Trade Show Survival Tips

Refresh your trade show know-how with basic tips that will make your company's CAMEX experience a success and boost your ROI:

Save your feet. Invest in good carpeting and comfortable shoes. It's hard to be friendly when your feet are killing you!
Be engaging. Make eye contact and pay attention to color codes on name tags. Don't sit and talk on your cell phone while someone is looking at your product. Be attentive—it could be your next big order! Don't intimidate visitors by overstaffing your booth. Have a plan within your group about how you will approach people for potential new business.
Pack a survival kit. Include extra tape, scissors, business cards, breath mints, band-aids, antacids, and post-it notes.
Be strategic with giveaways. What are you trying to achieve? Who are the people attending, and how many? How will you gather contact information for follow up? Give your item in a way that adds value. If you choose a pen, send just the cap with an invitation to come by your booth to get the pen. Unique giveaways can drive traffic to your booth and can be an easy way to start conversations with someone who might not be familiar with your product.
Make appointments prior to arriving at show. If you have repeat customers, save time for them. Remember, just because they're a small store doesn't mean they don't want to hear about your product.
Be part of sponsorships. From placing your company name on lanyards, buses, or water bottles to sponsoring speakers or events, CAMEX has a wide variety of sponsorship opportunities. Your ROI may not be immediate, but if your name is out there and your competitor's is not, you are more likely to reach new customers.
Join committees. To get year-round feedback and visibility, and build respect and relationships, volunteer for committees. You gain exposure to people you might not otherwise have gotten to know, and you gain knowledge at the same time.

The success of the show depends on YOU and how YOU make it work! If you want more information about volunteering or sponsorship events, contact Cindy Thompson, director of committee and state relations, (800) 622-7498, ext. 2226, and Erin Wander, director of business partnerships, (800) 622-7498, ext. 2344.