Die ultimative Checkliste für Start-ups und Agenturen vor der Messe
Trade shows and conferences are an effective way to meet new customers and professional connections – surprisingly enough, according to InsideSales, 72% of sales and marketing leaders say a trade show is an effective method to generate quality leads.
And while trade shows can sometimes seem overwhelming and, let’s be honest, expensive, they can be a goldmine for startups trying to make a name for themselves in any industry – especially if you plan ahead! 🗓
That’s why we’ve put together this ultimate checklist packed with tips and tricks to help you go from trade show rookie to trade show pro – whether you’re exhibiting or just attending the event.
Bonus: We’ve put together a downloadable checklist for you to get all of this valuable info in one handy, digestible document. 🚀
Let’s jump right in! 👊
Getting started – metrics and more
Bevor Sie mit der Planung einer Messe oder Konferenz beginnen, sollten Sie überlegen, welche Ziele Sie mit dem Besuch einer Veranstaltung verfolgen.
Are you trying to win new business? Do you want to promote an exciting new feature you just launched? Maybe you want to try to connect with some investors? 💸
Try to frame your planning around your intentions – and make measurable goals that you can track and reference for future events so that your company can decide if a particular trade show is successful and worth the ROI.
Einige zu berücksichtigende Messgrößen und Dinge, die bei der Veranstaltung zu beachten sind:
- Haushalt – it’s important to determine how much money your company is willing to spend on a particular event and to plan from there. Try to give as many details as possible and account for unexpected expenses as well. Pro tip: if it’s your first time exhibiting at a particular trade show, ask the coordinator if they offer first-time discounts.
- Führt – how many leads did you generate during the event? It’s also important to try and track how many “hot” leads you generated so you can determine if the event’s audience is right for your company. Profi-Tipp: Sie können in der mobilen App Salesflare schnell und vor Ort Leads hinzufügen. 🔥
- Demos, Folgemaßnahmen und Treffen – keep track of how many demos and meetings you conducted during the trade show, as well as how many follow-ups you scheduled for afterwards. Pro tip: Be sure to schedule as many meetings as possible well in advance of the event – people’s calendars fill up very quickly at trade shows and conferences! More on planning this later.
- Abgeschlossene Geschäfte – how many sales did you generate during the event itself? Profi-Tipp: Verfolgen Sie Ihre Leads und gewonnenen Geschäfte in Ihrer Vertriebspipeline auf Salesflare (you can even do this on the mobile app so that you don’t need to carry your laptop around). 📱
- Soziale Medien – Measure the engagement you receive during the event (and be sure to post all about your company’s presence at the event before, during and after!) – this means likes, RTs, comments, etc. Start conversations and encourage people to come chat with you IRL. Pro tip: Make a plan ahead of time for your social media posts. Decide who will manage the accounts during the event, what messages you want to send out and don’t forget to take lots of photos at the event and post them! #teamwork #conferencelife
Once these things are taken into consideration, it’s time to decide how much time, money and resources you want to invest in attending the trade show. Which brings me to my next point…
Ausstellen vs. Anwesend sein
Is your company planning on attending the event and walking around to each booth and networking? 🤝
Oder möchten Sie in eine eigene Fläche investieren, um Ihre Produkte oder Dienstleistungen auszustellen?
This decision greatly depends on your company’s budget, of course, because trade shows and conferences can get expensive.
Wenn Sie jedoch das Geld und die Ressourcen haben, um in einen Stand auf einer Veranstaltung zu investieren, kann dies eine gute Möglichkeit sein, mehr Sichtbarkeit zu erlangen und einen eigenen Raum für Meetings zu haben.
If not, no worries! Trade shows and conferences can still be incredibly valuable opportunities to meet new business connections without a booth. 👍
However, the plans, time, budget and logistics involved can greatly differ, as exhibiting takes a considerably larger investment of these things, so let’s break it down.
Der Zeitplan für die Teilnahme an einer Fachmesse oder Konferenz
9-12 months before the event…
Decide on a budget and the size of your booth. Start to think about what you want to promote and the messages you’d like to get across within the space. 🤔
Versuchen Sie nach Möglichkeit, Ihren Platz auf der Ausstellungsfläche bereits zu reservieren, und gehen Sie dabei strategisch vor: In der Nähe der Eingangstüren oder in Bereichen mit viel Publikumsverkehr sind ideale Plätze für einen Stand.
Start to design the booth concept (it might be ideal to hire professionals for this part – there are several event and logistics agencies out there that cater specifically to trade shows).
Think about any exciting launches or news you’d like to announce before or during the event and start to put together a plan for generating buzz and interest.
