Tips for Exhibiting at Alabama Wholesale Market

It's not the number of people your trade show display draws that matters; it's whether or not your trade show exhibit engages them when they're there and entices them to place an order.

Make it easy for booth visitors to get information.

Use signs in your trade show displays to give information about prices, minimum orders, shipping costs, or any other basic information they might need to know. This will save them the trouble of having to wait to ask you if you are busy with another potential customer.

Make sure you have plenty of promotional literature on hand.

Make sure you have a good supply of color fliers and brochures as well as order forms, price sheets and business cards that you can hand out to trade show display visitors. Exchange your brochures etc. for a business card so that you can compile a list of prospective customers.

Be ready to do business.

Be sure you have a good supply of order forms, pens, credit card slips, or anything else you need to conduct sales and keep track of people's orders at your trade show display. Make sure your order forms are clear and have a carbonless copy with your company name at the top of it. The order forms should also have minimum order information with the case price and the per piece price. Have show specials that are only good if they place an order at the show, such as multi-case discounts, free one-time shipping, or a free small giveaway.

Have your trade show displays manned at all times.

There must ALWAYS be someone at your booth to greet potential customers, engage them in conversation, and take their questions. If you cannot be there every minute the trade show is open, you will need to have at least one other person help man your booth. Never answer your phone when you have a customer or make a person wait because you are talking about personal information.

Actively engage trade show display visitors.

Give people who come up to your display a friendly greeting, and welcome their questions. Be sure your body language is friendly; don't stand there with your arms crossed over your chest, for instance. Talk with booth visitors, and find out what aspect of your business they are most interested in. Be prepared to offer specific answers to their questions. The intention is to pull them in without overwhelming them.

Trade Show Displays Have to Do Two Things.

There are two main considerations when you are putting trade show displays together. Your trade show displays have to be noticeable and appealing enough to get people over to take a closer look. But once they get there, you have to make that closer look meaningful by engaging them with conversation and information. If you do these two things well, then trade shows will be a great way of finding contacts and customers for your business.

Think neatness and visibility when putting your trade show displays together.

Use a baker’s rack or a table with standing shelves to place some of your products at customer eye-level at t he back of your booth in order to pull people into your display. Make sure your display is organized and neat; customers will be turned off by untidiness or if they have to do too much searching to find what they want. Have all your prices visibly marked.

Have a stock of promotion items that you can use as trade show giveaways.

Have small items that people can take away and use (while being reminded about your business), such as a koozie or tote bag with your logo on it or a rack card with your pricing info and contact info & a picture of your product.

Use a prize drawing or contest.

Having some kind of prize drawing or contest as part of your trade show display is a great way to collect contact information from booth visitors. You can give away promotion items to encourage people to participate by leaving their business cards.

Build the impression of demand into your trade show displays.

Make sure you appear busy at all times. If you do not have a customer rearrange your products in your display.

Follow up promptly.

Send out email, regular mail, and make phone calls to follow up on the contacts and leads you made during the trade show as soon as possible. The faster you send them out, the more your business will stand out from the rest and the more likely you are to have an order placed. If you place a call to a contact you make at the show you are more likely to receive and order than if you mail them something.