Logistics Planning for Trade Shows

Let's get serious... About getting a strong ROI from your tradeshow experience Advanced Manufacturing Expo exhibitors 👇 🔍 Before the Tradeshow 👉 Set Clear Goals * What do you want? Leads? Sales? Brand awareness? Partnerships? * Define KPIs like number of leads, meetings booked, demos given, or follow-up conversations. 👉 Promote Ahead of Time * Use email campaigns, social media, and personal outreach to let people know you’ll be there. * Target the Right Audience * Know who’s coming, and prioritize VIPs or key accounts. 👉 Train Your Team * Make sure everyone at your booth can deliver a sharp, on-brand message. * Practice answering questions, running demos, and gathering contact info. 🚀 During the Tradeshow 👉 Be Visibly Engaging * Use clean, professional booth design with interactive displays or demos. * Offer giveaways, contests, or useful swag to draw people in. 👉 Capture Quality Leads * Don’t just collect business cards—use lead scanning tools or apps that track conversations and interest levels. 👉 Be Strategic * Don’t wait for people to come to you—walk the floor, network, and attend sessions. * Make connections with press, influencers, or collaborators. 👉 Track Conversations * Use lead sheets, notes apps, or CRM systems to capture specific details about each interaction. 📞 After the Tradeshow 👉 Follow Up Fast * Send personalized follow-ups within 48–72 hours while you're still top-of-mind. * Reference your booth conversation to make the outreach feel personal. 👉 Nurture the Leads * Put leads into targeted drip campaigns. * Continue adding value with relevant content, offers, or invites. 👉 Measure ROI * Track closed deals, meetings booked, or other goals versus your spend (booth, travel, time). * Don’t forget intangible benefits: brand exposure, partnerships, or competitive insights. 👉 Evaluate and Improve * What worked? What didn’t? Record lessons learned for next time. A successful tradeshow is a group effort and it takes everyone involved to come together to make the show successful. See you all next week!

China's trade shows are built on a different scale Face-to-face meetings with prospects are invaluable—but simply showing up at an exhibition isn’t enough. With China’s shows this big, a strategic approach is essential to stand out, generate leads, and drive ROI. Here’s how to make your exhibition investment count : Pre-Event Planning ✅ Start early – Launch pre-event marketing 4–6 weeks before the event to invite key prospects and promote your presence. ✅ Leverage Chinese digital channels – If you don’t advertise that you’re there, it’s like being in Westfield with no signage—no one will find you! 🌍 Localisation Matters ✅ Translate everything – Booth displays, marketing materials, and messaging should be in Chinese. ✅ Use QR codes – Ensure your verified WeChat QR code is highly visible to collect leads effortlessly. 🚫 Don’t expect business cards – In China, lead collection is digital. Your prospects won't carry business cards. 🚫 Don’t assume English will work – Many attendees prefer to communicate in Chinese, even if their English is very good. 🎯 At the Event ✅ Have a structured plan – Who is doing what? Your stand must always be manned, with some staff on the stand and others in pre-booked meetings. ✅ Actively collect leads – Use WeChat scanning rather than relying on passive engagement. 🚫 Don’t waste time – Attendees won’t come to you unless you actively engage. 📈 Post-Event Follow-Up ✅ Follow up FAST – Ideally within 48 hours via WeChat. ✅ Track ROI – Too many companies can’t measure event success due to poor data collection and no follow-up strategy. 🚫 Don’t delay – In China, sales move at lightning speed. If you wait more than a week, your prospects have already chosen your competitor. If you're not sure how to get the best from your trade show investments in China, we can show you what to expect, and how to get the best out of it.

