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Tradeshow assistance - exhibiting

Industrial marketing services

Koch Group Inc. has specialized in assisting smaller and mid-sized manufacturers and industrial service providers solve their marketing problems since the late 1960’s. Since the early 1970's, Koch Group consultants have assisted our clients with their tradeshow needs. Participation at industrial tradeshows, when used correctly, is an extremely effective tool to reach new markets and customers.

Koch Group believes there are four major components to successful tradeshow utilization. These include:

• Tradeshow evaluation and selection
• Tradeshow preparation
• Tradeshow participation
• Post tradeshow follow-up

Tradeshow evaluation and selection

Some manufacturers mistakenly spend money to participate in a tradeshow to try and determine if the show is a “good fit” for their organization without doing any basic research and then are disappointed by the results. Manufacturers can exhibit at one or more tradeshow. It is critical to research and objectively evaluate potential shows prior to making a decision whether to attend a specific tradeshow.

This selection decision should be unbiased and based on:

• Tradeshow focus vs. company focus.
• Profiles of tradeshow attendees vs. profiles of ideal target customers.
• Recent tradeshow trends such as recent attendance and exhibitor trends.
• Total estimated cost of attending a tradeshow including personnel travel, venue fee, union labor, actual booth expense, meals, hotels, car, and other.
• Your tradeshow objective such as introducing a new product or service, meeting with company distribution partners and customers, or developing a new customer base.
• Anticipated outcomes from attending a selected tradeshow.

Tradeshow preparation

Many manufacturers do not adequately prepare for tradeshows and simply show up. They are then disappointed by the eventual results. This disappointment can be avoided if the manufacturer:

• Identifies and defines sales targets by sourcing a list of the previous year’s tradeshow attendees and researching them to determine which are suitable targets for preshow marketing.
• Develops a letter or postcard invitation to send to existing customers and selected sales targets expected to attend the tradeshow.
• Defines, and refines, the marketing messages to be conveyed to existing and target customers attending the tradeshow.
• Develops suitable graphics to convey the marketing messages.
• Prepares appropriate handouts that emphasize the developed marketing messages and company benefits.
• Designs an appropriate tradeshow booth to communicates how your products or services can benefit customers and potential target companies.
• Establish a system to record, control, distribute, and follow-up on leads and inquiries generated from the show.
• Obtain and review a tradeshow exhibit floor map that shows available booth locations.
• Determine which available booth spaces are positioned in close proximity to the main entrances and exits, bathrooms, food vendors, and major exhibits, and consider potential booth spaces.
• Review the tradeshow listing and description of vendors that would immediately surround potential booth locations for appropriateness.
• Reserve the best-suited booth location.
• Reserve and contract for needed tradeshow equipment and services such as LCD screens, card scanners, electrical connections, Internet connection, telephone service, or DVD player in advance.

Tradeshow participation

Staffing a tradeshow booth with sales professionals is critical. Sales professionals include manufacturers’ agents, sales partners, knowledgeable sales or marketing consultants, and knowledgeable company sales personnel.

It is a mistake to “fill out” a company's tradeshow booth staffing requirements with personnel lacking needed product knowledge or sales experience. This knowledge and experience is required to capture the interest of potential customers and correctly communicate the benefits of a company’s products or services.

Capturing booth visitor data is a critical function for successful tradeshow participation. Rent an electronic card scanner to scan booth visitor data, if available. Remember to test it each morning to make sure it is working properly. Download scanned data each day to an electronic file in case there is a malfunction. Print hard copies of the scanned files to review and add handwritten notes or comments.

Record, notate, tradeshow booth visitor information manually from business cards if no scanner is available and enter obtained information into a spreadsheet or database during lulls in booth traffic, or at the end each day, to preserve the information from accidental loss. Tradeshows can be very hectic!

Koch Group assists clients by working the tradeshow booth with them providing the marketing messages and customer benefits needed by booth visitors to evaluate their product or service.

Post tradeshow follow-up

Post show follow-up activities can be major contributors to developing new sales opportunities. Tradeshow participants must ensure they respond to all valid opportunities and inquiries generated at the tradeshow. Many industrial tradeshow exhibitors just subjectively focus on several “promising leads” and ignore other valid opportunities to develop new sales.

Learn about how Koch Group assists clients who do not exhibit but attend and walk a tradeshow.

Contact us if you would like more information about the industrial marketing services we offer to manufacturers and industrial service providers. Please use our contact form, email us at info@kochgroup.com, or call us at 630-941-1100.

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	Koch Group, Inc. Industrial Marketing Solutions For Manufacturers 240 East Lake Street, Suite 300 Addison, Illinois 60101 Phone: 630-941-1100 Fax: 630-941-3865 Email: info@kochgroup.com
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