Trade (Show) Secrets
 

Trade shows can be a great way to broaden an organization’s horizon, providing an opportunity to sell products and services directly to thousands of people, all in one spot. The different surrounding and new faces can also serve as inspirations.

"Attending trade shows and conferences provides excellent opportunities for a refreshing change of pace from the daily grind, which I find sometimes creates creative energy," says JoNell Modys, public relations and communication manager for the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau.  

But as budgets are being trimmed in these cost-conscious times, expo participation may be limited or even considered expendable. So if the boss does decide to send the crew to a confab, it’s important to be well prepared and armed with a strategy that will make the effort a success.

Modys is no stranger to the trade show circuit; she and her CVB colleagues attend events across the country or ocean. And when they go, they are ready and know their duties.

"In addition to assisting with sales appointments in our trade show booth, I spend much of my time interacting directly with the media in attendance.  To prepare, I review the list of registered media and create a list of publications and contacts to actively seek out for face-to-face meetings," Modys says. And she knows to expect the unexpected, like the time she attended the joint conference of the Public Relations Society of America’s Travel & Tourism Section and the Society of American Travel Writers. "I found myself on a sightseeing boat tour with a travel writer from USA Today," says Modys. "I pitched her a story about our destination, and after a lot of work to meet her information needs, the story appeared one week later." 

Bill Anderson, president of Fort Myers-based Expo Marketing, is a veteran of the trade-show scene. His 28-year-old company owns and operates 28 events in Florida—18 home and garden shows and 10 senior expos. He follows the philosophy that "meeting prospective clients face-to-face, listening to their needs, presenting your product/service, qualifying the prospect and overcoming objections gives you a much greater opportunity and increases your chances of closing the sale more than any other means of marketing."

Anderson shares some tips to make the most out of the expo opportunity:

And above all, Anderson says, "Close, close, close."