You’ve done all the prep work. You’ve strategized, meticulously designed your booth, scheduled interviews with editors and created social media content. Now the trade show you’ve been planning for months is finally here.
Stepping onto the trade show floor, there’s a lot going on. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but you can ensure you’re staying on track by creating a checklist like the one we have in our trade show planning guide. Print it out and have it with you at your booth, keeping a digital version on hand as well.
This checklist is easy to follow and can maximize all the work you’ve done prior to the event in order to effectively drive prospects to the booth and make the most of your marketing budget. Here are six planning ideas covering strategy, booth design, PR and social media.
Strategy and Budgets
1. Schedule on-site booth walkthroughs.
Before the show floor officially opens to attendees on the first day, schedule some time to walk your sales team through the booth to make sure they know where everything can be accessed, whether that’s sell sheets, press kits, interview schedules or extra branded pens. Walking through the booth beforehand will also give you peace of mind that everything is in place and ready to go.
Design and Production
2. Take photos of your booth.
You worked hard getting your booth to where it is now – document it! This may seem like a no brainer, but it can be easy to forget about when you’re busy talking to show attendees or walking the show floor. If you have to, set a reminder on your phone to take pictures of the booth with and without people in it. These photos can be used for social media posts as well as a reference for future shows.
3. Take inventory.
Don’t forget to occasionally take inventory of supplies in your booth during each day of the show. This will ensure you don’t run out of the basics: trashcans, beverages, pens, breath mints, etc.
It’s also a good idea to make sure you have paper and pen on hand for capturing details from conversations with editors and reporters. Having that information written down will help you when it’s time to follow up after the show (but we’ll talk about that later).
Promotional PR & Social Media Planning
4. Distribute press releases.
Press releases are an effective tool for getting the word out about a new product or your booth presence in general. We recommend distributing your press release the morning of the first day of the show. This will not only create awareness around any new products, but give editors some valuable content for during and post-show coverage. If you have more than one press release to distribute, consider scheduling one to go out a week prior to the show in order to tease any new products or notable giveaways and activities at your booth.
5. Capture discussion and editor questions during media interviews.
Media interviews typically span anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. During that short amount of time, a lot of topics can be covered. Be sure to write down important details from these conversations so you can remember to follow up. For example, an editor might be interested in learning more about a particular case study or want to schedule a Q&A with a company representative.
6. Post live content.
Never underestimate the power of social media. Posting on social platforms from the show floor is a great way to keep the conversation going about your brand and increase traffic to the booth.
For example, during last year’s International Roofing Expo in Las Vegas, we posted live content across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for Firestone Building Products. Live posting during the show earned the client nearly 6,000 impressions on Twitter alone, helping to drive traffic and draw attention to the interactive slot machine as well as the new product being showcased.
We created an at-the-show checklist for you as part of our extensive trade show planning guide to ensure you don’t miss a beat at your next event. Download the guide here — we have all the insider tips and tricks to make you the expert on pre-, during and post-trade show planning.
Interested in more ways to optimize your B2B marketing? Check out Digital is Taking Over B2B Marketing Budgets.