In March 2020, the panic was real.  When public events were cancelled, that also cancelled the only way some companies generated leads and made sales.  Now that trade shows and conferences are starting up again, should you go?

Trades shows are an expensive venture and don’t always generate the leads or sales necessary to offset the costs.  Maybe it’s time to look at shows in a different way.  Read on to learn more about my favorite way to use trade shows for marketing – working the show.

What if you could go to a trade show without the cost of the booth space, booth backdrops, or the cost of the people to work the booth?  You absolutely can!  Working the show is a great way to use the congregation of industry contacts without being tied to a booth space.  Especially at industry conferences, being in the same city at the same time as prospects and customers is an efficient way to do business.  Working the show includes many lead generation and sales activities at a trade show, including:

• If current customers and prospects will be there, arrange meetings with them either at the show or another off-site location
• Hosting an event at or near the show
• Connecting with customers exhibiting at a show
• Gathering ideas, competitive intelligence, and industry insights
• Attending meetings and information sessions being held in conjunction with the show
• Looking for best practices to make your own trade show experiences more effective
• Introducing new or junior employees to the industry and your contacts

One company I worked with couldn’t afford a booth at a big, expensive industry show but they knew customers and prospects would be there.  They took advantage of these people being in the same city and invited them to a breakfast.  The event was just off the show grounds and featured a preview of new products, opportunities for input into new product options, and a chance for customers to meet the management team (and for those leaders to thank the customers for their business).

Once, I was contracted by a company to attend a global industry show.  My goal was not to sell the product but to gather as much competitive intelligence as possible.  The trip cost less than the cost of hiring someone to do internet research and the results were more insightful because they were from conversations with potential customers.

Another company I know decided to attend a big industry convention.  Instead of being tied to an expensive booth, the company reps (fewer than a booth would have required) were able to attend the lunches and the information sessions.  They had longer, deeper conversations with current and potential customers.  The sales team was not exhausted after a long day at the booth and they were able to have breakfast and dinner meetings with contacts.

I worked with a company who brought together groups of their customers and prospects for small, intimate dinners taking advantage of everyone being in the same location for a show. It was a combination of their sales team, happy customers, and potential customers they were trying to close a deal with.  A great way for those prospects to hear what it’s like to work with a supplier from a third party.

There are lots of ways to do business at a show.  And even if you do have a booth, you can still invest time in some of these other approaches.  If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s to look at problems differently and objectively.  Consider the gains and costs of having a booth vs. working the show.  You may find that the old ways of doing business will stay that way – old