Marketing Virgin

A co-worker (and friend) of mine, Cathryn, attended a luncheon presented by the Austin Technology Council titled “The Do’s and Don’ts of Tradeshow Marketing”. She wrote a quick summary so I decided to post it below…

·        Everyone recommended purchasing the attendee list.  These are people that you KNOW will be there and you can start building rapport and making contact.

·        Keep your eye on industry-related magazines and publications before tradeshows and consider sending an email blast to their readership list

·        Consider sponsoring an item or service that the event does not have in place that will set you apart from everyone else.  (EX:  some shows do not offer WiFi so consider bringing in this service and then using that to negotiate pricing of exhibit or something else in your favor)

·        The mindset of an event attendee is “Don’t sell me, teach me.”  Exhibitors should ensure booth staff focuses on this concept rather than just giving a blanket sales pitch. 

·        3 dominating questions that leads/prospects have that influences interest in company—and ultimately purchases. 

o   1)  What have you done in the past? 

o   2)   Is anyone willing to talk about you (a case study is good example)? 

o   3)   What are you doing in the future?  

·        Know your shows!  www.tsnn.com   (a resourceful tradeshow directory)