It’s no secret that trade shows can be stressful. From designing the perfect exhibit to training your team, there’s a lot that goes into successful marketing at any convention or expo. But the good news is that, with a bit of strategic planning, you can greatly reduce the daunting uncertainties that go into executing your upcoming event. Here are our top 5 awesome trade show ideas to reduce stress:

1. Plan Out Your Trade Show Marketing Budget

This should be your first step to reduce stress. It’s one thing to know the total budget you have for a fiscal year or individual event, but that won’t help until you plan it out. By sitting down with your team and budgeting your spending categories before you start, you’ll be able to make informed decisions as you go. Then you can get down to the real point of trade show marketing – making your business money.

2. Be the “Early Bird” for Event Sign-Up

Did you know some trade shows let exhibitors sign up as early as a year before the event? There’s no reason to wait until the last minute! If you’ve decided to exhibit at a show, go ahead and reserve your exhibit space. You might even get some perks from the event organizer for being an “early bird!” Plus, by registering for your show in advance, you’ll have the best chance at securing a prime spot on the show floor. After all, location matters. Having a great trade show booth location can help you increase foot traffic. (Here are some more awesome trade show ideas for increasing ROI!)

3. Order Your Marketing Swag Early, Too!

This is often something that’s stressful because it’s left to the last minute. But don’t forget giveaways and marketing collateral are key components of trade show marketing! You can take the pressure off yourself and your team by designing and ordering them well in advance. We recommend getting them shipped to you a month before your event. Then plan out who on your team will be responsible for transporting them to the show.

When creating the glossy sales brochures and fun branded “swag” you hand out, think about how it will tie into the design of your exhibit. First-time exhibitors might not realize how much these little details impact your overall branding. When it comes down to it, the marketing collateral you hand out will be the lasting impression that attendees physically take away from your booth. You’ll thank yourself later for putting in the effort.

4. Team Up With a Full-Service Exhibit Agency

If you want to seriously reduce the stress of your event, it’s key to team up with an exhibit agency that has the credentials and experience to make your trade show dreams happen. Plus, you don’t want to have to juggle working with different companies for different parts of the process. That’s why we suggest choosing a full-service agency. You’ll get help navigating the design & fabrication process, advice on the best options for your program (ex: renting or purchasing a custom exhibit), and assistance with shipping, setup, and dismantle.

5. Have an Event Exit Plan

Trust us, this isn’t something you want to leave to chance! Just like we suggest reserving your trade show booth space early, you should also have a plan for the close of the show. Talk to your exhibit agency about the logistics of dismantling your exhibit on the last day of your event and shipping the exhibit once torn down. See if it’s a service they offer and if so, if they included it in their quote. That way you’ll have no unexpected costs or stress and can focus your efforts on the trade show itself!

It’s no surprise that Orlando tops many trade show exhibitors’ and attendees’ lists of “favorite places to exhibit/attend a trade show”. With average high temperatures, in the Winter, hovering around 71 degrees and no shortage of things to do, when not on the show floor – Orlando is simply a fantastic place for trade shows and conferences.

Back up the local attractions, restaurants and theme parks with the Orange County Convention Center’s 2.1-million square feet of exhibition space, surrounded by 113,000 hotel rooms and you have one of the Nation’s top trade show and meeting destinations.

So, what are the 5 things we like most about Orlando for trade shows?

Availability of High-Quality Trade Show & Meeting Space

Certainly the Orange County Convention Center is one of the largest attractors for meeting planners and show organizers. After all, the venue includes a hefty list of features:

• Two 92,000-square foot general assembly areas
• 74 meeting rooms
• A 2,643-seat theater
• Three full-service restaurants/8 food courts
• Three business centers
• Three covered loading docks/173 truck bays

(source: Orange County Convention Center website: www.occc.net)

But let’s not forget about the other quality, secondary locations & venues like The Marriott World Center, the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin and the Rosen Shingle Creek.

All of these (and other) venues are world-class locations of their own and add to the overall attraction Orlando as a top trade show destination.

Golf! And Lots of It!

Did we mention that a great trade show destination isn’t just about meeting space?

