by Carly Stewart 

Attending large conferences and tradeshows can be very beneficial to companies of all sizes. Marketing opportunities are available everywhere if one knows where to look. Tradeshows can help raise awareness of your company, allow you to advertise directly to your target marketing group, receive potential customer information, raise revenue, and explore possible partnerships and other marketing opportunities. It is also a great opportunity to create a stronger business and work relationship between employer and employee through the preparation and attendance of the conference.
               

Conferences can be difficult and expensive if the proper steps are not taken or if the company waits until the last minute. Inphonite has attended numerous trade conferences over the years. Most recently, we attended the MGMA conference in 2011 in Las Vegas; from this experience we have generated a few tips for other businesses planning to attend tradeshows.

Do not wait until the last minute.  Many conferences have early deadlines. Waiting until the last minute is far more expensive and decreases the likelihood that you will get the location you prefer. Many tradeshows have a date that companies must register before in order to participate in the event at all or specific sections of the event. For instance, if you miss the deadline to be listed in the buyer's guide or to provide materials to place in a media room, you will miss out on those marketing opportunities and the potential clientele that they would bring.  Make sure you research the event ahead of time, highlight all of the important dates and give yourself plenty of time just in case something must be changed or goes wrong with the printing, shipping, art sizing, etc. Then when you meet a deadline make sure you check it off your list.

Create an estimated cost list. Tradeshows can end up being pretty pricey and if you underestimate the cost of certain things it could harm your business dramatically. Create an estimated price list based on the expense of services provided by the tradeshow. Many things can be found on the website such as the cost of the booth and electricity prices, while other things you must call or email a representative for an estimate. When estimating, make sure you always estimate higher than what you think it will end up being. This leaves you a little room to work with. Also remember to include food costs and travel expenses based on the government standard in your estimate. This can be found at: www.gsa.com

Find cheaper ways.  Make sure you compare the cost of renting certain items versus purchasing the items at the conference. Inphonite drove to the conference which saved a lot of money with shipping and renting. 

Renting:Sometimes purchasing an item is significantly less than the amount it takes to rent the item from the vender. For instance, Inphonite decided to purchase a monitor for our booth. The cost to rent the monitor for 3 days was over $500 more than what we paid, plus we got to keep the monitor for future events. A neighboring booth suggested buying a TV monitor to use as the display they needed and then having a giveaway for the same TV saving the cost of shipping it back.

Hotels:Many tradeshows offer deals on nearby hotels; make sure you compare these deals to other hotels that may not necessarily be in partnership with the conference, but could potentially end up being cheaper. If you are renting a car, consider hotels that are farther from the conference which could also be cheaper.

Artwork:  Inphonite creates all of its own art for the marketing materials including the booth art, postcard art, handout designs, signs and PowerPoint presentations.  If you have someone who is handy with graphics programs and has a creative mind, have them create the company artwork. This can potentially save thousands of dollars (most graphic design firms cost over $100 dollars an hour for artwork, the amount of hours determined by the graphic company) and if the artwork looks professional it will be just as effective. 

Think out of the box:  Think of artwork designs and giveaways as a means to capture the attention of potential buyers. There are likely to be hundreds of booths that all have the same look: Plain colors with no graphics and wordy banners without personality. There are many ways to remain professional but still make the artwork attractive and engaging. Giveaways can do the same thing. Giveaways attract people to your booth as well as serve as personal reminders of your company and provide a creative way of sharing your business information with potential customers. Many companies give away pens and other office supplies. These items are boring to attendees. Try to think of something outside of these small items that will be memorable and useful. Inphonite, for example, gave away coffee tumblers. Make sure your items are of good quality and do not leak or break easily. 

Keep a folder of receipts and information for the event:  Keep all receipts from the actual conference including the booth and electricity and carpet expenses just in case there is a mix up at the conference. Also keep car rental or airline receipts and hotel confirmations in this folder. Keep all dates and times of the event and giveaways. Keeping everything in one folder is a great way to keep track of everything that you have done and is easily accessible. Make sure you take this to the conference and have it available at a moment's notice.

Document all expenditures: Keep everything about the conference in one place, whether that be a folder in your email, a folder on your computer or a physical folder. Make sure that everything that has to do with the conference is in one place for future reference. There is a lot to keep trackof for tradeshows and you may want to use the same vendors next time. Having it all in one place will make this a lot easier. 

During the conference, attitude is everything: Make sure your representatives are not only knowledgeable about your business and products but also personable and approachable. While giveaways help attract guests to your booth, a friendly face will keep them interested and engaged. If you seem uninterested in the conference and what you are selling, even when you are not specifically talking to someone, the guests will not be interested or likely to approach you. However there is a fine line between friendly and pushy. You do not want to be forceful to the point of rudeness, and it is necessary that your representatives understand this distinction. You will also most likely be wearing clothing with your logo on it, so even as you peruse the other booths or venture to get some much-wanted food, make sure that you are friendly the entire time and realize that you represent your entire company. Do not let the attitudes of your representatives negatively impact all of the hard work and money spent on this opportunity.

Be prepared:You will most likely be standing for hours on end so make sure to wear comfortable yet professional clothing and shoes. Walking shoes are a good idea for walking to and from the event but save dress shoes for the show. Remember to dress in layers. A sweater or sport jacket can easily be set aside or put on when needed.  Bring bottled water and small snacks with you as well. Never leave your booth unattended and sitting around or speaking on your phone at the booth are both very unprofessional and make your company look disinterested and unapproachable. Finish setting up your booth and giveaways before the start of the show. This shows respect for attendees as well as your business. Plus, the more time you have with the attendees, the more time you have to sell your product.  

Follow-up:Lastly, follow up on any leads you may have gotten from the conference and make sure that all of your conference materials are in an area together for the next one. Then remember, unpack and repack because it will all be a mess when it gets back to your office. 

Inphonite had a successful and valuable time at the MGMA 2011 conference. We used this opportunity to expand our business and reach out to many potential customers and partners. Yes, events like this require a lot of work and planning but the potential payoff from these events is immense. I hope that these tips will help your company's future growth.