An achilles heel of good tradeshow booth execution is a lack of alignment among booth staff and company team members... Several years ago, I had a friend 👨💼 come in town for a conference. He is a Sr sales rep for a big software company. This company was exhibiting and between space, booth, travel, etc, probably spent around $200,000. I took him to dinner and asked how the show was going. He essentially told me he didn't really know what was going on, and they just flew him in to be on the floor. $200,000 seems like a lot of money to me, as well as a lot of effort, to have a Sr sales rep have zero clue what is going on. He was 1 of 4 reps there and none of the reps were briefed. As a team, its hard to run a successful play without the players knowing the play. My point. Booth staff and team staff alignment is KEY to tradeshow success. Knowing the basics, like the schedule of events and process for leads is a must. But if you are looking to dominate a tradeshow and capitalize on the investment, here is what alignment looks like... Keep in mind, this can all be put into a 1-2 page document for all to review and study. Event team should be developing this with sales and MKG input. 1️⃣ Everyone involved has a clear understanding of WHY you are there and what the specific goals and target objectives are. 2️⃣ Customer, everyone has to have a clear picture of the customer profile that is there. Who is here? Who do we want to talk to? What role do they play in our pipeline development and relationship with customer? 3️⃣ What is the weeks strategy? Examples are, do you have a theme and why that theme? How does it tie into the pitch or offering? What is the plan to produce results at this show and what is everyone's part in it? 4️⃣ Engagements and offerings. What kind of engagements, offerings, activities and offsite activations is your company running, and why should people attend them? How does the raffle work? How do they participate? All staff needs to know this, and be armed with the ability to invite, set appts, and clearly explain what's going on to someone. 5️⃣ I highly suggest morning huddles before the day starts and evening huddles as the day ends. Talk, share, brief each other, and get ready for what's next. Stay in tune and on the same page for the entire show. 6️⃣ What is the narrative and story you are telling and promoting? Everyone should know this and be able to talk on it. Have scripts, develop talking points that everyone can use. 7️⃣ Everyone in your booth should know how to explore and qualify someone in conversation. Give them questions 8️⃣ What does life look like after this 3-4 day whirlwind? Have a follow up process with goals outlined so everyone knows what's next. Knowing what's next gives confidence to what you are doing currently. 💡 Have a why, have goals, create a plan, craft a strategy. Make sure everyone understands all of the above and how they contribute to success.

Tradeshow season is in full swing and I'm here for all of the innovation and collaboration, eco-system knowledge sharing and value creation! Sometimes (ok, more often than I would like), I see a post stating that XYZ company is exhibiting at an event and to visit them at booth # 123. That's the entire hook. At the event, staff are on their phones. The booth is one-dimensional and doesn't offer any engagement. The company has no announcements. They are checked-out and packed-up even before the last day. But the event cost them thousands and no value has been captured. Having managed close to a 100 US and EU events, I want to reach out to these companies to help them develop a holistic way of thinking about events - that aligns with and moves them closer to meeting their business objectives. Here's how I approach #eventmanagement: 🦆 Start with an objective - what do you want to accomplish and how will success be measured? 🦆 Develop and update a list of events and categorize by target audience and topic, then stack-rank by priority as it relates to meeting the objective. 🦆 Research award and speaker submission deadlines and send strong abstracts (more on that later). 🦆 To exhibit or not to exhibit - that is the $1M question! 🦆 Determine a budget - are estimates based on up-to date costs and accurate information? 🦆 How can you make your solution come to life in the booth? 🦆 How can you leverage customer successes? 🦆 How will you work with partners to leverage co-marketing opportunities? 🦆 Are there any announcements that could be issued at the event and how will you ensure they not only get seen but are effective at achieving the objective? 🦆 Make digital channels work for you - LinkedIn, I'm looking at you - but that's just the beginning. 🦆 Review and update corporate messaging documents and make sure everyone on the attending and supporting team is in sync. 🦆 Schedule a retrospective no later than week after the event to talk about successes, misses and lessons learned. How do YOU ensure that all of your ducks are in a row for #tradeshow season?

Most companies waste their trade show budget. Here's what happens: They show up with a flashy booth. They hand out cheap pens. They pray for "good leads." ❌ This is like buying a full-page Wall Street Journal ad... And forgetting to add your phone number. Smart companies? They turn 3-day shows into 6 months of pipeline. Here's their exact marketing and sales playbook: 1️⃣ Tease the Experience ❌ "Just show up on day 1" ✅ Post sneak peeks and countdowns ✅ Build hype before you arrive 2️⃣ Target VIP Attendees ❌ "Hope the right people stop by" ✅ Make your VIP list in advance ✅ Book meetings before the show 3️⃣ Maximize Social Proof ❌ Static booth displays ✅ Share client wins live ✅ Let partners tell your story 4️⃣ Align with Show Theme ❌ Generic booth messaging ✅ Match the event's vibe ✅ Stand out while fitting in 5️⃣ Capture Content Live ❌ Few random booth photos ✅ Film authentic moments ✅ Share wins in real-time 6️⃣ Train Your Team ❌ "Wing it at the booth" ✅ Prep talking points ✅ Rehearse demos and FAQs 7️⃣ Give, Then Get ❌ "Can I scan your badge?" ✅ Offer exclusive resources ✅ Make value trades 8️⃣ Use Post-Show Warmth ❌ Mass email blast ✅ Personal notes within 48 hours ✅ Reference specific conversations 9️⃣ Repurpose the Buzz ❌ One-and-done content ✅ Turn footage into reels ✅ Create fresh sales content 🔟 Stay in the Loop ❌ "See you next year!" ✅ Nurture relationships ✅ Keep momentum going But here's what nobody tells you: The gold isn't in the booth. It's in the preparation. 💡 You're not there to collect leads. You're there to start conversations that convert. What's one trade show move you never skip? _________ ♻️ Repost to help others improve their trade show reach + Follow Jennelle McGrath for more like this 🧠 Need help automating this? Book a chat: https://lnkd.in/eXjhAqHV

