First-Time Exhibitor s Guide to a Successful Show

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Marianna Carpenter
5 years ago
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1 First-Time Exhibitor s Guide to a Successful Show Overview Some companies exhibit at a trade show because it s the most important objective of the year; others do it because everyone else does. Either way exhibiting at a trade show is full of opportunities to help you achieve strategic business goals. If you re a first-time exhibitor you may feel a little overwhelmed by the time, energy and money that goes into exhibiting at a trade show. Whether it s your first time exhibiting or you re a seasoned veteran, your main objective is probably gathering as many sales leads as possible to generate sales and build relationships. Gathering qualified, useable leads in a couple days may seem like a very daunting and difficult task but with companies like CompuSystems to help you along the way, it has never been easier. A successful show is the result of having a well thought out plan and the execution of that plan.

2 Pre-Show Key Objective To-Do List 9 Months Out 6 Months Out 4 Months Out 2 Months Out 1-3 Weeks Out Set-up Day During the Show Determine your exhibiting objectives Create plans for: Pre-show marketing Sales support materials Lead management Staffing Plan for in-booth presentations and demonstrations Finalize exhibit design Recruit booth staff Finalize exhibit floor plan Produce sales literature Identify promotional concepts Finalize and confirm booth staff Submit orders for booth carpeting, furnishings, electrical, etc. Gather supplies Ship exhibit Locate exhibitors service area Supervise exhibit set-up Network and gather leads Conduct daily meetings with booth staff Schedule payment and paperwork due dates Note early bird discounts Plan for show-related advertising Make preliminary hotel arrangements Make reservations for airlines, hotel and rental cars Finalize plans for show-related advertising Take advantage of any pre-paid discounts Order Lead Retrieval from CompuSystems Have a pre-show briefing for staff Use TrafficMax to send a pre-show to attendees Hold pre-show briefing/training meeting with staff Pick-up/activate lead retrieval device Take advantage of showrelated functions

3 Making the Most of Your Trade Show Investment The greatest part of exhibiting at a trade show is that everyone there is one way or another interested in the industry you are part of. The majority of attendees fall into your target audience giving you a captivated audience. The face- to-face aspect of exhibiting gives you a huge edge. When a lead enters your booth, it automatically becomes a personal relationship. Leads can get the information they want faster and more accurately from talking to you than they ever could from any of your marketing materials or the internet. Just being at the show talking to people and getting your brand seen is one thing but it s more important to be able to remember who you talk to and have the ability to follow up with them after the show. You re not going to make too many sales on the show floor so your follow-up process plays a big role in exhibiting ROI. Why use lead retrieval devices? How else will you remember the name, contact information and what product they were interested in for every lead you come in contact with? CompuSystems offers CompuLEAD Smart, their easy-to-use and powerful lead retrieval app, along with a suite of lead management products and services designed to help you quickly and easily capture and qualify leads on the show floor. Their CompuLEAD Smart lead retrieval app can be downloaded to your own smart device or you can rent one of their devices. CompuLEAD Smart reads trade show attendee badges and instantly captures comprehensive sales leads. Using lead retrieval enables you to qualify leads with follow-up action codes, eliminates hand-keying leads into your database for quicker lead follow up and gives you demographic information on attendees you wouldn t otherwise receive collecting business cards. How Do I Use CompuLEAD Smart? Every attendee badge has an encrypted QR code on it that can be scanned by a CompuLEAD Smart equipped device. Once a badge is scanned the lead s information is downloaded in real-time to myleads, the lead management section of your registration dashboard. CompuLEAD Smart allows you to qualify your leads using standard or custom qualifiers so if you talking to someone who is highly interested in one of your products you can qualify them as a HOT lead to make sure you follow up quickly. You can also add notes to each lead like making a note as to what exact product that HOT lead was interested in. For more information or to order a badge scanner please visit

Product Highlight CompuLEAD Smart CompuLEAD Smart is a powerful and easy way to capture sales leads both on and off the show floor using your own smartphone or tablet.

Get the most for your money with multiple activation codes, allowing you to activate the app on different devices Scan the QR code on the attendee s badge or enter their badge number to capture their

4 Product Highlight CompuLEAD Smart CompuLEAD Smart is a powerful and easy way to capture sales leads both on and off the show floor using your own smartphone or tablet. With CompuLEAD Smart there is no need to pick-up, carry around or return an extra piece of equipment, simply download the app from your app store and your set. Get the most for your money with multiple activation codes, allowing you to activate the app on different devices Scan the QR code on the attendee s badge or enter their badge number to capture their contact information Customize your qualifiers and survey questions or use the 10 standard qualifiers and 4 standard survey questions Edit lead contact information and add notes Instant online access to sales leads Data plan or Wi-Fi required Send electronic literature immediately to your leads right from within the app TrafficMax Maximize traffic to your booth with TrafficMax attendee list marketing services. This user-friendly, online attendee list rental and marketing system will help you reach qualified buyers for your products and services. It s never been easier or more cost effective to market your presence at the show and also help ensure a return on your exhibiting investment. Select and segment the registered attendee list to specifically target your message TrafficMax is available pre- and post-show allowing you to invite attendees to your booth and follow up after Send professional looking marketing messages Increase booth traffic and company awareness Tailor your promotions to a specific audience Quickly and efficiently deliver messages, saving your time and money

Closing the Deal: The Follow-up myleads Leads don t last forever, following up with your leads should be done as soon as you get back to the office after the show.

5 Closing the Deal: The Follow-up myleads Leads don t last forever, following up with your leads should be done as soon as you get back to the office after the show. It s at this time that using a badge scanner really comes in handy. Having all your leads organized and ready to be called will get you talking to leads while their interest level is still high with the show still fresh in their minds. Your sales staff back at the office can view and download your leads in real-time from the myleads section of your exhibitor dashboard. So you don t have to wait until your back to distribute leads and start following up. Make sure you sort your list and begin calling those HOT leads first!

CompuSystems. Lead Management

CompuSystems. Lead Management CompuSystems Lead Management Dear Exhibitor: CompuSystems, the show s official registration provider, also offers a suite of lead retrieval products and services designed to help you maximize the return