Networking At Trade Shows

I’ve changed my mind about trade shows. 6 months ago, I talked about how ineffective they were as a marketing tactic. - Booths cost £1000s - No one gets new business. - You get ignored by attendees. - Everyone is just pitching at you. - There are 100s of competitors there. - You get drowned out by other vendors. They’re a massive waste of time. Or at least that’s what I thought… Then I got sent the photos (below) from one of our clients’ booths at a recent trade show. That’s when I realised trade shows aren’t the issue. ↳ It’s how companies approach them that’s broken. The key: Create a campaign around your booth. Here’s the playbook for getting noticed at trade shows: 1/ Don’t Make Yourself The Attraction Our client hired Kaleb from Clarkson’s Farm to be at their booth. Crowds flocked for a chat, photo, or simply to see what all the fuss was about. They came for Kaleb. ↳ But then they’d chat to our client. —— 2/ Turning a Booth Into an Experience They ditched the usual trade show freebies and brought in a VR welding setup. Kaleb set a time. ↳ People tried to beat it. ↳ If they did they won a prize. This meant visitors weren’t just walking by—they were staying, engaging, and talking about it. —— 3/ Force Them To Remember You Here’s where it got clever: Our client offered a hefty reward for the person who won the VR welding game. But they wouldn’t find out if they won until the end of the day. That meant the last booth people went to was there. ↳ Keeping them top of mind on the way home. —— Don’t get me wrong, most trade shows are a waste of money. But if you go into them: - With a clear strategy. - An approach to get noticed. - A campaign around your booth. They can really make an impact. Definitely going to be doing more of this with clients. P.S. Follow me to learn how to get your company noticed Niall Ratcliffe 📚