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HOW TO AVOID TRADE SHOW CONFUSION
by Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling

If this is your first show, welcome home. Take some time to unwind from all that is swirling around in your head. It's something all of us who've attended shows were when we first went to a show. We all remember what is was like. If misery likes company, you were not alone. The average for trade shows is that for 50% of the buyers/attendees this is the first time they've been to this show and for 50% of them, this is their very first show. When you returned from your industry's trade show were you in a confused state? And, one might also ask, "Why is a trade show so confusing?"

As a first-time attendee the biggest problem is will be your unfamiliarity with the show. It is not unlike one's first day at college. Everyone else seems to know where to go but thee! Using the school metaphor, you had a text book (the show catalogue), lots of visual aids (the displays), but you lacked a teacher such as this article to help you use your time and effort effectively. If you attend the same show again, it will not seem so confusing.

There are other reasons why trade shows are difficult to work. Some of the problem can be laid at the feet of the producers of the show and some are the fault of the exhibitors. Producers of trade show face a dilemma when it comes to arranging the booths. Do they categorize the areas so competing vendors are in the same area or not? Categorizing vendors certainly makes it easier for buyers to work a show but it may inhibit the discovery factor of finding something from a source one would not normally look at much less buy from. When the vendor categories are intermixed it helps the vendors by giving them more exposure to the total market as everyone will be covering the entire show rather than just their area of interest.

For most exhibitors and those who staff the show this is not something they enjoy doing. It is a lot of work over just a few days. Exhibitors rarely look at their displays from the new buyer's point of view. Most displays are set to look good when no one is in the booth. The result is that it is not easy for the staff to work with buyers. Unless one is gregarious and enjoys the challenge of meeting and talking to people, working at a trade show is the last thing he or she wants to do. When the booth isn't busy the staff gets bored and when it is busy they get tired. Even nonsmokers find excuses to take numerous smoking breaks. Unfortunately, the common practice is to have those drawing the shortest straws assigned to work in the booth. This does not make for a good selling attitude -- who can do a good job in a place they don't want to be?

Among the experienced buyers I know, they all have their own method for working a trade show. It seems there is no best way but there are some habits they all have to ease their task. In discussions with a number of them these eight points were ones they all agreed upon:

1. Come very well prepared! Know what you are looking for, what you want to replace, need and what you heard or read about or have been asked for. Also, come with an open mind.
2. If you are having a particular problem with a vendor and you believe top management might be at the show, before leaving for the show make an appointment to meet with them. It is best if these appointments are made for the first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. Do not show up in the middle of the day and expect to get a sympathetic ear.
3. If you are in an industry where buying at the show is not necessary, do not go with the intent of buying; go to see what is new, what has been repackaged or improved, and, most important, what might be coming in the future. Write orders only for samples and special purchases. Save ordering until you get back to your business. Having time to think helps making better buying decisions. Writing orders at home to current vendors allows you to combine new goods with reorders.

If you are in an industry where the orders must be placed at the show, especially for seasonal or new goods, come even better prepared because every decision to buy will have a direct effect on your business.
4. Cover the entire show more than once. One buyer said she covers every show at least three times, more often four: One, to see who is where; two, to compare like items from various vendors; three, to make notes or decisions on what to order; four, to critique their displays and how they treated you and other buyers. Look at every vendor whether you have a need for what that vendor offers. In addition to this exercise, you may learn of things that customers may be asking for or you'll find lines that could be just what you are looking for but didn't find elsewhere in the show.
5. Take copious notes. Review and rewrite at the end or each day and add comments or reminders.
6. Plan to meet vendors and others in your industry on a social basis over breakfast, dinner and other evening gatherings. A lot can be learned and done that cannot be learned or done at the show.
7. Although the buyers I talked to didn't all express it in these words, all of the said it was necessary to challenge every vendor in some manner. It is a buyer's job was to get information that they would not normally be told without doing this.
8. On the way home and when you get home, look over your notes, see which ones require more thought or looking into or crossing out.

Don't throw away the ones you crossed out. The very next question you get could be on the notes you destroyed. Very often you'll be responsible for telling what you eliminated and why.

These guidelines will help you have a better understanding of how to make a trade show less confusing and, hence, better use of your time and your firm's money.
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Alan J. Zell, Ambassador Of Selling
P.O. Box 69 Portland, Oregon, USA 97207-0069

Email: azell@aol.com
Telephone: (503) 241-1988