Tips for trade show newbies (and some oldbies!)

Trade shows are expensive - but valuable! Where else can you find yourself in front of so many potential customers at one time? Of course you may not make a vast profit, but you will learn lessons for the future of your business that could take you years of conventional trading to uncover.

Everyone wants to give you advice. Visitors are constantly 'criticising' - but once you stop taking it personally (you do take it personally, don't you!?) you will find that most of it is constructive. So analyse and decide what to take on board and what to ignore.

It isn't just potential buyers attending. Consultants, developers, and big firm representatives come to the show looking for new ideas. Naturally you want to concentrate on people who can add to your bottom line, but spare a thought and maybe a little time for non-prospects who could also be valuable to you.

Network! With your fellow exhibitors mainly - you can gain new suppliers and even new customers from your co-exhibitors.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. Few of us actually sell off the stand. The real work begins the moment the show closes. That's when you begin your follow-up and is the most neglected aspect of exhibiting! Don't waste those ££££s you invested by waiting for the visitors you nurtured to contact you because they won't! It's all up to you and your team to maintain the impetus.

Know when to call it a day.  Don't keep going to shows that aren't working! So many firms turn up year after year knowing that they will never recoup their investment. Sounds crazy but they all have good reasons for persevering. Actually, they think they have good reasons but they are mostly spurious. So look at you results and make the hard decision when you have to.

Good luck! Please remember, TF2 is always happy to chat about your plans, results, problems - and not simply because we want you to become a client; we learn a lot from listening too!