How exhibitors can master the networking mindset for more impactful trade show results

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Trade shows are expensive for exhibitors and it doesn’t matter what you spend on your booth and displays if your team isn’t doing the hard work before, during, and after the show.

I can’t tell you how many times I walk the aisles and see your employees just sitting in your empty booths staring down at their phones. They don’t even look up as I approach and if they do, it’s with the unspoken desire for me to keep on walking right past and to not interrupt them. How can this ever be deemed acceptable? And why even bother showing up if this is the attitude that your team projects?

And these are not one-off incidents and I’m not being hyperbolic. This happens a lot — at every show and within every industry.

Root causes

I have thought about the root causes of this for many years and I believe that I have come up with a few valid reasons and I have developed multiple systems to serve as solutions to prevent these types of trade show failures.  

If I’m being honest, I think that one of the main root causes for this behavior is dejection. Trade shows are ROUGH. They’re absolutely brutal! And if you’ve never worked a show — I mean really worked one running  booth detail for days on end — then don’t be so fast to judge or to blame your team.

Low moral

If you’re selling something that people aren’t buying, there is nothing worse than having to pitch and fail, pitch and fail, pitch and fail over and over and over again. Sooner or later, you’re going to take the hint and you’re not going to keep putting yourself out there. Rejection hurts no matter how thick your skin is.

By the way, it’s exponentially worse to be working a slow booth next to a booth that is hopping. (not right next door because then at least you can syphon and skim a few people to talk to just due to overflow and proximity.)

But yeah, watching your neighbor eat your lunch sucks. It’s humiliating. That’s a fact. Do that for 4 days and let me see your pep and spirit!

No cohesive purpose

Of course, not having the right product or service to sell or demo is simply just a facet of a much larger root issue. And this gets closer to the heart of it. But if you’re at a show without having a crystal-clear definition of why you are there, then you are bound to flounder. Attending for the sake of simply attending or because “that’s what we always do” is no longer viable. (It never was but that ship finally sunk with the pandemic.)

If you don’t have a vision of why you are there, then you clearly don’t have a script to follow or a set of deliverables to achieve.

The truth is — the show is just the execution. It’s the inevitable outcome. The real work started months before and if your booth is dead, then someone dropped the ball. No one did the prep work. Meetings weren’t booked. Press wasn’t lined up. Partners weren’t contacted. Someone was hoping that showing up would be enough. Or that you could just randomly land that new account or that could luck your way into opening up a new channel.

Lack of hospitality

And lastly, if your booth is dead it is because your team isn’t focused on inviting and welcoming attendees. This is a much larger problem than all the others because this speaks to your core fundamentals. Your team has not created a space that feels comfortable — it’s not a place that people want to be. And likewise, your present team members are not the people that attendees want to visit. They are not the in-demand / in-the-know team members who are sought out and sought after.

You can not hide at a show

Each of these 3 root issues appear to be separate and distinct, but they all trace back to a fundamental misunderstanding of adopting a networking mindset for long-term business success. And while this deficiency may be masked when you’re back at the office, you cannot hide from it at a show when everything is on display for all to witness.

A trade show is a giant mirror for the industry. It only reflects the cold hard truth. The booths that are happening are the companies that are happening. If you really want to know how your brand stacks up and how to calibrate future projections, this is where you want to pay attention. If you really want growth, this is where the change begins.

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Trade Show Solutions

You owe it to your budget to make your trade show investment count.

If you are not happy with your previous show results, it's not hard to make changes.

If you want to boost your trade show performance and by nature your overall business and brand standing, let’s talk. Having spoken at numerous conferences on ways to network with confidence at any event or trade show and having won Best In Show for booths and companies that I have led, I have proven solutions that you can implement in time for your next show.

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Mike Dias is one of the few global leaders in Trade Show Networking. He has spoken at numerous conferences on "How to Network With Confidence Before, During and After the Event." He offers experiential networking workshops for event attendees. But more importantly, he helps companies maximize their trade show spend by ensuring that their teams are prepared, ready, and able to create and close opportunities. If you or your teams need more trade show sales & wins, let's keep talking.

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