Business Development

How to Find the Right Trade Show for Your Business

Trade Show Booth Design Best Practices

Many businesses can benefit from participating in trade shows and conferences. Whether you sell a tangible product, or provide a valuable service, finding the right platform to showcase your offerings is key to growing your enterprise year after year. It can be challenging to decipher how to find the right trade show that will give a particular business the edge that will keep them competitive. If you are considering participating in trade shows, but aren’t sure which one would be best to showcase your product or service, the following information can provide you with the clarification you need.

Visit as an Attendee First

One of the best ways to get a feel for whether a trade show would be a good fit for you is to visit as an attendee. Spend some time looking around, observing the types of other businesses with exhibits (including some of your competitors and industry leaders).

What Results are You Looking For?

Ultimately, the right trade show will depend on your target market and your goals, as well as your product or service. For example, if your product is lawn fertilizer and you want to sell to customers directly, a broad home and garden show may give you the results you’re looking for. If you’re looking to position your product as a leader among those buying only new homes, a new home expo may be a better choice.

Bigger is not Always Better

Many businesses think that the bigger the trade show or conference, the better,  but this isn’t necessarily the case. Bigger shows mean that more of your competitors will attend; however, as an exhibitor, you will have more space to showcase your products. Smaller shows can give you more time with serious buyers, as the crowd won’t be as dense, but oftentimes, your space is limited. If this is your first trade show, or you have a small business, a smaller venue may be a good place to start. Part of knowing how to find the right trade show is being comfortable with the size of venue you’re looking at.

Trade Shows/Expos vs. Conferences

While trade shows (also called Expos) typically attract buyers and industry leaders, conference attendees are primarily industry leaders who are interested in continuing education, or furthering their knowledge on industry specific topics. These offer great networking opportunities.

Alternatives

Don’t think that you can only choose between conferences and trade shows to get your product seen. There are several other creative options you can choose from:

  • Chamber of Commerce Meetings – Members regularly get together to share information about each other’s businesses.
  • Seminars – This is a great way to bring customers to you! Create a training or informational seminar that will provide valuable insight to potential customers.

When you know how to find the right trade show for your business, you can use your creativity and imagination to create an exhibit that will stay ahead of your competition.

 

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About Ryan Schortmann

Ryan Schortmann is the Founder and Managing Partner at Display Pros, where he works to help businesses of all sizes make an impact with their customers by providing quality trade show and retail displays at affordable prices. A graduate from New England College, Ryan holds a degree in Business and Computer Science. When not hard at work at various marketing roles, he enjoys cooking, travel, and gaming.

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