TIPS FOR SUCCESS - from Deanna Wheeler & Chris Veazey Brown

“We have been involved in trade shows for over 20 years and in that time have picked up many pointers and tips for a successful show experience. We are pleased to share some of them with you now.”

• Include staff in your pre-planning. They need to know what you want to accomplish and what they should do to achieve those goals. Define your goals in terms of immediate goals and long-term net results. Solicit their input for maximizing predetermined goals.

• Make it easy for booth staff to do their job. Do they have the work schedule? Do they know about free parking at Lawrence Stadium and do they have change for the parking meters? An exhibitor’s badge or staff ticket? Have they read all of the exhibitor’s information, including rules and regulations?

• If you are doing a give-away, be sure that it works for you. Identify what you want to accomplish with the drawing? Find a way to identify good prospects (turn down a corner or place a grading symbol on the entry blank as you deposit it into the entry box). Preplan how you will manage follow-up with prospects with a mailing list following the Fair. Consider including marketing/demographic questions on the entry blank.

• Network with the other exhibitors, they can be a valuable source of information or they may be your next customer. Study the other displays to see what might work for your company in the future.

• Show Kit - here is a list of things you are likely to wish you had with you: Quarters, aspirin, band aids, sharpened pencils, note pads, business cards, sales materials, tape, wire, Windex, paper towels, stapler (one that opens) Kleenex, hammer, pliers, breath mints, 25’ extension cord, a camera.

• Be enthusiastic and have fun. Thousands of women are excited to be attending the Women’s Fair. Let them know that you are happy they are there.  First impressions last a long time.

• Decide how to present your company or product.  Will it be more effective to utilize demonstrations, interactive displays, set a mood, define your style, capture the imagination, create curiosity, play a game, use color or motion, inform & educate or create visual impact? Think outside the box! Exhibitors sitting behind a table with literature are boring.

• Design your exhibit space for the best possible results:

Does it visually send the right message?  Will your exhibit stand out from a distance?  Will it create a lasting impression that will still be remembered after the show?  Does it set you apart from your competition?

• Know when to hire a pro. If designing an exhibit space or planning promotional events are not your strength or time doesn’t allow for proper attention, hire a professional.

• Over-staffing your exhibit can be as detrimental as under staffing. People are naturally intimidated when they are outnumbered or have to stand too close to others.

• Have you contracted for enough space to adequately present your product and to accommodate the crowd?

• Design your exhibit so people can step into your exhibit space. Once they have stepped into your space, you have earned their trust and that step is a strong signal of their interest. Do not put a barrier between them and your product.

• Capitalize on your opportunities:

- Build a prospect list or mailing list, test a new product, or do some research.
- Utilize Girlfriend Discount coupons to build pre-Fair in-store traffic.
- Sell direct at the Women’s Fair. Women come prepared to buy.
- Stimulate after fair business with special offers, discounts or registrations that encourages a   visit to your place of business.
- Buy an ad in the Wichita Eagle’s Women’s Fair Tabloid and benefit from double exposure. In
addition to advertising on the Sun., Feb. 7th Tabloid is our official program and is distributed
to show attendees. Promote your location, your company or product, phone number, your
demonstration or stage presentation, print a coupon ad, etc.

• Coupons with no expiration date or a 1-year expiration produce a better return.

• Train your staff:

            - Train your staff to welcome attendees into your exhibit, have a good time with them,
stay light and friendly. It may be 30 minutes before closing, but to that guest, this is
your first impression and may be your last.
- Inform staff of the importance of focusing on the crowd in front of them and not on
each other. They can visit with each other any time.
- Utilize company name badges for the best personal impression. People like to know who they
are talking to. If you do not have company badges, slip your business card into your exhibitor
badge cover. (Be sure to keep the exhibitor badge under the card to show when entering
Century II each day.)
- Train your staff to ask qualifying questions.
- Train your staff to ask attendees what they have enjoyed the most at the Women’s Fair, or what
brought them out today. You may learn a lot about your customers.

• Schedule an after-Fair critique and planning meeting to review results and plan follow-up sales and next year’s exhibit.

• Professional dress and attire make the best first impressions, but remember comfortable shoes are a must. It’s hard to smile when your feet hurt!

• Consider utilizing manufacturers representatives or outside professional staff.  When possible, feature a mascot or utilize your company spokesperson if you have one.

• Signage:                        - Use professional signage only. Signage gives you professional credibility.

- Remember your address or location on signage. It doesn’t make sense to force prospects
to go to the yellow pages and search through your competitor’s names to figure out
where you are.
- Use your company slogan or positioning statement on your sign, it defines what                      
kind of business you are and sets you apart.
- Logos were specifically invented to create longer impressions, use them.

• Samples and giveaways always encourage people to visit your booth. Think about what you want to accomplish. You may want to hand them out to everyone or utilize them to gain qualified information.

• Decide how you will track your Women’s Fair results. Here are a few suggestions: 1) Coupons printed especially for distribution at the Fair, 2) Marking, stamping, or punching your business card for a special discount after the Fair, 3) Offer a special Women's Fair give-away that must be picked up at your place of business, and 4) Give away a designated “dollars-off” card to be used on a purchase at your store.