You have probably heard the old Proverb: “The Cobbler’s children have no shoes.” The cobbler, occupied with making shoes for the town’s feet, forgets about the ones closest to him. Sound familiar? You encourage your clients to plan properly and in advance of their events and trade shows, but then you find yourself skipping your own advice. With ExhibitorLIVE quickly approaching, make sure you are on top of your own planning.
EXHIBITORLIVE is taking place February 29th – March 2nd at Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Logistics & Dates – Finalize orders, and confirm production and delivery of the exhibit, promotional items, and marketing materials. Save money by ordering your services by 5:00pm this Friday, February 5th. As for shipments, you will need your exhibit to deliver between now and February 23rd for the Advanced Warehouse. If you start looking at delivering to the show site, those can be received starting 8:00am on February 26th.
Staff – Finalize all necessary travel for your team, such as flights and hotels. With less than a month until show time, this is a great time to http://applerock.com/blog/post/positive-attitude-trade-show-successA Positive Attitude = Trade Show Success, goals, and initiatives for the show so they know what is expected of them. Practice, practice, practice! Role play with your team so they are confident and well prepared for greeting and qualifying leads at the show. If you are announcing any new products or services, provide any necessary training so they are well versed.
Meetings & Hospitality – Setting up meetings in advance is a great way to ensure you are able to secure some time to sit down with your busy prospects and clients. With set meeting times, finalize where you are meeting. Do you need dinner reservations? A hospitality suite at a hotel? Will you be meeting within your exhibit and need to confirm the space will be available? A helpful tip is to set up a shared calendar between all show staff for meetings taking place within the booth so that your meeting room doesn’t get double booked.
Pre-Show Marketing – Pick up the phone and personally invite prospects and clients to your exhibit. It’s also not too late to mail out invitations, providing your prospects with a very personal touch before they head into the show. Don’t forget to participate in the show’s hash tag #EXHIBITORLIVE so that you are relevant and current on the latest show discussions.
Exhibit Installation – Provide your labor team with the information and documentation needed to ensure a successful installation. Set-up instructions, copies of show services orders, shipping forms and labels, and digital photos of the exhibit are all important. With just 3 days for installation (February 26th-28th), and two of the days being weekends (=overtime!), the better equipped and prepared your labor team is will help keep them on track and your budget in check.
Show Time! – The show kicks off at 11:30am on Monday, February 29th. Just before, schedule a brief on-site meeting with your staff for any last minute updates, and to take a moment to get them pumped up and excited for the show. When the show starts, enjoy the excitement and energy of the buzzing trade show floor – there’s nothing like it!
