When handled correctly, trade show promotions increase tradeshow booth traffic, make upbeat impressions, mold relationships, and help potential clients remember you. Do it wrong and you easily can waste everyone’s time, ruin your trade show budget, and wear away your reputation. We deal with exhibitors everyday and no matter what you tell them, some of them make the same repeated mistakes at every show. Starting with the worst – giving away the cheapest giveaways possible. Investing in quality giveaways with your logo is so important – nothing sticks in someone’s head and equates your company faster than cheap, poorly made, tacky giveaways.

First hand knowledge here – and many bags in hand filled with giveaways … just leave them in a big pile and let everyone grab them. Every sales person from our company that visit all kinds of shows to make contact with possible purchasers or renters of exhibits come home with bags of giveaways. We tell them not to but they are so tempting just sitting there waiting to be taken. What a waste of money for exhibitors. Want to be remembered for the right reasons? Then be certain there is a tie-in to your company message with the giveaway. A lighted yo-yo is great – but can you apply it to your product or service? If not – forget it. Don’t reward your customers for their loyalty. Give them the same inexpensive giveaway you handed over to everyone else. Good clients deserve rewards for their business.

Use a raffle – get a big list of people – giveaway an iPad, a bicycle, a trip … then throw away the list. Unfortunately, that list will be pretty useless when you get back to the office – unless you qualify the ticket holders. Remember promotions are a powerful tool for trade show marketers, however only when used effectively after the show!