Entertaining clients (and getting a bit of R&R) off the show floor is important to the overall mix – and what better way to connect than hitting the ball around with  the ‘ol crooked sticks?

The Orlando area boasts over 170 golf courses, some of the world’s most prestigious tournaments and is home to more pro golfers than any other city in the world. That’s saying something!

No Shortage of Restaurants, Nightlife & Entertainment

When the show closes for the day and the sun goes down, there is no shortage of culinary choices nor nightlife in Orlando. With Downtown Disney and Universal Studios City Walk only minutes from just about any Orlando hotel – there is plenty to experience.

Some of our favorite restaurants at these venues include:

• Wolfgang Puck’s
• Bongos Cuban Cafe
• Emeril’s Restaurant Orlando
• Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville
• Orlando Hard Rock Cafe

And it’s not just about the food. After a long day on the show floor, you might just be a bit thirsty! Both Downtown Disney and Universal’s City Walk have a number of watering holes and night clubs to keep you dancing all night long!

The World’s Best Theme Parks and Attractions

After all, Orlando is home to the Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld and Universal Studios Orlando! So, if you decide to extend your stay or arrive early – you and your family can take advantage of the truly world-class theme parks and attractions that Orlando has to offer.

And don’t forget about Orlando’s close proximity to both the east and west coasts of Florida! With each only about an hour’s drive – taking a client charter fishing for an afternoon can be an experience neither of you will soon forget AND a great bonding experience to boot!

Last But Not least, It’s Our Back Yard!

It’s not by accident that DesignShop (now ColorCraft) is located in Orlando! With a growing talent pool of creatives and artisans AND some of the best trade show venues in the world – we’re proud to call Orlando home to our corporate headquarters!!

Exhibiting here in Orlando? Give us a shout – we’d love to tell you more about our home and how we can help make your trade show event here an overwhelming success!

As marketers, specifically in this case – trade show marketers – we’re all familiar with the idea of our “target market” and to that end “target market research”. In our efforts to brand and market our business, products and services – we understand that we must know who we’re trying to sell to and ultimately what makes them tick.

During our target audience research, we’re typically evaluating information such as demographics (age, gender, financial status), geographics and psychographics (values, motivations, fears & lifestyles). As well as other data and thoughts that give us insight to who our target audience or audiences are, and how to reach them.

What many marketers either overlook or may not be familiar with though is the technique of developing “Personas”.

​What is a Persona?

By definition, a persona is simply this: A social role or character played by an actor.

In marketing, this same idea comes with a bit of a twist. Personas are fictional characters developed to represent very specific segments of your target market or better yet – individuals within your market segment. So, you might develop a handful of personas (1 for each market you target) – which consist of information like age, gender, style, motivations, goals, etc.

Personas Based on Your Best Clients

To take this a step further, personas should be developed to represent the short list of your very best clients. You should take into consideration of course, why you believe they are your best customers. Are they profitable? Pay on time? Less resistant to paying a premium for quality service? Or are they great clients based on personality as well?

Once you have created a short list of the clients that you simply wish you had 100 more just like them – you can create individual profiles or personas to help you identify prospects with the same qualities. These personas should be detailed enough that you can share them with other members of your trade show staff and sales team, from which they should be able to easily spot and qualify new prospects – that turn into great clients.

You might even go as far as creating files, cards or posters to share with colleagues to help them understand what your personas represent. Adding illustrations or photos of what each persona might look like can be a fun and powerful addition to your personas.

How Personas and Trade Shows Go Together

Personas and trade show marketing go hand-in-hand!

From choosing which shows to attend to the design and staffing of your trade show booth, the personas you develop should be the guiding light in your decision making.

Ask yourself, which shows does this persona attend? What are the unique characteristics of each should your trade show graphics and booth design speak to? And how can our trade show booth staff and sales team best spot and turn the best prospects into bona fide leads and then raving fans?

In fact, your personas should assist your trade show efforts by shaping everything you do from choosing venues to lead follow-up. Know who you’re marketing to, and create real connections that bring in the best clients.

Like to know how to better reach the best prospects? Give this trade show company a shout – we’d love to learn about your best customers and help you get more just like them!