How do you leave a lasting impression with the attendees at your trade show?

Start by not letting them forget you! Sounds easier than it is… Chances are your attendees have seen every cheesy sales pitch and demonstration of how a product or service could possibly be used in a marketing departments’ dream world. Try the old fashioned way. Mail out a personalized thank you card to prospects and current clients and create the warm and fuzzy feeling that goes with feeling appreciated. Sure they will probably throw your mailed card away as soon as they receive it, but they WILL see it. This will help t hem remember your name. Have your sales team follow-up not just to pitch a sale but ask questions too. Attendees like to feel as though their opinions matter- which they do! Listen to their feedback and let them know how their input helped your business. To leave an impression with exhibit attendees appeal to all five of their senses at the same time as attendees learn, are entertained and persuaded by different methods. We will not lecture you about using boring graphics at your booth. If you would avoid your booth as an attendee, go back to the drawing board. It’s always a good idea to hand out a little literature about your business, but it should be interesting, people do not want to pick up PowerPoint presentation prints. Provide refreshments like warm fresh-baked cookies. This can be a sweet reminder of home as your target attendees may have traveled over a thousand miles to see to attend the show. If you want a healthier option, try to offer trail mix or nuts to give them the energy they need to stay for the whole show! If you are allowed open beverages on the trade show floor, consider offering cold water or lemonade. Even if your business is only in the cloud, figure out a way people can physically interact with your product. People like to reach out and touch so don’t forget to appeal to the sense of touch. You can appeal to their sense of touch by mounting iPad with which they can interact with your service. Booths can be noisy- if you are doing it right, so have plenty of staff available to field inquiries, and listen to the attendees. Consider streaming a scheduled live audio presentation over the web to have exclusive access to the ears of your target market at scheduled times during the show. Finally, have an after-party, or dinner where your attendees can connect with you and each other about the show. Try not to talk too much about business, and don’t focus on pitching a sale. Building a strong personal relationship can easily turn into a strong business relationship. Do you have anything else you’d add to the list? Leave us a comment and let us know.