This year I was lucky enough to be Pinnacle’s ambassador at CES 2015.
Fortunately I am now based in our office in Orange County, California so I did not have to travel half way around the world to attend it. With a (short) four hours drive I was there. Hooray!
There is only one place in the world where you can see people from nearly 150 countries united in their passion for technology – CES in Las Vegas. Being there, at that special time and place, gives you limitless opportunities to grow your business and move to the next level. However, as a marketer you should know that little things make a big difference, especially when the whole world is looking at you.
When I moved away from the futuristic glow of the top brands exhibiting in the Central Hall, I started having mixed feelings about the capabilities of brands to market themselves. The things I saw frightened me – investing tens of thousands of US dollars and being so unprepared for a trade show is simply unacceptable. It felt like seeing a person who’d just bought a 4k TV but is refusing to purchase a TV license!
My observations inspired me to create a list of the top five things you should never do while exhibiting at a trade show:
- Don’t eat at the booth. It’s disgusting! Even though you are in the corner, people can still see you.
- Employ people that speak as many foreign languages as possible. Even though I speak three European languages, I found it hard to have a proper conversations with some exhibitors.
- Avoid spicy food and drinking alcohol until late in the night before. I know, it is Las Vegas, but still… at least give away some mints to your employees.
- Don’t let your employees form a friendly chatting circle that ignores the booth visitors. I know they probably haven’t seen each other for a long time but don’t let your prospects go simply because there’s no one to talk to.
- Don’t let the booth get messy, disorganised, and shambolic. Remember, your booth is a reflection of your company!
I understand that not everyone has the budget, or capacity, to have an expensive booth but still, you don’t need a massive spend in order to make your booth look welcoming. Little things make the difference!
If your company is exhibiting at a trade show and you want to make the most of your time there, simply hit the ‘contact us’ button below and we’ll get back to you shortly.
