Trade Shows And Those Unexpected Challenges

Disasters can come out of nowhere.  Giant thunderstorms can
appear without a moment’s notice, knocking out telephone
and power lines.  A bad dinner at a local restaurant can
have a member of your staff flat on their back with food
poisoning.  Open up your collateral material only to
discover that it’s not what you packed.  How do you
compensate for these potential catastrophic situations?

Your key to success is advance preparation.  Many
challenges can be addressed using your common sense and
creativity. But implementing those solutions can be tricky.

Advance preparation can make the difference between success
and failure.  By starting well in advance of your trade
show, you’ll be assured of smooth sailing, no matter what
happens.  The three main areas to concentrate on are
people, places, and things.

People: You are only as good as your booth staff.  The best
display, graphics, and promotional items won’t save your
show if your staff isn’t up to the challenge.  When it
comes to people, providing comprehensive training before
your show can pay huge dividends.  Cross train your staff
so that each member can cover for another.  This doesn’t
mean your sales people need to be technical gurus or that
your mechanical whiz-kids need to become top-notch sales
associates – but each one should know enough about the
other’s responsibilities to pinch-hit when necessary.

Places: When you arrive at your destination, it’s not
enough to just know where the convention center is.  Take a
few minutes prior to departing and do a search on the
internet about your destination and its surroundings.  Do
you know where the closest medical facility, business
center, or airport is located?  Having knowledge of the
area will save you valuable time if you need to send
staffers out of the show center for quick errands.  You’re
only at the show for a limited amount of time.  Make it as
productive as possible.

Designate a team leader or captain before the show.  This
person will be the go-to person in case of any emergencies,
and should have the authority to make any necessary
decisions.  If an unforeseen event occurs, your staff will
know who to turn to for direction.

Things: The biggest challenges can often come from the
simplest things.  If your brochures have been sent to
London instead of New York, there’s not much you can do to
remedy the situation, short of hopping a red eye and
physically retrieving the wayward literature yourself.  But
that’s not practical.   Instead, have a back-up plan.  For
example: Having a DVD back up of all your literature is a
simple, easy step.  Most major cities and convention
centers have print shops that can quickly run off a few
thousand brochures.  You might pay a premium for rush
service, but that’s a small price compared to the
embarrassment and potential loss of business.

If you make your advance preparation process a trade show
habit, your budget and ROI should never feel the impact of
a looming disaster.

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Barry Brenner is a thirteen year veteran tradeshow
consultant. He has worked with companies of all sizes from
small mom and pop businesses, to billion dollar
corporations. He can be reached via e-mail at
info@bsforu.com or through his web site,
http://www.bsforu.com