I have attended my fair share both as a delegate and a company representative and I have to say that they are energizing on all levels.

more and more businesses participate in trade shows every year. They are doing it because these face-to-face events are often considered viable, cost–effective but expensive sales opportunity generators.

Some companies leverage trade shows in different ways to drum up new interest, launch or relaunch products or showcase features or customer case studies or stories.

In highly competitive markets with concentrated interest from prospects they are mechanisms that are used to elevate the company profile, engage with others in the industry and target a specific audience.

Trade shows are expensive but can be very effective marketing activities for selling to targeted audiences with the purchasing power.

Event trade event participation needs  to be considered carefully in order to reap the greatest rewards.

Event planning

Well considered participation in a trade show or trade event needs orchestration, you need to know where and when the event is, how much it costs, who the delegates are and what tools and widgets will be in place to help you be as successful as possible.

Setting goals for the event is paramount. If you are going to part with your precious marketing budget you want to know what your over-arching objectives are or the event in order to set the direction for you and your team’s efforts.

Are you aiming to do market research,create awareness, educate, gather prospects, close deals, simply stimulate sales interest?

After you have spent that booth money, how will you measure the ROI of your investment?

About the author

eyeClinton Jones has experience in international enterprise technology and business process on four continents and has a focus on integrated enterprise business technologies, business change and business transformation. Clinton also serves as a technical consultant on technology and quality management as it relates to data and process management and governance. In past roles Clinton has worked for Fortune 500 companies and non-profits across the globe.