Trade shows can be really fun, both as a vendor and as a guest. My first advice is if you’re going to be a trade show vendor go to a show beforehand and see the place in action. Who’s getting sales? What colors are common? Approach booths and you’ll quickly find out what you want to avoid as clichés run rampant. You’re almost guaranteed to see or hear some of these well-worn tired clichés. If you want to make a good impression and not send potential customers running and screaming from your booth, read on for the worst offending clichés and avoid them. Your business depends on it!

Don’t ask stupid questions.

“Can I help you?” and “Are you enjoying the show today?” are just a couple phrases used so much they are meaningless. My head hurts at the end of the day from rolling my eyes so much. Help me with what, exactly? I would love help cleaning my house, thanks. And yes, I am enjoying the show today. Are you here to ask mundane questions or try to convince me I cannot live another moment without your product? First impressions are everything.

Giving out meaningless samples, like candy.

Unless you’re a homemade candy company, of course. But if you’re marketing accounting software or all natural pet products, candy has nothing to do with your booth and is simply a waste of money. For a pet company, try a dog biscuit sample with your business card in a clear bag tied with a ribbon.

Overdoing the display with bright colors, patterns, music, etc.

I’ve walked right by these eyesore booths in trying to save myself a massive headache. Yes, you do want to stand out with unique colors, maybe a different feel than the common black and orange/red/green/insert neon color here. Try a more relaxed scheme like you’d see in your own home. Sage green and dark purple would make an interesting display and stand out from the modern, high-tech vibes so common in trade shows. Music might be okay for your booth in some instances, but always make sure you can easily talk with your potential customers!

“Cry for Attention Gimmicks”

People dressed in spandex bodysuits dancing, jugglers, a clown and monkey jumping on a pogo stick. You get my drift. We’ve all seen the extreme shows that some vendor inevitably hires in hopes to attract attention, often with lines that make us cringe. Cue the clown and monkey on the pogo stick- “Hop on over to Mimi’s Mums now!”.

Body language

Resist the urge to pull up a chair and chat with a colleague. If you need to sit down, go somewhere else for a few minutes. Think about it. Are you more likely to go up to a booth with vendors slouched in chairs with their feet up, or a vendor standing casually while smiling and being attentive? It may seem like a no-brainer, but please do not read, talk or text on your phone, use foul language, overdo the perfume or cologne, or eat, drink, or chew gum while in the booth. I have personally seen every one of these and it gives off a very unprofessional vibe. If the vendor doesn’t care enough about their product, why should I?

Unfortunately, clichés will always exist. Don’t fall victim to their lure. Be creative, don’t talk like a robot, and be yourself. Let your passion for your product take over and just talk to people. If you let your passion show through, that will gain more customers than any cliché ever will.

The Trade Show Industry: Its Biggest Problems And Simple Fixes

Trade shows can be a great boost for your business—new leads, networking with others, and high visibility are all results from a good show.

But we’ve all been to that one show: the one where people who are supposed to be coordinating are wandering around like they’ve been lobotomized, no one seems to know where anything is, and you’re pretty much left to fend for yourself. Most of us have enough experience to handle situations like this, but it does make the industry look bad.

There are some solutions, though—not just for trade show planners, but for attendees as well.

1. Spring for the right personnel if you’re planning a trade show.

Don’t just throw an ad in the paper or on Craigslist for warm bodies; take the time to hire people who are used to thinking on the fly and have management experience. Theater arts majors from your local college are perfect for this sort of thing. You might pay a little more, but it’s worth it to provide a good experience for your guests. Bad reviews, on the other hand, can spread like wildfire.

2. Don’t cut corners.

This applies both to trade show planners and exhibitors. If you’re going to be visible, do it right. Nothing looks worse or sadder than a show or booth that appears to be an advertisement for the local dollar store’s decorations aisle. Take the time to plan out what needs to be done and spend the money to do it.

3. Follow up after the show.

If you’re in charge of the trade show, check in with the people who were at the show and ask them about their experience. If they respond with generally good reviews and some suggestions, you’re doing your job well. If their responses contain lots of profanity, it’s time to rethink your approach.

If you have a booth, remember to follow up on your leads from the show. Just because you gave them printed materials doesn’t mean they’ll automatically remember you; keep in mind that you’re not the only company there. Make sure that you get contact information and follow up either by e-mail or even old-fashioned snail mail.

4. Make it simple.

Again, this applies to both organizers and exhibitors. Don’t make dealing with potential customers harder than it has to be. For organizers, streamline the process as much as possible; don’t make signing up for a booth like doing corporate tax forms. Make the system clear and make sure that there’s a specific contact person in case someone begins to panic. Most problems can be solved very quickly if your contact is on top of their game.

For exhibitors, remember that you don’t need a lot of information for a lead—just basic information. If they’ve stopped by your booth, it’s because they’re interested in your product. So don’t drive them away by turning it into an interrogation for their life story. Get their info, be friendly, and talk about your product.

Trade shows can be great for both organizers and companies, but they can also make the DMV seem like Disneyland if done wrong. With basic planning and coordination, the experience can be pleasant rather than horrific making it better for everyone involved.

A trade show is also sometimes called an expo. These shows give your business the chance to do many things and help your company grow. Here’s how:

1. Promote Products

Are you ready for your next trade show? You may be surprised that pulling off a successful booth isn’t as easy as it looks. Here’s 13 things you might not know about trade shows – but should.