Do you have someone in your company who is a thought leader on a relevant topic? Be sure to check out opportunities for speaking engagements during the event! Apply early – these slots fill in very quickly. 🗣
6 months before the event…
Make sure your booth design is in the works at this point – even better if it’s already good to go!
If you’re having multiple people from your company joining the event, make sure they are registered (tickets are usually much cheaper if you purchase them well in advance).
3 months before the event…
Vergewissern Sie sich, dass alle teilnehmenden Mitarbeiter Ihres Unternehmens angemeldet sind und wissen, welche Rolle sie bei der Veranstaltung spielen. Wer wird mit den Investoren sprechen? Wer wird Demos geben? Wer wird über Ihre Anwesenheit auf der Veranstaltung twittern und Werbe-E-Mails verschicken? Wer wird die auf der Veranstaltung generierten Leads speichern und verfolgen?
Of course, many of these roles can (and most likely will) overlap, but it’s best to have a plan of attack moving forward. 💪
Put in an order for any additional supplies you may need – such as promotional banners, giveaways, collateral (promotional brochures and the like), pens, etc. ✍️
Überprüfen Sie noch einmal, ob alles für Ihren Stand bereit ist. Alle Möbel/Materialien sollten zu diesem Zeitpunkt bestellt sein. Stimmen Sie sich mit dem für den Standbau zuständigen Mitarbeiter ab und vergewissern Sie sich, dass alles pünktlich geliefert wird.
It’s better to get these things taken care of early than to wait until the last minute! ⏳
1 month before the event…
Does the event offer an app or matchmaking platform? Take advantage of this to set up meetings as soon as possible. This also gives you the chance to scope out any business connections or customers who may be attending as well. 📲
Research competitors who are attending – see if they have a booth and try to get an idea of how many employees they are sending to the event.
Confirm travel logistics at this point – flights, hotels, etc. and have a game plan for how you and your colleagues will track expenses. ✈️
The few weeks before the event…
Wenn Sie die Teilnahme Ihres Unternehmens an der Messe oder Konferenz bekannt machen wollen, ist eine E-Mail-Ankündigung eine gute Möglichkeit, um im Vorfeld der Veranstaltung für mehr Engagement zu sorgen.
Some conferences offer mailing lists of attendees if you’re an exhibitor, but this isn’t always the case – and you should always use these lists responsibly!
But if you do not have access to this, and there are certain people or companies you’d like to chat with, check out this guide to finding anyone’s email.
Fragen Sie andere Unternehmen, ob sie einen Stand haben, den Sie besuchen können, oder ob es Möglichkeiten der Zusammenarbeit/Partnerschaft gibt, die Sie besprechen können. Mailchimp ist ein großartiges Instrument für die Organisation solcher Ankündigungen und Mailinglisten.
Finally, as you’re reaching the eleventh hour, be sure to fill in those last-minute meeting slots, double check everything is good to go for the booth delivery and setup and scope out the side events you want to attend.
Boom! You’re ready and prepared for a productive trade show!
Don’t forget! These are some must-have items that you should have handy because, well, you never know…
- Stifte, Sharpies und Textmarker
- Tape – duct, masking, whatever you might need
- Verlängerungskabel für alle Bildschirme oder Steckdosengeräte und zusätzliche Ladegeräte
- Allgemeines Büromaterial: Post-its, Gummibänder, Hefter, Büroklammern, Scheren
- A basic toolkit: screwdriver, hammer, wrench, pliers, zip ties, etc. 🛠
- Eine Reiseapotheke: Kopfschmerz- und Erkältungsmedikamente, Verbandsmaterial usw.
- Zusätzliche Visitenkarten, Werbematerialien und alle Demos, die Sie haben
Tips for your booth design…
In terms of what your booth should look like, that’s completely up to you! But here are some things to consider:
- Try to avoid having any chairs in the booth space – they take up a lot of space and when they’re not used, it makes the booth seem empty and as if you don’t have any customers – not a good look. 🤷♀️
- Have an open and inviting floor plan – you want people to come talk to you, so make the design as approachable as possible!
- Some kind of engaging activity or activation – from giveaways to touchscreens with more information about your company, try to think of some interactive elements you can add to the booth. Budget permitting, of course.
- Follow the instructions in the exhibitors’ manual – I can’t stress this one enough. Be sure that you and the people you’ve hired to put together your booth follow all of the instructions and protocols laid out in the manual provided by the event coordinators. Not following the rules can cost you money, time and a lot of stress.
