Gift giving builds goodwill, communicates a message and creates awareness, but when thinking about giveaways for your next event, consider the bigger picture— your company’s future sales.

Aside from making sure that your company’s event premium ties into to your marketing message, it should require future contact with your salespeople, or generate frequent visits to your customers or prospects. 

Bernafon, a Swiss company that specializes in hearing-aid technology, tried this premium strategy.  The company purchased 40 candy dispensers, filled them with Jelly Belly jellybeans, and gave them away to customers during the holidays. The company mailed out boxes of the treats to refill the dispensers once a month for three months  (Source: Exhibitor Magazine, January 2004).

The result— they received a significant number of calls from customers and were able to establish a strong relationship with at least 25% of the companies who responded to their offer.

So be creative about your giveaways and don’t hesitate to let them work hard for you.

Mabel Kenyon
Marketing Communications Coordinator

One of the key elements that go into designing an eye-catching exhibit graphic is color choice. That’s why it’s important to be aware how each color attracts or distracts your target attendees at any event.

For example, if you want to draw attention to a product or logo, consider using red. Or if you want to demonstrate that your company has a positive future, shades of golden yellow may do the trick. To learn more about colors and their meanings, click here.

However, it is also important to note that the meanings of colors differ across cultures. So if you’re exhibiting internationally, a dose of cultural sensitivity goes a long way.

For more tips on creating show stopping graphics, download our graphics white paper, “All Eyes on You: Graphics that Work.”

Mabel Kenyon
Marketing Communications Coordinator

Finding the right people to staff your company’s booth is critical to achieving your trade show marketing goals and generating future sales.

So, I compiled a few pointers that can help you pick the best team that can represent your company on the show floor:

1. Select people who want to be there
   The key ingredient for anyone to be motivated to work a show is simple— he or she needs to want to be there. All too often, employees are told by management to "just show up" to work a particular show. However, given a choice, they would often prefer not to.

1. Realize everyone is an ambassador
   Choose your team carefully based on its excellent knowledge of the company’s products, services, customers and prospects whom you expect to visit the stand.

1. Leave negative people behind
   Having positive team members will make a big difference in the atmosphere within your booth. More often than not, their enthusiasm and optimism about your company can rub off on your prospects and clients.

For more tips on successful exhibiting, request for a copy of our Event Professional CD.

Whether you’re exhibiting for the first time or you’re about to consider the next show you will be participating in, selecting the right show to attend can make a big difference to your success level, qualified leads, and sales.

But what is the best way to determine if a trade show is right for your company? Visit the show. It’s the only way you can evaluate whether the show targets the audience you want to reach or it meets your company’s exhibiting objectives.

It may cost you to visit the show, but it sure will be worth it, if it will help you save more money and prevent you from making the wrong choice.