#1: You’re Actually Expected to Work.

Depending on how many helpers you have, you could be doing most of the work yourself. You may fancy yourself a salesperson and a people-person, but you also have to be a builder, designer, manager, and custodial crew all rolled into one.

#2: Travel Gets Old Fast.

Jetting to some exotic hotel event center sounds like a nice break from the standard office routine, but you might start longing for home when you have back-to-back shows around the country. Pack a travel pillow and a few good books so you can enjoy your downtime on the plane – it may be all you get for awhile!

#3: Watch Out for Fair-Weather “Helpers.”

You may find yourself with a lot of volunteers willing to help you when the next trade show is in sunny Orlando, but the don’t expect many volunteers for shows in the flyover states. Even if you do get helpers, they may be more interested in the hotel pool than in the newest company display boards.

#4: That Budget Isn’t as Big as You Think.

Before you start plotting those display upgrades, keep in mind even a large budget is going to disappear quickly. Better to spend it on promotional items first, and then buy the fun stuff.

#5: The Longest Distance Between Point A and Point B is between your booth and the Entrance.

To make matters worse, drayage costs have doubled over the years, so some of your budget will just go toward having your display moved. If you luck out, you won’t have to use the drayage provided and can make due with your own dollies and carts.

#6: You’re More Shy Than You Thought.

If it’s your first show, you may be surprised that it’s hard to be as outgoing as it is at your home store. The reason is simple – people are often talking and visiting as they walk through a trade show. At first, it seems almost rude to interrupt them. Put this fear behind you and begin approaching all those potential customers.

#7: Standing On Tradition Isn’t Always Worthwhile.

If you just took over your company’s trade show list, you may be shocked to find out a few of them never seem to bring in much new business. Don’t be afraid to research new shows and recommend show circuit changes. It may breath new life into your leads.

#8: Always Take More Than You Need.

This goes for everything – promotional materials, brochures, pens, paper towels. If you can run out of it, you will. Having extra just means you won’t need to purchase as much for the next show.

#9: Don’t Forget Plan B.

Always have a backup plan. If your demo model breaks, you better have a new one waiting in the wings. If your number is misprinted on the brochures, you better be ready with blank labels to cover it up. Plan for everything, and be prepared to recover on the fly.

#10: Gimmicks Get Leads.

You may think no one ever signs up for drawings or contests, but you’d be surprised how many leads these most basic of gimmicks can generate. Be creative, come up with something new that really makes your company stand out.

#11: Mind the Staff.

You probably know to train your staff fully on the product. They probably know to be polite. The problem happens when they talk to the cute girl at the booth next door while potential customers stalk off frustrated.

#12: Watch for Common Missteps – after the show.

The shows over and your display survived the thousands of people that tramped through it everyday. Don’t rest yet! Most damage happens after the show. It’s easy to break something when you’re rushing through your display break-down so you can get home.

#13: Don’t Forget to Follow Up!

A successful show isn’t measured by how many leads you got, but by how many leads you can close. Don’t forget to contact all your leads, preferably within two weeks of the show.

Trade shows are an excellent way to get the word out about your company and find new customers. Unfortunately, some exhibitors don’t get the results they anticipated. Avoid these common mistakes that make your experience at a show more stressful and jeopardizes your chances of getting as many visitors to your booth as possible.

Don’t Bring Booths That Are Difficult To Set Up

Don’t invest in trade show booths that have a bazillion pages of instructions. Look for display booths that are easy to assemble, so you don’t have to waste valuable time trying to get your display up. If you can snap together your booth quickly, you will have time to walk around and scope out your competitors before the show starts.

Beg, borrow or steal space to set your trade show display before attending the show. You’ll know if you have everything and you’ll know how long you will need to get ready.

However, there’s a much more important reason to set up your booth before the big day. Put up your banners, just temporarily, and walk past the booth. How long did it take you to walk by? It probably took you just a few seconds to walk by your booth. This is how long you’ll have to grab people’s attention, which brings us to the next thing you should never do with your trade show booth.

Don’t Overload Your Booth

Pick one or two messages to get across at the trade show. You might want new leads, to make sales or to introduce a new product. Focus on one or two ideas and then have your booth’s graphics and literature focus on these goals. Don’t overwhelm people with 50 different messages as they walk past; keep it simple.

Don’t Make Your Booth a Blinking Nightmare

Trade shows are often loud and chaotic. Make your booth seems like a sanctuary to weary attendees. Have room for leads to sit down while you talk to them. Avoid garish blinking lights, unless you happen to distribute blinking lights. A trade show is not a carnival. It’s really tempting, especially at your first trade show, to do everything possible to get passersby to notice your booth.

Don’t Haphazardly Staff Your Booth

Don’t pick employees to staff your booth based on who will work weekends. Take your most experienced employees to the trade show, ones who excel at customer service and sales. You don’t want a great lead to walk up to your booth and see an 18 year-old cramming a sandwich in his mouth. Be willing to shell out extra money to get your best people to staff your display. While family members may volunteer to come to the show and help out, don’t use them unless they are very familiar with your company. If you don’t staff your booth with the right people, you’re just wasting your time and money.

You have only one chance to make a good first impression at a trade show. Don’t blow it by making any of these mistakes.