No matter what industry you’re in, having a booth at a relevant trade show can allow your business to generate leads and gain higher, long-term profits. If done correctly, you can grow your business and increase revenue.
Here are 5 ways trade shows will boost your business and a simple solution to guarantee it.
1. Attendees Are at a Trade Show to Buy
You want your business to be where the buying power is. According to data from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), 72% of trade show visitors say the show itself influences their purchase decisions. In addition to that, an average 76% of trade show attendees request quotes and 26% end up deciding to sign purchase orders.
That’s a lot of potential revenue to be gained from just one or two days of work.
2. Trade Show Costs are Worth it
Yes, preparing for, staffing and hosting a trade show booth does cost time and money. However, it is far more cost-effective to be at an industry-specific event where 100s or 1000s of people are there looking to make purchase decisions compared to hours of cold calling or one-on-one meetings that might not even result in a sale.
3. Trade Shows Offer Human Connection
In this world of technology and remote working, there’s a major loss of valuable human connection. When you put out a post on LinkedIn, for example, a person on the other side of the country may glance at the title, then keep scrolling. Unlike the internet, in-person trade shows offer in-person human contact that make you instantly more credible and likeable.
It is important to note here that this in-person contact is what makes WHO mans your booth the #1 factor of your trade show. According to Harvard Business professor and psychologist, Amy Cuddy, people judge others instantly on a first impression. The person who works your booth needs to be able to elicit the most important components to gain instant trust – warmth and competence. As Cuddy says, “A warm, trustworthy person who is also strong elicits admiration, but only after you’ve established trust does your strength become a gift rather than a threat.”
Shortly, we’ll explain the easy solution for making sure that happens.
4. Observe the Competition
You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer! It’s critical to be up-to-date on your competition and industry’s market in general. Researching and compiling data online is helpful, but a trade show allows you to truly grasp and understand your competition. You can see the type of customers their booth attracts, interact with booth attendees to better understand their methods and personalities and check out their latest products and happenings.
5. People Are Ready to Absorb New Information and Products
When one of your sales members makes a cold call, the receiver may be busy, lack authority or not be interested in purchasing new products. In contrast, trade show attendees are authoritative figures who are ready to learn about and potentially purchase new ideas, products and technologies.
Here’s the key point: Attendees will only stay at your booth, ready to learn more, if there is an enticing, entertaining experience in it for them.
The Easy Solution to Ensure a Successful Event: Hire a Trade Show Entertainer
This is where a trade show entertainer comes in. Even if people are there to buy and learn, they will only end up putting their time and energy into those few booths that truly draw them in. Professional trade show entertainment does this perfectly, tying in your company, brand and message into an entertaining show. Because our trade show entertainers are highly experienced, they are experts at becoming genuine representatives of your brand and gaining authentic trust from trade show attendees.
Plus, trade show entertainers do a lot of the hard work for you. Learn more about these in-depth services at our Trade Show Services page.
(And, if you are interested in hearing success stories, here are real clients & companies we have helped increased lead generation and ROI for: Client Testimonials & Proven Performance page.)