The Nuts And BoltsSuppose You Run An E-Biz Specializing In Floral Arrangements. Imagine Coming Across A Huge Mall Devoted Entirely To You Guessed It Flowers. Youd Probably Be Pretty Excited To Find Such An Amazing Source For Products And Ideas. Well, When You Attend A Trade Show, That's Basically What Youre Getting. At A Trade Show, Many Vendors Within One Particular Industry Set Up Exhibits To Provide Information On Their Products And Services.Only Members Of Legitimate Businesses Within That Industry Are Allowed To Attend These Shows. To Go, Youll Need To Prove Youre In That Business Whether You Run A Brick-and-mortar Store Or An E-Biz. That Means Youll Need Your Business Card, Tax ID Information, And Maybe A Credit Card Or Check With The Name Of Your Company, Or An Invoice From A Vendor In That Industry That Indicates Youre A Buyer.Whats In It For Me?Steve Bergon, Senior Vice President Of CTI Convention Staffing (http:CTIConventionStaffing.com), Whose Company Provides Staff For Hundreds Of Trade Shows Annually, Feels That The Most Important Thing A Retailer Gains By Attending Is Information. There Are Conferences And Products All Centered On Your Specific Field Of Interest. Bergon Enthuses, This Is Where You Can Pick Up A Great Number Of Ideas. You Can See Exactly What Your Competitions Offering.Additionally, Many Vendors At These Conventions Will Bring Out Their Newest Products Ones That May Not Hit The Market For Months And Allow You To Pre-order Them. And Sometimes Exhibitors Will Have Specials On Specific Products And Give You A Discount For Buying Them At The Show.3 Tips To Being PreparedWhen You Invest Time And Money To Attend A Trade Show, You Want To Make The Most Of It. Thats Why It Is So Important To Be Prepared. Here Are Some Simple Steps You Would Do Well To Follow:1. Pre-register. Most Of These Shows Allow It And Many Require It. In Addition To Potential Savings On Registration Fees, You Can Save Yourself Considerable Time When You Get To The Convention.2. Have Productive Questions Ready For The Exhibitors: How Quickly Can They Deliver, How Fast Are Their Reorders, Etc.3. Think Ahead. Anticipate Your Needs:a) Pad And Paper Youll Want To Keep Track Of Who Impressed You.b) A Sufficient Amount Of Business Cards. Typically An Exhibitor Can Scan Your ID Badge And Get All Your Contact Information; However, If Thats Not The Case, You Want To Be Ready.c) A Knapsack. Youre Going To Be Collecting Information All Day And Carrying It Around Youll Want Some Place To Put It.How Do I Find The Trade Show I Need?Bergon Suggests Two Sites In Particular For Finding Trade Shows: Http:TradeShowWeek.com And Http:Tsnn.com. You Can Type In Your Industry And Your City And Theyll Show You The Events That Are Coming Into That Particular Venue.If You Live In A Smaller City, You May Have To Be Willing To Drive A Bit. But Bergon Feels Its Well Worth The Sacrifice. He Advises, You Get A Marvelous Opportunity To Get A Heads Up On Your Competition And Reap The Benefits And Rewards. Zone In On The Trade Shows You Feel Would Be More Appealing To You Or Be In Closer Proximity To Where Youre Living, And Take It From There.