How to Actually Win at a Trade Show (Not just walk around collecting swag) Headed to a major hospitality trade show this week. Here’s how I approach it and how I’ve built real partnerships, pipelines, and insights that actually move the needle: 🧠 1. Walk in with a strategy. - Know what problems you’re trying to solve. - If you don’t, you’ll get sucked into shiny demos and fluffy pitches. - Prep 3–5 questions you want answered. These should be real problems in your business. 📇 2. Don’t collect cards -- create conversations. - Every meaningful vendor or customer convo should end with a next step you control. - “Let’s connect” is not a follow-up plan. Be specific, or move on. 🎯 3. Prioritize execution, not inspiration. - Cool tech is fun. But if it won’t work in 100+ locations across 10 states… you’re wasting time. - Look for people who understand scale, logistics, and repeatability. 📊 4. Take notes in the moment. - If you wait until later, it’s all a blur. - Type 2-3 bullets right after each booth or meeting... what you learned, what stood out, and what to act on. 🤝 5. Say the hard things. - Push on pricing, timelines, install labor, and support. - If it sounds too easy, it’s probably not ready for rollout. I’m here for real solutions, not just polished decks. If you’re going to HiTec, let’s connect. I’m always looking to meet operators, tech leads, and vendors who know how to execute at scale. - Hardesty What’s your #1 trade show strategy?

How to create a successful timeline to design and build a Trade Show Booth 💡 Lots of folks being new to our #tradeshow industry in the past few years, so I wanted to share a timeline that we created at BlueHive Exhibits to help our clients manage this process. 💪 This can even be a successful reminder for even the most seasoned #eventprofs. We find that many people don't leave enough time to pull it all together ... Hopefully this helps! ⏩ Start with the show date, and then back up 16 weeks...yes, 4 months for an average sized project (20x20/ 400 sq. ft.) some take less, and some take more...for the sake of simplicity, this is a good average. ☑ 16 Weeks Out: Initial Discovery Call: Start with a call to understand your goals, audience, and expectations. BUDGET... you need to know what you have to work with, & what that includes! (IE. all in # or booth creation only?) Initial Design Concepts: Develop preliminary design ideas based on your objectives. ☑ 14 Weeks Out: Concept Development- Gather feedback on the initial designs to refine and improve. Revised Design Concepts: Update the designs based on client input. ☑ 12 Weeks Out: Final Concept and Pricing Presented: Finalize the design and agree on pricing. It is normal that a deposit is needed to commence production... a customized prototype that fits your brand is being created for you. ☑ 10 Weeks Out: Engineering Launch: CAD takes the agreed upon design , considering intent, and the reality of how things will stand, pack away and be set up on site. ☑ 8 Weeks Out: Production Launch- CAD/ construction plans are shared with production team, plans are set to build components. ☑ 6 Weeks Out: Client artwork due. Obtain approval for the final artwork from the client which is presented in flattened graphic elevations. ☑ 3 Weeks Out: Exhibit Preview: Provide a preview of the exhibit to the client for any last-minute adjustments, test fit and layouts confirmed. ☑ 2 Weeks Out: Final Balance Due: Ensure the final payment is settled. Ship Date: booth to be shipped to the event location. ☑ 2 to 3 Days Out: Set Up: Assemble the booth at the trade show venue. Lots of hands touch these projects, communication is key! 🎯 Show Date: Event Day...Game On! Engage with attendees, showcase your brand, and make the most of the event. Following this timeline will help streamline the creation of your booth, ensuring every detail is handled efficiently. Proper planning and execution will lead to a successful event, helping you achieve your marketing and sales goals....and do so with less stress! #EventMarketing #BoothDesign #Exhibition #EventPlanning #tradeshows, #MarketingStrategy #BrandAwareness #TradeShowSuccess #MarketingEvents #ExhibitDesign When you work with us, we will customize to your specific project and needs. Many factors can affect the timelines. Just a heads up, for shows in Jan 2025...you should be starting to work on them now! DM me, consultations are free and we are happy to talk!