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With the size of cruise ships these days, it’s often possible for a person to stand on the beachfront for hours and watch a ship approach from the sea. It starts as just a vague form on a horizon of blue that merges into the clouds. As it comes closer, you begin to tell the difference between a cargo ship laden with hundreds of crates and a cruise ship designed to delight the senses as people journey upon it and discover the world. But like all ships, these experiential masterpieces need to navigate their way to port. From the day the first rivet is put into place on the ship, it has been built with a purpose in mind. But the ability to achieve that purpose is determined by the people at the helm guiding it across the water, seeking the right port.
Brands are similar to these ships. Brands are built with a purpose and a set of target destinations. The products and what they stand for often approach an audience as a mere glimmer of what it is to become and how much it will become an integral part of their life. As the message and offering become clearer, they are navigated into our minds and lives. They follow a map of touchpoints and sellable attributes. The audience either climbs aboard and absorbs the experience of the product or, if unfocused, it remains adrift, a mere passing thought in a sea of messages that never quite make it into the intended destination. Trade shows are very real “ports of call” for a brand to touch the lives of thousands of people all at once.
Trade shows are one of the most powerful opportunities to connect with new customers, reinforce relationships with current ones, and showcase your brand. But they are also among the most expensive marketing initiatives companies undertake. Building them out can take months. To get real ROI, the key is planning and preparation.
Two critical areas to focus on before you step onto the show floor will help you to navigate your way to success:
1. Map Out Communications and Content
Your message should be clear and consistent long before the first attendee walks into the exhibit hall. By focusing on communications and content early, you can create momentum that carries into the show.
Craft a clear value proposition: Don’t just say what your company does. The most important piece is to explain why it matters to your target audience. If someone only remembers one sentence about your product, what should it be?
Build a content calendar: Develop pre-show emails, blog posts, and social media updates. Map them out on a timeline that starts months in advance. This creates anticipation and establishes your brand as a company to look for on the floor. This is your show horizon and pathway into the show which ensures your engagement is pre-built for success.
Leverage press opportunities: If the show has a media list or trade press attending, draft short press releases or pitches. This can result in coverage that multiplies your visibility. Remember it is not the shows responsibility to highlight you, it is your responsibility to use the toolbox the show provides you.
Prepare visuals: Make sure booth graphics, brochures, and videos reinforce your story. Visual consistency creates recognition and trust. A “booth” is not square footage with some pipes, drape and a 6’ table to hide behind. That is just the real estate. The experience is what you place on that real estate and how you plan to engage with those you pass by.
The earlier you prepare, the more polished and professional you’ll appear when showtime arrives. Preparation will help build engagement beforehand, valuable conversations during, and effective deal closing after the show.
2. Train Your Team for Solution-Based Selling
While the build out and experience is what often grabs the eyes of prospects first, the real differentiator at any trade show isn’t the booth design or swag, it’s your people. No amount of planning or tech tools can overcome a staff that doesn’t know how to learn the needs of the key target audience. A well-prepared team can make the difference between a booth that people stroll past and one they stop at to engage. In a previous post we referenced trade shows being like a stage performance. This is similar here. Staff must rehearse their approaches and questions to get the most relevant information from a prospect which teaches them how to solve the problem, not sell the features. If the brand is your ship, the actual day of the trade show is your on-board theater.
Practice active listening: Your staff should be trained to ask open-ended questions that uncover attendee needs. The questions posed need to encourage conversation from the prospect, feel natural and not scripted, as well as subtly place the solutions to the prospects problems in their minds. The prospect should be doing most of the talking. If your staff is “pitching” instead of “solving”, then they are failing.
Shift from features to solutions: Instead of rattling off product specs, staff should focus on how your company solves real business problems. Solutions resonate far more than features.
Build a follow-up pipeline: Every meaningful conversation should lead to a next step. Whether it’s scheduling a demo, setting up a call, or connecting via LinkedIn, don’t let the interaction end on the show floor.
Rehearse scenarios: Role-play both the “perfect” conversation and the tough ones. Equip your team to handle objections and keep discussions positive. Failed scenarios are the best teachers for discovering successes.
When your team embodies the role of trusted advisors instead of pushy salespeople, you’ll generate leads who are excited to keep the conversation going.
Bonus: Tech Tools To Keep You, Your Plans, and Your Communication Organized
Planning and execution can feel overwhelming. Navigating the pre-planning, execution and follow up of trade shows and marketing in general can often just get buried in the minutiae of the daily work that needs to get done with everything else. Here are some of the tools that professionals swear by and can lighten the load:
Trello or Asana - Project Work Flow Management
Pros: Easy-to-use project boards, good for tracking deadlines and responsibilities, strong collaboration features.
Cons: Can get cluttered with too many tasks; requires discipline to maintain.
Our Recommendation: If you are a small to mid-size operation, Trello is likely to be more cost efficient and easy to implement. However, if you want scalability, a package like Asana is more likely to provide what you need as you progress.
Hubspot or Salesforce - Lead Management and Segmentation Management
Pros: Powerful CRM systems that keep leads organized, automate follow-ups, and integrate with marketing platforms.
Cons: Steep learning curve; can be expensive for small businesses.
Our Recommendation: Both systems have a lot of very helpful and useful tools, but we’ve found hubspot to be more price friendly and while still requiring some time to really learn, easier to pick up for most than Salesforce
Canva or Adobe Express - Visual Design
Pros: User-friendly design tools; templates make it easy to create professional collateral quickly.
Cons: Not as customizable or powerful as full professional design software or a talented graphic designer.
Our Recommendation: While having Adobe Express available for things like working with PDF’s is helpful, Canva is our go to part of the tech stack for easy and efficient design. Make sure to always have a graphic design expert there to review and add those special touches.
Calendly - Scheduling
Pros: Streamlines scheduling; integrates with email and calendars; makes it easy for prospects to book time.
Cons: Some advanced features (like team scheduling) are locked behind premium tiers.
Slack or Microsoft Teams
Pros: Keeps internal communication organized; supports file sharing and real-time collaboration.
Cons: Notifications can be overwhelming; adoption can be challenging for teams not used to chat-based systems.
Our Recommendation: While Teams works well for larger organizations that are primarily Microsoft-centric, Slack is typically considered more user friendly and efficient.
The companies that thrive at trade shows are the ones that plan ahead, communicate clearly and plan their journey from the day they decide to attend. They train their teams to engage in meaningful, solution-driven conversations. Add in the right tech stack, and you’ll not only survive the chaos of trade show season, you’ll come out of it with stronger relationships, more qualified leads, and measurable ROI.
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