If you’re attending the trade show without a booth…
Viele dieser Punkte gelten nach wie vor, aber Sie können die Schritte, die die Logistik rund um den Stand betreffen, natürlich auslassen.
Achten Sie nur darauf, dass Sie sich rechtzeitig mit den Teilnehmern in Verbindung setzen, um diese Treffen zu vereinbaren (und bringen Sie, wenn möglich, Werbematerialien mit, um Ihr Produkt oder Ihre Dienstleistung den Gesprächspartnern vorzustellen).
When it comes to attending the actual speaking sessions and keynotes, try to do this sparingly. 🙅♀️
There are so many great TED Talks and recorded speaking sessions from conferences online – don’t get sucked into this stuff when you could be networking with potential customers or investors during the event!
Organisieren Sie Ihr Team!
Nutzen Sie Tools wie Airtable, Trello, Dropbox oder Notion, um zusammenzuarbeiten und sicherzustellen, dass alle auf derselben Seite stehen, was den Zweck und die Ziele der Teilnahme an der Veranstaltung betrifft.
Have a Plan B (and C, and D…)
Ich verstehe es: Dinge passieren. Vor allem in so chaotischen und hektischen Situationen wie auf Messen und Konferenzen.
Sometimes it seems as if Murphy’s law was created just for events like this – things can go wrong, and chances are, they will go wrong.
I’ve had my fair share of mishaps at events – I once had my phone accidentally packed into a shipping container after a trade show.
And at a separate event, I had to argue with the builders to let me into the storage area because they didn’t properly unpack everything and didn’t believe me when I said there was more to unpack. 🤦♀️
Wie ich schon sagte: Dinge. Passiert.
No need to panic, though! This is why it’s good to have backup plans to keep everything running smoothly.
Bringen Sie immer zusätzliches Material mit und erstellen Sie detaillierte Packlisten, wenn Sie sich auf die Messe vorbereiten. Stimmen Sie mit Ihrem Team ab, wer was mitbringt, und weisen Sie jedem bestimmte Aufgaben zu.
Another good thing to have is the exhibitors’ manual printed out in a binder. These usually have the forms needed for post-event cleanup and logistics, so it’s good to have them ready to go at a moment’s notice. 📄
Letzte Tipps
I know I’ve thrown a lot of info at you here, but no need to panic if your company doesn’t follow this timeline exactly. Different event types have different requirements and lead times, so just do your research and make sure you follow the deadlines.
Einige zusätzliche Ressourcen für Ihr Team, damit es auf der Messe richtig abgeht:
- Ein unkomplizierter Leitfaden zum Networking, der Ihr Team darauf vorbereitet, während der Veranstaltung sinnvolle und produktive Kontakte zu knüpfen.
- A list of the top conferences for startups in 2020 to give you inspiration and point you in the right direction to the most relevant conferences out there.
- Follow-up-E-Mail-Vorlagen für den Fall, dass Sie all den wunderbaren Leads, die Sie auf der Veranstaltung kennen gelernt haben, eine E-Mail schicken müssen.
- Leistungsstarke Tools, die Ihnen helfen, sich zu organisieren und so effizient wie möglich zusammenzuarbeiten.
There you have it – if you follow these tips before attending a conference or trade show, you’ll be ready to make more sales and meet some new, exciting, interesting people in your industry!
Be prepared and always follow the guidelines laid out by the trade show organizers – with that said, you’ll be a pro in no time.
And don’t forget: you can download our free handy checklist to access a condensed version of everything mentioned in this post!
Now, get planning (and don’t forget to have a little bit of fun)! 🎉
Wir hoffen, dass Ihnen dieser Beitrag gefallen hat. Wenn ja, empfehlen Sie ihn weiter!
Weitere aktuelle Informationen über Start-ups, Wachstumsmarketing und Vertrieb:
if(window.strchfSettings === undefined) window.strchfSettings = {}; window.strchfSettings.stats = {url: “https://salesflare.storychief.io/pre-trade-show-checklist-startups-2019?id=2136357240&type=2”,title: “The ultimate pre-trade show checklist for startups and agencies in 2019”,id: “b4bf56dd-9b24-4318-a472-b8522fe85e05”}; (function(d, s, id) { var js, sjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {window.strchf.update(); return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “https://d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net/scripts/v0/strchf.js”; js.async = true; sjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, sjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘storychief-jssdk’))
- 22+ Beste Vertriebs-Podcasts, die Sie sich 2024 ansehen sollten - 21. Dezember 2023
- Cold-Calling-Skripte für echte Menschen - 21. September 2023
- Die 25+ besten Verkaufstools, die Ihr Team erfolgreich machen - 10. August 2023