De ultieme pre-trade show checklist voor startups en agentschappen
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
Voordat je begint met het plannen van een beurs of conferentie, moet je bedenken wat je doelen zijn om naar een evenement te gaan.
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.
Enkele statistieken om in overweging te nemen en dingen om te volgen tijdens het evenement:
- Budget – 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.
- Leads – 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. Pro tip: Je kunt snel en ter plekke leads toevoegen in de Salesflare mobiele app. 🔥
- Demo's, follow-ups en vergaderingen – 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.
- Gesloten deals – how many sales did you generate during the event itself? Pro tip: Traceer uw leads en gewonnen opdrachten in uw verkooppijplijn op Salesflare (you can even do this on the mobile app so that you don’t need to carry your laptop around). 📱
- Sociale media – 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…
Exposeren vs. Bijwonen
Is your company planning on attending the event and walking around to each booth and networking? 🤝
Of wil je investeren in je eigen ruimte om je producten of diensten tentoon te stellen?
This decision greatly depends on your company’s budget, of course, because trade shows and conferences can get expensive.
Maar als je het geld en de middelen hebt om te investeren in een stand op een evenement, kan het een geweldige manier zijn om wat meer zichtbaarheid te krijgen en een speciale ruimte te hebben voor vergaderingen.
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.
De tijdlijn voor het bijwonen van een beurs of conferentie
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. 🤔
Probeer indien mogelijk je plek op de showroomvloer al te reserveren en ga strategisch te werk: in de buurt van toegangsdeuren of op plaatsen met veel voetgangers zijn ideale plekken om een stand te hebben.
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…
Zorg ervoor dat iedereen van je bedrijf die aanwezig is, geregistreerd is en zijn of haar rol op het evenement begrijpt. Wie spreekt er met investeerders? Wie geeft er demo's? Wie tweet over je aanwezigheid op het evenement en verstuurt promotionele e-mails? Wie bewaart en volgt de leads die tijdens het evenement worden gegenereerd?
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. ✍️
Controleer of alles klaar is voor je stand. Al het meubilair/materiaal moet nu besteld zijn. Coördineer met degene die verantwoordelijk is voor het bouwen van de stand en zorg ervoor dat alles op schema ligt om op tijd geleverd te worden.
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…
Als je wat buzz wilt genereren rond je bedrijf dat deelneemt aan de beurs of conferentie, is het sturen van een e-mailaankondiging een geweldige manier om te proberen wat meer betrokkenheid te krijgen in de aanloop naar het evenement.
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.
Vraag andere bedrijven of ze een stand hebben die je kunt bezoeken, of kijk of er samenwerkingsmogelijkheden zijn die je kunt bespreken. Mailchimp is een geweldig hulpmiddel voor het organiseren van deze aankondigingen en mailinglijsten.
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…
- Pennen, sharpies en markeerstiften
- Tape – duct, masking, whatever you might need
- Verlengsnoeren voor schermen of apparaten met een stekker en extra opladers
- Algemene kantoorbenodigdheden: post-its, elastiekjes, nietmachine, paperclips, schaar
- A basic toolkit: screwdriver, hammer, wrench, pliers, zip ties, etc. 🛠
- Een EHBO-doos: medicijnen tegen hoofdpijn en verkoudheid, verband, enz.
- Extra visitekaartjes, promotiemateriaal en demo's die je hebt
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…
Veel van deze punten zijn nog steeds van toepassing, maar je kunt natuurlijk de stappen overslaan die te maken hebben met de logistiek rond de stand.
Zorg er wel voor dat je van tevoren contact opneemt met de deelnemers om deze ontmoetingen te plannen (en neem indien mogelijk promotiemateriaal mee om je product of dienst te laten zien aan de mensen met wie je spreekt).
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!
Organiseer je team!
Maak gebruik van tools zoals Airtable, Trello, Dropbox of Notion om samen te werken en ervoor te zorgen dat iedereen op één lijn zit wat betreft het doel en de doelstellingen van het bijwonen van het evenement.
Have a Plan B (and C, and D…)
Ik snap het: er gebeuren dingen. Vooral in chaotische en drukke situaties zoals beurzen en conferenties.
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. 🤦♀️
Zoals ik al zei: Dingen. Gebeurt.
No need to panic, though! This is why it’s good to have backup plans to keep everything running smoothly.
Neem altijd extra voorraden mee en maak gedetailleerde paklijsten als je je voorbereidt op de beurs. Stem met je team af wie wat meeneemt en wijs iedereen specifieke verantwoordelijkheden toe.
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. 📄
Laatste tips
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.
Een paar extra middelen voor je team om het helemaal te maken op de beurs:
- Een no-nonsense netwerkgids om je team tijdens het evenement zinvolle, productieve contacten te laten leggen.
- 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.
- Volg e-mailsjablonen voor als je al die geweldige leads die je op het evenement hebt ontmoet, een e-mail moet sturen.
- Krachtige tools om je te helpen organiseren en samen te werken op het meest efficiënte niveau.
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)! 🎉
We hopen dat je deze post leuk vond. Als je het leuk vond, vertel het dan verder!
Voor meer nieuws over startups, groeimarketing en verkoop:
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