Have you ever been stuck in a conversation you can wait to leave? Well is can happen at a booth during your trade show. Having to greet and talk to everyone that visits your booth is important and works best when you can move from one person to the next after your sales pitch. However, sometimes people just won’t leave. The reality is you don’t have all day to talk to someone. Now of course you can’t just walk away or tell them to stop talking, so how do you get out? Here are five strategies to know and use when needing to escape an annoying visitor.

The 007

This one is about setting up a secret signal to let your team know you need to get out. It has to be discrete you can’t do something like wave your arms. Probably something simple to flash quickly and to get your co-workers attention. When you notice the signal, you should jump to their rescue and come up with a believable excuse to get your co-worker away. Maybe something like “Hey we need you to reset the computer its not working again” or “Sorry can I borrow you to answer a question for another visitor” then you have an opening to slip away. And there you have it the perfect escape.

The Hand Off

This one is a classic, if you don’t want to talk someone just make someone else talk to them. Lead them over to another part of the exhibit and drop them off with someone else. Come up with a simple exit line and make an exit.

The Gift Basket

This is a nice way to politely end a conversation. Give them some swag and a business card can show the attendee that you are ready to move on. Make sure to leave them with an idea of what you just gave them like what the package includes as well as contact information that can be used to reach you. Don’t just hand them some stuff and push them out the door make sure they are let go nicely and will remember what you told them.

The Referral

This one takes a bit more planning and networking. This involves telling a customer about another exhibitor in the area and directing them that way. Its best to do this with a group that you already know and talk to. When you are done talking to a customer and maybe you have realized that what they are looking for you cannot provide, it maybe time to refer them to someone who can. You can either give them directions or take them to the other exhibit yourself. This helps the customer feel that you are looking out for them and really want to help. Also, your referred exhibitor may also send some extra traffic your way.

The Blame Game

This works best when used not on customers but other staffers from another exhibit show up. It doesn’t look good to a customer to have an employee throw their boss under the bus. But if you find yourself in need of an escape just say something like “I would love to stand here and talk but the boss is really trying to keep everyone on task.” It’s the perfect getaway. They can’t stop you from doing what your boss wants so this should always work unless you are clearly not busy. And one more thing is to make sure your boss is ok with being used as the bad guy for the excuse.

These are just some of the tactics that can be used by you and your staff to escape people that just go on for too long. Nothing wrong with using them if you are really busy and need to get moving. Use these strategies to make the most out of the time you spend at a trade show and gather the best leads you can. Some of these strategies were derived from an article written by Brian Dukerschein.

Let’s say you registered at a trade show, your booth is set up, and the trade show or Expo is in full swing. What do you need to do to make it worthwhile?

Many people overlook or are not aware of what happens while they are on the floor. It’s important to be mindful of details that can help you during and after the show to get the most out of your visit.

The first thing is to keep in mind is the traffic your booth takes in. You don’t need to count each person one by one but keep traffic in mind and get a general sense of who’s coming when and how many. Compare yourself to your competition and check to see what they are up to and if they are getting more people going their way. What is affecting traffic coming to booths? You can use this information to improve your booth or display now or for the next show.

Customer interaction should not be overlooked. You need to make the people that wander into your booth feel welcome and engaged in your display or pitch. Make sure to have staff ready to talk and make people feel welcome to ask questions. The more welcome people feel, the more time they will spend with you, and that could lead to more leads. Keep this in mind when people start to show up.

Another important point to be mindful of is the quality of leads you gather throughout the day. Not all leads should be ranked the same. Some leads are more promising than others, and it’s good to contact the priority contacts as soon as possible. To get the most out of your visit keep yourself organized, so when you come home with a list of contacts, you know who to contact first.

As mentioned before make sure to scope out the competition. This is a unique opportunity where you and your various competitors are all in the same place. Expect them to be checking you out too. So return the favour and get as much helpful info about their strategies and how they market. Their newest and best products will be on display, check those out and see how you stack up. Pay attention to detail and make sure you are aware of everything that is going on at the show and use it to your advantage.

Lastly, compare your booth to your neighbour’s. Do you stand out or look the same as everyone else (or worse)? Think of ways you can get more prospects into your area. Your immediate area is the most crucial space in the show to make the most from your booth. Greet all who come by and if possible stand in front of your booth rather than behind it.

Be mindful of these things when at a trade show but remember actually to put that information to use to get extra value out of being at a trade show. This article is based off a blog written by Trade Show Guy found here.

Trade shows are considered to be of great importance to organizations and their employees belonging to any department like marketing, sales, design engineering etc. Hence if you belong to any career field, trade shows, conferences and exhibitions provide you with the best platform for you to meet people and advertise your product and services. It helps you achieve your organization’s objectives and goals. Five of the major advantages and benefits that these provide to organization are given below: Continue Reading ›

Trade shows are one aspect of your brand that is a one of a kind opportunity and you will want to make sure you make the most of it. It is important to make a lasting impression to ensure you get the most out your trade show experience. Make sure you’re not forgetting these key items when it comes to exhibiting in a tradeshow to maximize your presence. Continue Reading ›

Deciding to exhibit at a trade show can be a tough decision for business owners. It’s expensive, takes time and people to make it work, but doing it right can help get more people to see and recognize your brand. Use these tips to help make sure that attending and exhibiting at a trade show goes well and is worth the effort. Continue Reading ›

In order to establish a reputation of the brand in the market and among customers, it is important that one should exhibit at trade shows as they are the best possible opportunity to gain attention. A strategic exhibition, either big or small can help the brand in attaining benefits that will help them achieve their ROI and market their products and services like no other way. Therefore, the following are the five major reasons of participating in these trade exhibits. Continue Reading ›

In order to improve the “Trade Show Experience”, professionally printed materials should be used for the Promotional Strategy, Customer engagement and follow up.  Listed below are the five reasons why trade shows are important.

• A trade show is an efficient method for marketing companies and their products.

Trade shows provide an opportunity for companies to come face to face with the actual decision makers i.e. the customers, which is not a case in comparison to other marketing strategies. This gives companies a dynamic platform where they can bring forward new products and services to their customers. Continue Reading ›