Category: Just me being me

I don’t go to a ton of tradeshows, but when I do I am amazed at the things that I see going on. You would think that if a company paid the money to participate in a tradeshow that they would put some time and effort into the way their company is represented once they get there. Well, you would be wrong.

Here are a few tips that I scribbled down so that you can learn from other people’s mistakes:

Put some time and money into your booth display

You could totally spend $10,000 and get the “mack daddy” of all trade show booth’s, but most people just don’t have that kind of money to sink into something that they only pull out a few times each year. Unfortunately, some people think that the only other option is to purchase a cardboard tri-fold from Staples and glue on some papers and brochures. Oh. My. God. Really? I made better displays when I was in middle school! I’m not even exaggerating; I saw multiple booths with homemade displays that looked like they let their kids put them together. Did I mention that the audience for this trade show was lawyers and judges? That doesn’t exactly sound like the kind of visual branding that is going to appeal to them, does it?

There are certainly a lot of really great booth options in the $1,000 – $2,000 range, but if you want to do something cheaper you can purchase an ‘economy grade’ banner stand and have it professionally designed and printed for a few hundred dollars. Another option is to pay a graphic designer for a couple hours of their time and have a poster designed and printed on foam backing at your local copy center. Once you purchase an easel to sit it on, you’re good to go with a professional looking design that is so much better then something you can make with glitter and a glue stick (true example!).

Brochures and handouts should be easy to grab

So, what goes on the 6 foot table that typically comes with every booth? Well, for one you should have your brochures readily available. Depending on the type of trade show you’re attending, it could just be your overview brochure or if you want to get really fancy about it, have your industry-specific brochures and newsletters. If you haven’t read it, you might want to check out Does my Company Really Need a Brochure.

Giveaway Items

Face it, many people at trade shows don’t really want to sit down and have an in depth conversation about your business and how you can meet their needs. However, if you have something really cool that you’re giving away, you have a better chance at having them approach your booth. When deciding what to give away, make sure that the item is appropriate to your audience. Ideally, it should be something imprinted with your company name and website (or phone number) so that when they see it again, they think of you. Added tip: raffle items and games to play are great conversation starters too.

Pick your people wisely

When deciding who is going to work at your trade show booth, be sure to choose the right person for the job. If the trade show is for a specific industry, make sure that the person representing your company is knowledgeable in the services that they would need. Also, make sure your booth workers are dressed appropriate to the event. If everyone attending the event is in a suit, you should be too. If the event is more casual, like at a beach hotel, company logoed polos work great.

As an added bonus, here are the most inappropriate things I saw that made me snicker:

• I saw not one, but TWO men with their zippers down. I would typically tell someone that their zipper is down by quietly approaching them and saying it so that nobody else could hear. However, one of the guys sprinted away too quickly after grabbing our giveaway for me to say anything to him. The other stared at my chest for so long that I decided he deserved to walk around with his hoo-ha out.

 

• One man was walking around with his event booklet shoved down the front of his pants, “Al Bundy” style. And not just placed in there, he had shoved his Buddha-belly aside so that it was really IN there, fully touching his man bits. Ewwww is an understatement.

 

• Please for the love of all that is holy, do not come into a tradeshow directly from the beach wearing nothing but your bikini and flip flops. It’s just as inappropriate for someone in their early 20’s with perky bits as it is for someone older when stuff is… well, not so perky. I don’t care how comfortable you are with your body. Unless you’re a stripper, if everyone else in the room is wearing clothes you should be too!

Warning: I’m going to vent a bit

One of my biggest work-related pet peeves is when I get solicited at the office. Not by skanky prostitutes trying to rock my word, but by those money hungry shower planners.

I swear, it must be at least three times a month that I get the same email asking me to pitch in for so-and-so’s wedding shower, baby shower, retirement party, vasectomy shower, or whatever.

I’m not a stingy person, I swear. I’m one of those people who truly do enjoy celebrating milestones with my friends & family by showing up at their showers and bringing a super cute gift with me. What I don’t like is when I’m asked to purchase a gift for someone that I’m not even friends with.

Years ago, when I was trying so hard to be Miss SuperNice, I would try and give money for every single shower.  For those in the know, this buys you the opportunity to sign the card and take 5 minutes out of your workday to eat cake and stare at the person while they open their gifts.

Well, at a company with over 100 employees (all of which seem to have something to celebrate) this really empties your pockets fast.  So, then I tried to cut back to just the people that I actually spoke to on a weekly basis. Finally, I weaned myself down to only participating if I actually consider the person my friend.

You would think that I tried to smack someone’s puppy. When I first started ignoring the emails, I think they got angry and multiplied. I’d get the follow up emails asking if I had contributed yet, or reminding me that they were going shopping soon and needed all the money by the next day. Usually, I felt guilty enough to find some money to add, but finally I just said that I was tapped out and couldn’t contribute.

Does this make me a bad guy? I don’t really care anymore.

Frankly, I wish that there were no work showers at all. I know that seems kind of grinchy of me, but I feel like it’s just a popularity contest to see how many people like you enough to cough up some dough. If I like someone and consider them a friend, instead of participating in a crappy work shower, I’d rather pick out my own gift and give it them on my own.

I know I’m not the only person who feels this way, right?

When I wrote the blog post on whether a business really needs a brochure, it brought up the question of whether every business also really needs to have a website.

Once again, my answer is going to be a big, fat, ‘it depends’. Yes, I know it’s frustrating to just not get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, but it really does depend on what type of business you have.

If you have a business that already has enough customers and you really don’t want or need any more, you most likely don’t need a website. Also, if you get as many customers as you need just by them passing your location, such as a gas station at a busy intersection or a deli located in an office building, you probably don’t need a website either.

However, most businesses can benefit by having some sort of a web presence. People today typically will use a search engine like google when looking for things, such as a wedding photographer, a local bicycle store, a spa, or even a veterinarian. If your business doesn’t have a website at all, they’re never going to find you.

For example, when I was looking for a body shop to fix my SUV, I googled body shops in my area and looked at the different customer reviews to determine which I would visit. This doesn’t mean I didn’t also ask friends for body shop recommendations, but when they gave me one I’d immediately google the shop to check the online feedback.

Depending on your business, you may only need a simple website with a couple of linked pages that include your company’s logo, a description of your business, store address, phone number and hours of operation. Or, if you have a complicated offering with various industries and services, you may need a more extensive website with dozens of pages and links to your company’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.*

It is very important that you keep in mind that the idea of having a professional brand for your company doesn’t stop at the business cards and brochures. Make sure your website is also professionally designed to best represent your company to potential customers.

 

* I now realize that the next “Do I need…” blog entry is going to have to be about social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.