Trade Show Marketing is more than paying for a booth

I spent a few hours at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary yesterday. Have to say it is a pretty complex business which I understand very little of.

But  I do understand the importance of measuring results to determine if the investment of time, money and staff resources generates real value.  Many of the exhibitors appeared to be there because they felt they had to be seen. An incredibly small number really made the effort to engage or attract visitors to their booth or provide a reason to visit (and track visitors) to their website after the show.

There were the regular tradeshow giveaways - pens, mints, hand sanitizer, key chain flashlights, etc.  I still don't understand why items like these are handed out as they are not memorable in anyway, don't make an impact nor generate measurable results.

And of the course the mandatory draw for hockey jerseys, golf games, gift certificates and the like were everywhere.  But few exhibitors I saw or spoke with really seemed intent on standing out or trying to create a buzz among both visitors and other exhibitors.

The approach we take for our clients is to identify a promotional vehicle that is totally unique, engages attendees curiosity and offers an incentive that only can be redeemed by visiting the client's website or dedicated landing page. It might be a music card, an instant win with online redemption or even an entry for an online promotion.  Plus every booth visitor would walk away with a unique keepsake that would reinforce the brand.

To stand out and be noticed at large tradeshows, takes effort, planning and willingness to not do the ordinary. But interestingly it doesn't have to cost more.

For some other thoughts on how to increase your tradeshow ROI,  I highly recommend downloading the white paper from Active Conversion.