Exhibiting Your Way to Tradeshow Success Part 3: Boost Your Presence with the Right Giveaways
Posted: Monday, March 30, 2009
by Sandy Heinz
Good Health Promos
Next time you participate in a tradeshow, take some time to just people watch. So many times attendees travel aimlessly up and down tradeshow aisles. They seem to be wandering, mostly looking for "something" to catch their eye. Because the attendee is "open to new things," a huge advantage is created for the exhibitors. That being said, there is great potential for new business. Taking advantage and maximizing the talents of your company is essential to tradeshow success. If you look to break down the components of tradeshow success there are three major elements: (1) Booth Presentation; (2) the RIGHT Personnel to Manage the Booth; and (3) the Essential Giveaway.
The Essential Giveaway
There are two schools of thought regarding giveaways at tradeshows; (1) feed the masses with a less expensive item or (2) keep a small stash of a higher-end item just for the "good prospects." Although both have their advantages, be careful when selecting which way to go. Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in-between (so long as you've themed the event). With a mix of both schools of thought and a well planned tradeshow theme for your company, you will present a situation which allows the biggest "bang for the buck."
Selecting your overall theme should be first. Once you have those plans firm, it's now time to select the appropriate giveaways. Too often companies just have "stuff" with their name on it. Not that that's bad, it's just less memorable and quickly forgotten. When you theme your tradeshow, you create an overall experience for the attendee. This has proven time and again to be the most effective way to attain top of mind awareness.
Not sure where to begin? Here's an idea that was very successful for one of our clients in the past:
A daycare facility was participating in a local community show with the intent of bolstering attendance for their summer camp – SUN, SWIM & FUN with Kidfun Daycare. Their theme was easy…dress up the booth and employees in summer attire and create a fun, lively atmosphere. Bright Hawaiian camp shirts and sunblock on noses decorated the employees while colorful beach umbrellas adorned the space.
They knew they could lure in the prospects with the fun atmosphere, but now they had to decide what to give away. They were looking for useful handouts that would appeal to both adults and children. We recommended using our Sun Care Kit as a gift for anyone willing to sign up for one of their 2-week sessions that day. The slim design of the kit fits perfectly into pockets, backpacks, or purses. It contains sunscreen packets and bandages which are ideal for outdoor activities. They ordered 250 pieces with the imprint simply saying "SUN, SWIM & FUN…SEE YOU SOON!" along with the daycare's name and website. The adults loved the sunscreen, and the kids loved the bandages! They also ordered 2500 balloons with their logo, phone number and website imprinted on them as a giveaway for all who stopped by their booth.
How were they able to plan their return on investment? Let's run the numbers. A two-week summer camp session costs $250 per camper of which $125 is profit. The cost of the giveaways (250 Sun Care Kits and 2500 balloons) including shipping and a helium tank was around $850. They would've had to sign up 7 new campers at the show to break even. Any sign-ups above that number would be considered profitable. They ended up having 14 signups that day – very profitable! But they ordered 250 Kits – what will become of the excess? Simple…The kit is small and slim, easy for mailing! Now all of the subsequent signups that they get as a residual result of the show, visits to their website, or even current students at the daycare will be able to receive that same Sun Care Kit as a gift for signing up.
Remember, tradeshow success comes when proper planning and focus has been achieved. By focusing on a pertinent theme and appropriate giveaways, you will set the stage for guaranteed success!
This Article has been viewed 31 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.