Depending on the industry that your company is in, you could be faced with several options for which trade show to attend. So, how do you make this important decision? Attending a show has many advantages: promotion, networking, professional continuing education and more. But, not all trade shows are created equal. Some are smaller or larger, others focused around a particular theme, some offer little more than a show floor and exhibiting space and others include other events and even a full conference. Many shows are geared towards industry insiders and others are open to the public and offer a greater opportunity to engage with potential customers.
There are many trade show ideas to weigh against each other in order to make the important decision of which trade show to attend. But, before you can make this decision you need to know what your company’s objectives are when attending your next show. What do you hope to get out of the trade show? Are you considering attendance for promotional reasons, maybe to announce a new product line or partnership? You might want to consider a show which is open to the public or well-known in order to attract more attention. Is the main idea to advance the knowledge of your staff? Make sure that you pick a trade show that offers educational seminars in addition to exhibiting.
Do a little research on the various trade shows that you are considering. Check out the website for the show and the Facebook and Twitter pages as well. See what news came out of the previous show and if there were any innovative trade show ideas that would make that show stand out. Did it break any records for attendance or exhibitors? Where there any big news stories or announcements about the trade show? What kinds of exhibitors are attending? Do there appear to be any companies that you would like to network with?
Finally, look into the logistics and expenses of attending the various trade shows. How far would you have to travel? What is the cost to get a space for your booth? What will accommodations and shipping cost? There are many different considerations to look into when planning a trade show, and if you can reduce the cost of any of these areas significantly you could be looking at significantly increasing your ROI.