Pyramid Logistics helps its partners transport their trade show booths, display and lighting, equipment, merchandise, and special goods from warehouse to convention center floor for decades. We are on the road all year servicing our partners’ transportation and logistics needs.
But a successful event goes beyond delivering and setting up your booth. If your business is committing a heavy spend to trade shows or conventions, you will need to develop business outside of the actual event and associated happy hours.
And while your marketing or sales staff works the booth to grab a captive audience, there’s a lot more than shaking hands and combing the floors to generate leads. Here’s a game plan before, during and after the event.
Develop New Relationships Before the Show
If you are committed to meeting potential partners at trade shows, the work happens well before the shows begin. Social media brings show organizers, exhibitors, and attendees together weeks before the event happens. Check out your trade show’s hashtag and begin networking with it weeks before the show.
By using the hashtag, businesses see that you’re interested and committed to developing new business at the event. The Pyramid Logistics team always wishes its partners a great event and loves seeing what other attendees enjoy at the show. It will also help you see who is talking about the show beforehand. If you can strike up a conversation on Twitter before the show, you may even be able to set up some meetings in advance.
Your sales teams will appreciate your efforts landing them meetings before the show kicks off.
Get Creative Collecting Contact Info
We’ve seen all the fishbowls on tables at events; but how successful have they been for you? Marketers put out the bowl next to the candy and hope attendees drop their card.
If thousands pass through the hall floors, are you seeing thousands of cards at the end of a trade show? Probably not. How much is a lead worth to you? If you’re selling a $5 product, then a lead probably isn’t worth much more. But if you’re trying to develop a B2B relationship, you may end up brokering a 6, 7, or 8-figure contract. Let your prospects know you’re serious by giving away something of value. It could be an iPad, a vacation, or if you manufacture high-end goods, you could offer up one of your own products.
They key is getting more than a name. If they see your effort and prize, they may be willing give crucial information in kind to fill out a small form (name, company name, email, phone number, and pain point as it pertains to your business). Getting a specific business need or solution from them in advance is a game-changer. Instead of cold calling them two weeks after the show, you’re reaching out to them with a potential solution to what ails them. Nobody wants a worthless call, and they certainly don’t want their time wasted. When your sales team follows up, arm them with information and an answer. This will impress your prospects and could pave the way for new partnerships.
Hound the Hashtag
You may have the area around your booth space on lockdown, but how do you get the people who don’t visit your aisle? More importantly, how do you talk to those people who missed the show?
Your best prospects may not even come to the face-to-face introductions you had at your event. By continuing to promote the show with a hashtag during the event, you’re capturing the businesses that may not walk down your booth’s aisle. Some of those targets could be watching all of the action back at their office.
To capture those unable to attend, this might be a good opportunity for your team to run a Facebook Live from the event. The livestream could show the activity around your booth, including a live Q and A with your team, or it could also highlight the keynote speaker or awards handed out at your event.
People love those who can provide access to events they cannot attend, and your willingness to broadcast some of the happenings during the event may showcase your enthusiasm, passion, and reliability for your industry and service.
Lastly, by celebrating attendees who enjoyed the event, you’re able to continue the conversation days and weeks after the show is over. This may also help you strengthen the relationship leading up to the next industry event or broker a meaningful discussion or meeting before that next trade show.
Pyramid Logistics plans every step of the way to ensure safe and reliable transportation of goods from the warehouse to convention centers and exhibit halls. If you are in need of trade show services, or we can help provide transportation for your mobile marketing tour, please reach out to our sales team here.