Managing Expecations
Whether you’ve exhibited in hundreds of shows like me or you’re just starting out. Managing expectations, setting goals and being prepared to adapt are all important “pre-game” activities.
If you set your expectations too high, you are setting yourself up for disappointment and misvaluation of the event. If you set them too low, you may find yourself understaffed or with not enough materials on hand.
Expectations of management drive the expectations of the booth staff. Show traffic count factors into the equation But, there are other factors that can greatly outweigh traffic count in determining your outcomes.
What are the best strategies for setting your expectations?
Exhibitors do trade shows for one or more of three basic reasons.
• In-Show Sales
• Lead Generation
• Information Distribution
What you always receive regardless of the 3 items above:
• Brand Exposure
• Credibility Boost (sketchy companies tend to not exhibit)
• Networking with Other Exhibitors
• Experience to do Future Events Better
If you’ve done enough events in the past, you could easily have a gut feel for what to expect going forward. But, this method isn’t as dependable as you might want it to be. Every event is different. Even the same event year over year or the same type of event in the same market at different times of year, will yield different results.
The first step in managing expectations ties into the show’s theme. For example, if you’re a provider of a home product like windows or a service like painting, then a home & garden show would yield a target rich environment of attendees. But, if you’re selling a widget for the kitchen, gourmet food, home decor, etc. you should still do well as homeowners spend on far more than just their homes.
The most commonly asked question that Exhibitors ask is “how many people will be attending this event?” While attendance is important. It is equally important to get a feel for how long attendees stay. Both of these answers help you gain an understanding of how many prospects you will have access to. All of this circles back to engagement.
If your plan is to simply pass out information directly (like offering to put a brochure in their hands as they pass by), then you can go through the max number of brochures. If they’re laying on the front table and attendees have to reach for them, then you’ll go through far fewer. If the table is in the back of the booth, then you won’t need very many brochures. Depending on any qualifying you do, the usage would reduce.
Lead generation works much the same way. The more forward you are the more points of contact you’ll make and engagement will happen more frequently.
Best Practice (more detail in future weeks)
• Stand, don’t sit
• Smile
• Make Eye Contact
• Ask Open-Ended Questions… Start a Conversation… Invite into Booth… Offer Literature
• Qualify
• Set Appointment or Gather Contact Info to Follow Up
How many attendees can you connect with during an event? The answer to this question is impacted by booth staffing, engagement time per staff member, number of show hours. Example: If you have 1 staff member for each of the 20 show hours and it takes them 10 minutes to engage and switch to a new attendee, you would max out at 120 engagements. (20 hours x 6 per hour) This calculation gets more accurate through experience in your specific case.
If you'd like to discuss this topic further, just message me below.
If you set your expectations too high, you are setting yourself up for disappointment and misvaluation of the event. If you set them too low, you may find yourself understaffed or with not enough materials on hand.
Expectations of management drive the expectations of the booth staff. Show traffic count factors into the equation But, there are other factors that can greatly outweigh traffic count in determining your outcomes.
What are the best strategies for setting your expectations?
Exhibitors do trade shows for one or more of three basic reasons.
• In-Show Sales
• Lead Generation
• Information Distribution
What you always receive regardless of the 3 items above:
• Brand Exposure
• Credibility Boost (sketchy companies tend to not exhibit)
• Networking with Other Exhibitors
• Experience to do Future Events Better
If you’ve done enough events in the past, you could easily have a gut feel for what to expect going forward. But, this method isn’t as dependable as you might want it to be. Every event is different. Even the same event year over year or the same type of event in the same market at different times of year, will yield different results.
The first step in managing expectations ties into the show’s theme. For example, if you’re a provider of a home product like windows or a service like painting, then a home & garden show would yield a target rich environment of attendees. But, if you’re selling a widget for the kitchen, gourmet food, home decor, etc. you should still do well as homeowners spend on far more than just their homes.
The most commonly asked question that Exhibitors ask is “how many people will be attending this event?” While attendance is important. It is equally important to get a feel for how long attendees stay. Both of these answers help you gain an understanding of how many prospects you will have access to. All of this circles back to engagement.
If your plan is to simply pass out information directly (like offering to put a brochure in their hands as they pass by), then you can go through the max number of brochures. If they’re laying on the front table and attendees have to reach for them, then you’ll go through far fewer. If the table is in the back of the booth, then you won’t need very many brochures. Depending on any qualifying you do, the usage would reduce.
Lead generation works much the same way. The more forward you are the more points of contact you’ll make and engagement will happen more frequently.
Best Practice (more detail in future weeks)
• Stand, don’t sit
• Smile
• Make Eye Contact
• Ask Open-Ended Questions… Start a Conversation… Invite into Booth… Offer Literature
• Qualify
• Set Appointment or Gather Contact Info to Follow Up
How many attendees can you connect with during an event? The answer to this question is impacted by booth staffing, engagement time per staff member, number of show hours. Example: If you have 1 staff member for each of the 20 show hours and it takes them 10 minutes to engage and switch to a new attendee, you would max out at 120 engagements. (20 hours x 6 per hour) This calculation gets more accurate through experience in your specific case.
If you'd like to discuss this topic further, just message me below.