5 Things NOT to do at a Trade Show!

For most people new and experienced in the art of trade shows, the following 5 things NOT TO DO will all sound like common sense, yet at a recent trade show, I managed to witness/experience all 5 in less than a 2 hour span.

Number 1:  Don’t eat at your booth. Most shows have a separate area set up for food with tables and chairs for eating. Trade Shows are a perfect setting to showcase your products and services to potential customers, not to showcase how much of that delicious pita you can fit into your mouth at one time. Tip: Have two or more employees attend a booth so that breaks and food can be consumed away from the booth.

Number 2:  Don’t play games on your phone. This person could have been smiling and engaging people walking by their booth, but was rather too captivated by a puzzle game on their new smart phone.  Tip: Smart phones are great for capturing contact information for follow up.  Apps like: Cam Card and Quick Tap Survey are both great for quickly capturing a lead at a show.

Number 3:  Don’t put your feet up on the table. Just because you got stuck with a really poor location in the far corner of the hall with awful foot traffic doesn’t mean you should pack up shop and put your feet up. Tip: Book your spot early. You can even have Google keep tabs on your next show for you by setting up a Google email alert: Google.com/alerts

Number 4:  Don’t shake a persons hand with a wet hand. It literally only takes seconds to completely dry off your hands after washing them.  No Tip, this one is seriously just common sense.

Number 5:  Don’t overstaff your booth. Usually at the beginning and the end of the day, traffic is slower and multiple reps in a small space can seem intimidating for a prospect to approach.Tip: During slower traffic periods, less staff is better. Let some reps browse and talk to some of the other exhibitors, network and see what the competition is up to.