A large percentage of our clientele attend one or two trade shows a year; usually just one. Therefore their businesses do not have a dedicated trade show manager or coordinator. The person who takes on this part time position is either the head of sales or marketing, or the company owner and they always have many other responsibilities to handle. However in order to justify trade show attendance you cannot just throw it together and show up so here are a few quick concepts to help you step through the trade show maze.

Always have a large, clear message that is easy for anyone to understand. Make your booth graphics colorful and easy to comprehend, with a value statement that will then get your prospects into your trade show booth.

Exhibit staffers make or break the attendees booth experience. Bring staffers who want to be there and give them support and training. Count how many qualified leads each one takes in your trade show displays to help decide who staffs the next show. You do not only want sales personnel … you need behind the scene people that know how your company runs and how you manufacture your product.

If you have room for a demo of your product and a product you can easily demo then do it. Create a demo with motion in your trade show exhibit to get more of the right people engaged and interested. That will also get people to remember you. However, if you use someone for hire that does not integrate your product or service into his speech you will not see a reward.
Pay for an electronic lead machines from the show to get their attendee data with every badge scan. Business cards in a fish bowl mean nothing three days after the show closes.

Pre-show marketing is essential. You must do everything you can before the show to set up appointments with qualified buyers and existing clients in your booth at the show. Invite them stop by for a gift or open the bar in your space for an hour after the show closes one night.
There are hundreds of ideas and tips to make your trade show experience memorable for your clients, show attendees, and your company. Take your booth staff into a room for two hours before the show, even three months ahead of time, and get creative. Assign everyone a job. Do not try to do all of this yourself as your trade show days can be the most important three or four days of your entire business year.