As a primarily B2B-focused company, we have been attending trade shows for both ourselves and our clients for many years. Trade shows are a unique, multi-dimensional environment that bring targeted buyers and sellers together in the one place at the same time and require elements of marketing, advertising, creative and sales.

The reasons to attend or exhibit are many. They are great places to build branding and name recognition, to see and be seen. They are ideal for getting an overview of the marketplace, evaluating the competition, learning the latest industry trends and even to take orders and close sales. All in all, attending trade shows is a great way to generate new business opportunities, create new relationships and strengthen existing ones.

While trade shows are a powerful business generation tool, there are also many ways your next industry event could end up being a nightmare. Murphy’s Law tends to strike early and often, as anything that can go wrong probably will at some point, and the number of incidences can increase exponentially if you are not properly prepared.

Many unfortunate things can happen: your booth can be located on the other side of the building from the show entrance, your exhibit materials might not fit the space, your giveaways and brochures could not been delivered, your booth may be incomplete because a piece was lost along the way, the crowd can pass right by without stopping, or you may not have the right equipment to show your brand new video presentation.

Working with experienced teams and maintaining close contact with event organizers can prevent mistakes and help you make the most of your next trade show attendance. If you’d like to read some more tips on how to have a successful trade show, click the button below.