Trade show tips: making the most of your company's in-person marketing.

• Author: Kaelble, Steve
• Position: TRADE SHOWS & EXHIBITIONS

WHAT COULD BE SIMPLER than trade show marketing? Just waltz into your company's booth, grab a seat and wait for the sales to come to you, right?

Guess again. Trade show marketing can be both highly effective and fun, but it takes some serious effort and planning to do it well. An effective program requires plenty of preparation and legwork before the show, proper etiquette during the show and coordinated follow-up afterward.

It may be work, but it's well worth it, says Mick Parrott, president of Icon Exhibits in Fort Wayne. "It is effective, because many key decision-makers attend trade shows. Trade shows are far and away the No. 1 business-to-business marketing tool in Europe and Asia, and they're No. 3 here."

Trade shows are an excellent way to introduce new products as well as reinforce existing marketing messages, says Jeff Hoffman, president of The Exhibit House in Indianapolis. "It's a synthesis of the other things that you're doing," he says, and it needs to be well coordinated with the marketing strategies your company is pursuing through other tactics and media. "If you have a clear message and a clear strategy, it's going to show in your booth."

Planning your campaign. "The trade show component of a total marketing strategy has to be given high priority," Parrott says. "Arguably, it's the most complex piece of the marketing puzzle."

Choosing the right show is a critical early step. More than 10,000 trade shows happen every year in this country alone. Picking the wrong one can be a waste of your budget. Fortunately, there are plenty of places to find answers.

For one thing, the company that creates your trade show exhibit is likely to have some expertise at sorting through shows and preparing for them. "Put your project in the hands of a full-service professional who knows all the ropes," Parrott recommends.

Ask your best customers, too, because they're likely to attend the same trade shows as your best potential customers. Check out trade shows in advance if possible to see firsthand if they attract the right kind of crowd. Don't mistake the biggest show as being the best for your needs--it may be, but it may not. Your booth and your message just might get drowned out in a huge show. Once you decide on a show, book your space early.

"Before I go to a trade show I try to be prepared," says Sherry Brown, who both hosts and markets at trade shows in her role as sales and marketing manager at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie...