Trade shows are the best place to promote new products and make fresh connections. These are the conventions and events where everyone in your industry gets together. You take your little booth or stall and do everything you can to get noticed. When you get it right, a trade show will do wonders for your business. You’ll sign up new clients, gain buzz for your new product and make important business connections. However, if you get it wrong, you could spend a fortune and come away with nothing. Today we’ll make sure you nail your next event!

Start before the show – Simply turning up and hoping for the best won’t work. You’ve got to put in the groundwork well before the event if you want results. Take advantage of your contact list and connect with people before you go. Introduce yourself to potential business connections over email and arrange a meeting. Run a PR campaign that highlights your new product in the industry. Make sure people are excited to find you and speak to you at the trade show.

Set goals and go after them – A successful trade show is all about being proactive. You’ve got to target those key clients and find the right investors. Set yourself a checklist of targets. This could be a list of names you want to connect with. It could be a certain number of email signups from passers-by. Whatever it is, highlight it and go after it!

Logistics – Sometimes, it’s the logistical details that let everyone down at the event. Transporting your products and team across the country for a show isn’t easy. Luckily, you can outsource this process. You can find more information about trade show shipping and logistics at twiglobal.com. Don’t let this side of the planning let you down!

Show off something new – You want to come away from the show as the company everyone is talking about. To do that, you need something newsworthy. You need to make a splash with a new product or innovative marketing trick. Find something that will gather attention and drive flocks of visitors to your stall. Make sure customers and clients keep coming back for more! Again, you need to start the rumour mill running way ahead of the event for this to work.

Have a demo to play with – At trade events, people love to get hands on with the new product. This, of course, varies from industry to industry, but always find something to demonstrate. At car shows, punters love to sit behind the wheel of a new motor. At gaming events, you’ve got to let people play the new game! Apply this logic to whatever industry you’re in. Get people involved in your product, and they’ll go away telling everyone about it. Make it an immersive experience for everyone involved.

If you do everything on this list, you should come away from your next trade show with success. You’ll make lucrative business connections and grow your network. You’ll strengthen your presence and brand within your industry and among your peers. Most importantly, you’ll build buzz about your new products with the core demographic. Good luck at your next event!