Slow-Show Strategies
 Despite my best efforts, once in a while my company ends up exhibiting in a trade show that's a complete dud, and my staffers lose all motivation. How do I make the most out of this kind of low-traffic, low-energy situation and keep my booth staffers - and myself - motivated?
When attendee traffic at a trade show screeches to a halt (whether that's at the end of the day or due to low attendance overall), it can definitely dampen the spirits of exhibitors and attendees alike. But no matter how slow show-floor traffic becomes, you don't need to throw in the towel on your investment. Here are three tactics to carry your team through the slowest booth-duty shifts:
 Talk to everyone. When the show floor is buzzing with traffic, your team has to limit the time they spend with even the most qualified attendees to maximize your company's reach. However, once the traffic slows down, they can't afford to be as choosy. They need to chat up just about everyone.
I am the first to tout the importance of prioritizing your trade show time, but during a slow show, encourage your team to reach out to every single person who passes by your booth. This isn't because the overall quality increases when the traffic slows down (it doesn't); it's because this is the perfect opportunity to raise awareness and have a little fun while keeping energy levels high.
Start by asking your staffers to brainstorm unique opening lines that capture attendees' attention and impart useful information about your offerings. For example, try something along the lines of, "Are you looking for payroll processing solutions? ABC Software will make your payroll processing at least 20 times faster than this show-floor traffic." It may sound cheesy, but this opening accomplishes your goals. It attracts attention in a positive way, clearly states who you are and what you do, and explains a benefit your product provides.
Then, motivate your staffers by turning this little exercise into a game. Ask your team to keep track of how many individuals they reach out
to each hour and reward the "top
talkers" with a small prize, such as extra free time or leftover swag.
You never know. Even if these attendees aren't fully qualified right now, eventually they might need your offerings or know someone else who will. The impression you make today could resonate with your visitors long after the trade show.
Improve interaction effectiveness. One of the biggest benefits of a slow show is the opportunity available for continuous improvement. Without feeling self conscious or pressured by crowds, your new, shy, and/or underperforming staffers can practice engaging attendees and gradually become more comfortable with face-to-face interactions on the trade show floor. And without the stress of being pulled in so many different directions, your team can work toward improving their results in key areas.
One area upon which to focus your efforts is the closing ratio of your opening lines. Ask each staffer to use one of his or her favorite opening lines for a certain time period and count how many attendees responded positively (by requesting additional information, engaging in a conversation, or staying for a demonstration) versus negatively (offering responses such as "Sorry, not interested," "I'm an exhibitor, not a buyer," or "I'm late for a conference session").
Then reconvene to discuss their results, and remind your team not to be discouraged by having a high
"no" number. After all, a popular cold-calling guide says salespeople can expect an average of one "yes" out of every 250 calls. Granted, a trade show isn't exactly a cold call, but you get the general idea.
Instead, accept your current
yes-to-no ratio, but challenge your staffers to improve it moving forward. In your next round of attendee-and-staffer interactions, ask your booth staffers to select and use one of the best-performing opening lines the group has encountered and evaluate the yes-to-no ratio again. Continue this process of narrowing down your options until you are left with just one or two winning phrases.
Repeat this experiment as time permits to test and improve other on-site interactions, such as your company's introduction (the elevator pitch your team offers when asked, "What does your company do?"), a contact-information request (what your team says when attempting to scan a visitor's badge), and more. Don't forget to record your results so you can implement your findings at future trade shows.
Connect and compare. Take a page from your booth visitors, who chat with multiple exhibitors and other attendees, and step away from your booth to do some visiting of your own. Introduce yourself to other
exhibitors (even competitors), and
invite your staffers to do the same. Find out what they do and identify how that relates to what you do. You might get lucky and locate some new business partners or even co-exhibiting opportunities, but at the very least you will have expanded your industry knowledge and enhanced your
perspective, which makes you and your booth staffers even more
valuable to your target audience.
Furthermore, although every exhibitor has a different set of goals and strives to reach them in their own ways, comparison is a great way to identify best practices. As you stroll around the exhibit hall (or gaze across the empty aisle), study the other booths and ask yourself the following questions: Which booth spaces am I most drawn to, and is this due to personnel behavior or design? If I didn't know what Company XYZ did, could I tell by looking at its exhibit? How are booth staffers engaging (or ignoring) attendees? If those were members of our team, would we be proud of their actions? Which (if any) new technologies (e.g., video, Quick Response [QR] codes, tablets), unique furniture pieces (e.g., couches, bars, literature racks), and attention-grabbing tactics (e.g., technical presentations, product displays, contests) are used? How do they appear to be helping or hurting this exhibitor's efforts? What sort of literature, samples, giveaways, and
special offers are available to attendees? What do those items say about the company distributing them?
To get your staff involved in this
reconnaissance as well, send them on a mini scavenger hunt. Armed with their smart phones (or a company camera), rotate your staffers out of the booth in short segments to find the best, worst, and most interesting exhibiting ideas. Set aside time to discuss their findings during a meeting when you return or at the close of the show.
Once you have evaluated everyone else's efforts, don't forget to look at your own booth and consider the now-obvious areas for improvement. Make notes and work to implement these ideas before your next event.
Although you might not completely transform this slow trade show into your best event ever, you can use these three tactics to make the most
of your participation no matter how miserably slow it may seem at the time. Even if your efforts don't
produce an immediate spike in sales, you'll likely see an increase in your exhibit program's overall effectiveness at subsequent events.
- Robyn Davis, owner, When I Need Help (WINH), Knoxville, TN |
