Trade Show Project

Q17

1. Describe the planning stage of a trade show including the establishment of
measurable goals, the points to consider in selecting a show location and the
costs to anticipate in participating in the show.

You should have at least 6 months of planning for a trade show,
while one year would be more suitable. The first thing you should
decide is what is going to be the theme of your booth at the trade show,
specifically, which products are you going to present, or are you going to
promote the business as a whole.

After that you should look at your budget, determine what you
need, and budget accordingly, leaving some extra ‘wiggle’ room incase
something unexpected comes up.

The timeline is very important. You should look at everything that
needs to be done, and how long it’s going to take to get it done. These
tasks should be scheduled from the trade show back to the current date,
rather than from the current date to the trade show. You should have
certain checkpoints in your plan that you have to meet at certain dates.

2. Explain the important elements to consider when creating a display and
include the application of the AIDA principle to display design.



When creating a display there are lots of elements to take into
consideration, such as how much space you have to work with, how visible are
you, what your promoting, who the audience at the show is, and many others.

The main thing is to follow AIDA when designing your display. Make the
display visible and interesting enough that it catches people’s attention. After that
you must make sure that there is enough interesting information about what
you’re promoting to develop interest in the audience. The display must also
incorporate things that will make the viewer desire the product/service, and finally
you must have some mechanism that encourages the customers to take action
and actually purchase your product/service.

3. Discuss the use of "show stopper" signs and graphics, the use of multimedia,
videos and demonstrations during your exhibit.

Show stopper signs and graphics are the ones that really grab the
audience’s attention. You shouldn’t over do it however, as it ca look tacky, and
you will not have enough room for the actual information about your product.

Demonstrations and videos are an excellent addition to your trade show
booth. They allow the customers to see your product/service in action. They are
very good at catching the audiences attention, and can also be informational, as

5. Describe the normal components of a display booth.

A display booth incorporates a table, some signs behind it, hand outs, a
person(s), the actual product and perhaps some sort of presentation or
multimedia.

6. Create a checklist for your booth set up, stay and tear down.

Ø All media/demonstrations are in place and ready to go

Ø Everything is accounted for

Ø You do it properly (don’t damage items)

7. Describe how you would promote your product prior to and during the
exhibition.

You should have signs in the area that the trade show is going to be held I.
Another good idea is to have ads in trade magazines that apply to your product. During
the exhibition, you should have signs up and around we’re your booth, and the exhibition,
is located, stating that your booth is open, and what it’s about.

8. Identify the issues that you have to consider when marketing internationally
and describe how you would prepare for them.

International marketing is tricky. Different cultures, languages, and
preferences mean that there are communication barriers, and differences
in needs and wants. The most glaring difficulty is that of language.
The easiest way to overcome this is to hire a professional translator to
translate your message, whether it is in print, or verbally. You must also
make sure that your product is needed/wanted in these international
markets, and that you don’t do anything that may be offensive there, but
not here.

9. Compare the applicability of each of the three different follow up methods.
Provide examples to illustrate your points.

Planning follow ups ahead of time

Part of your follow up should be planned ahead of the actual trade
show. How are you going to record contacts you receive during the trade
show? This should be decided in advanced to allow for a easy follow up.

Contacts should be organized at the end of each day of the trade
show. One of the best way to organize them is from most promising
contacts, to least promising, and then by method in which they want to be
contacted.

Do not wait to follow up on your contacts, call them soon after the trade
show while it’s fresh in their minds.

How will the bulk of contacts be contacted?

Mail? Fax? E-mail? Phone? The way you contact them could be the
difference between a sale or not, be sure to use the method most appropriate for
your situation.

10. Outline how you would evaluate the success of your participation in the
exhibition.

The biggest measure of success is how many contacts you get out of the trade
show. Success can also be measured by pure the total amount of people exposed to your
trade booth, whether they gave you a contact number or not.