal Experience

One of the best ways to evaluate whether a trade show is right for you and your business is to have experienced it not as an exhibitor but as an attendee. Walk the floor yourself, see the booths, gauge how the companies are doing for yourself, examine the kind of attendees that walk the floor. If you personally experience usefulness and productivity from the visit, that’s a good indicator that it will also meet your business needs.

If you’re thinking of taking part in a trade show and want to plan your exhibit, we can help. Contact Lighthouse Exhibits, and we can assist you with designing and constructing your trade show exhibit.