Trade show attendance, as an exhibitor, is considered by many to be a powerful marketing tool and if properly implemented it is.

But trade show exhibiting should be treated no differently than any other promotional or marketing activity. In reviewing marketing programs for many companies I have found that one of the most common areas of misdirection of marketing funds are trade shows.

Before attending any trade show, whether it is the first time that a company is exhibiting or the twentieth time there are a number of issues that must be considered.

Most important is, “why is the company exhibiting at this trade show”?

You may be surprised to hear that one of the most common answers to that question is, “because we always do”. There are many valid reasons to exhibit at a trade show, “because we always do”, is not one of them. (I will admit that with some trade shows, good position exhibit space is at a premium and hence it is necessary to book space as much as a year in advance of the show. Booking that far in advance may mean that marketing has not created a clear plan on why they are exhibiting at that specific trade show. However, as the deposit for space is usually refundable up to a few months prior to the trade show and that the deposit, even if forfeited, is a relatively small portion of the overall expense of exhibiting, having paid a deposit for booth space is not an acceptable reason to attend a specific trade show.)

Exhibiting at any specific trade show should be driven by a marketing need. I have found that a lot of companies will decide to exhibit at a trade show and then try to figure out what they want to accomplish by exhibiting. This makes absolutely no sense to me.  In my estimation it is no different than a company purchasing a cube van and then trying to decide what they should deliver and to whom.

If it is determined that exhibiting at a specific trade show meets a marketing requirement, that it is an opportunity, that requirement should be defined in conjunction with the expected attendees. By defining the requirement marketing can decide on the size of the booth. (I would like to point out that in choosing a booth size many companies are penny wise and dollar foolish. The actual cost of space at a trade show is usually a small portion of the overall trade show budget especially when manpower time is considered and it should be.)

Size is a function of what is to be exhibited and the number of attendees that one might expect to arrive at the booth at any specific time (these statistics are usually available from the trade show managers). Staffing the exhibit may be an issue that has to be resolved, because everyone usually wants to attend and I find that most companies overstaff trade shows. If the trade show is regional in draw, it makes little sense to send sales people from other regions. If the trade show is national in draw, then why send the international people? If the attendance is expected to be unsophisticated end users, then why send engineers?

Other considerations include knowing which of your customers are planning on attending. This allows for possible entertainment planning. Will a hospitality suite or other function be part of the overall trade show marketing exercise? Quantities of literature and promotional items must be considered. Booth design, including graphics must be arranged and these include the consideration of who will set-up and break-down the exhibit, company personnel or a trade show contractor. Calculating freight lead time can save real dollars rather than sending heavy or bulky items on air express shipments.

Exhibiting at a trade show is a business investment. Any investment made by any company should have a planned return. If the company cannot figure out what its return on investment is by exhibiting at a specific trade show, they should not exhibit!