Plan Ahead – What sets your business apart? What are your top goals for the exhibition? How long does it take to print 200 tri-folds and 500 white papers? Where’s your booth? If you haven’t started to think about your strategy for the exhibition, START NOW! You should always be thinking about what will give you a competitive edge. Remember once you have an initial idea, the necessary time that it takes to critique and refine your strategy is invaluable and the more the better. Remember once you have a solid exhibiting strategy you also need TIME to produce all the supplementary materials. Allowing your company the adequate time for planning and production will yield the most promising exhibition experience.

Promote your Presence – Let people know that you’ll be there. Your commitment to exhibiting is important and must be promoted. Tell your clients, friends, prospects, and colleagues. Pre-event marketing, whether it be online or in print is a great way to draw attention to your booth. People are most likely check out a display that already has a crowd, don’t be afraid to better your odds and hopefully get the ball rolling.

Look Professional – Meaning look the part. Remember that you are the best person to endorse your brand. Also make sure that any supporting elements are well made and give of a professional image. More stuff in your booth (i.e. elaborate lighting, curved walls, or HD displays) doesn’t make you look better if people mistake your toothpaste company for the latest home theater experts and you ran out of money to have a take-away printed for your visitors.

Cl+hear Mess +age+N – Clear and concise messaging is one of the most important factors in a profitable trade-show experience. Trade shows are the business equivalent of speed dating. You have to exhibit your company’s value immediately and clearly in order to reach the highest number of prospects. It is also important to remember that this is a mostly visual message. Your display is the first impression for potential visitors. Make sure it’s sending the right message.

Channel James Dean – Being authentic will go a long way in communicating with prospective clients. The biggest danger is over-selling. Having actual conversations about common interests disarms visitors and takes them away from the land of used car salesmen. The booth is there to display your product; you are there to display the company. More important than moving product in an exhibition based environment, is fostering potential business relationships.