6 pre-tradeshow sanity saving tips

If you are first-time trade show exhibitor you might be wondering what you can do to make sure your upcoming show is as advantageous as possible. Well my green and eager friend, preparation is the key to success. Expo centres and tradeshow floors are not exempt from Murphy’s Law, as many event professionals have learned, and there are plenty of tradeshow vets with colorful disaster stories about the times that they were not as prepared as they thought they were. Indeed, what can go wrong will, but you can at least make certain you are prepared for anything that gets thrown your way – and spare yourself some precious sanity! Here are 10 pre-event tips for safeguarding a smooth and successful tradeshow, regardless of the perils that await. 1. If you are investing in tradeshow marketing then you already understand that you have to spend some in order to gain some. This concept should include covering the extra expense of arriving on location a day early. Skimming one night off of your hotel bill isn’t worth the risk you take by waiting until the morning of the show to set up your booth and make sure all your furniture, deliveries and promotional materials are in order. If something goes wrong, and it most certainly can, you might not have enough time to find a resolution before visitors start wondering up to your booth to see how unprepared it looks. 2. Order all of your necessary booth equipment in advance. There is usually a discount involved with ordering as soon as possible and that is most definitely worth taking advantage of. Consider your booth size as well as the amount of space your tables, chairs, carpet and display will take up and plan accordingly. Creating a visually appealing booth is half the battle on the tradeshow floor. 3. If you are thinking of acquiring a branded display for upcoming shows, chew over two separate sets. Your first set, for local shows, can include just about anything you’d like because weight and size will pose less of a transport problem since it’s not going very far. Your second set, however, should allow for easy transport to remote shows where air travel is required. It should easily break down to a manageable size for portability and be lightweight and durable. You’ll want to make sure your display isn’t fragile enough to break during transit. 4. Be sure to double check required delivery dates as well as loading instructions for the convention centre. If you don’t, you could end up doing much more work than you expected. Some convention centres have crews that will unload your vehicle and deliver all of your supplies to your booth for you, while others will only point you in the right direction and leave you to your own devices. Make sure you know which type of convention you are headed to and that you have the necessary equipment, like a decent hand cart, if you need to haul your own load. 5. If you are unsure of how much of your promotional materials and giveaways you should bring, then bring just a little too much. You use these products to lure prospects to your booth, encourage a meaningful exchange with them and provide them with your important contact information, so you don’t want to run out of these too soon. 6. When you are packing for the upcoming show, put together your own “tradeshow survival bag”. In it you should have tape, scissors, a mini tool kit, first aid and sewing kit, trash bags, paper towels, extra business cards, hand sanitizer, a water bottle, snacks, deodorant and mints. You will mostly likely need one or all of these things and sorely miss them if they are not around. You will also look like a seasoned pro when your neighbours can’t get their display to stand up straight and you just happen to have the exact Philips head screwdriver that they need. Keep these guidelines in mind as your next tradeshow approaches and you will be able to stare into the face of chaos and fear not, because it’s in the bag.