5 Costly Trade Show Mistakes Marketers Can

Avoid (Sponsored)
Five common and costly trade show mistakes and how to avoid
them

Trade shows are tremendous investments in both time and resources, so making sure
you minimize mistakes and maximize your results is crucial. Below are five of the most
common and costly trade show mistakes exhibitors make and how to avoid them.

1. Lack of Specified Goals

If someone were to ask you what you wanted to accomplish at your next trade show
and you answered, “increase sales” or “generate more leads,” you may be headed for
trade show tribulation. While those goals are commendable, they lack specificity.
When planning your trade show goals, you should define exactly what you want to
achieve and how you plan to achieve it in a face-to-face marketing environment.

>> DOWNLOAD: Trade Show Budgeting Worksheet

2. Pre-show Planning Disorganization

The world of trade show and event marketing is ruled by detail- and deadline-oriented
marketers. All too often, novice exhibitors fail to properly organize and structure their
pre-show planning, resulting in missed deadlines and last-minute fixes. To avoid
mishaps, create a trade show timeline 90 days out from your event. Make sure to mark
important deadlines as well as milestones you want to reach by specific dates.

3. Rushing Set Up and Dismantling

Your trade show booth is the centerpiece of your event marketing campaign, so
making a booth-related mistake can spell trade show disaster. The majority of booth-
related missteps occur during set up and dismantling. Exhibitors racing against
deadlines often haphazardly set up their booths, leading to damaged or lost parts and
blemished graphics. Taking the time to properly set up and dismantle your booth or
hiring an experienced installation and dismantlement service will make assembling and
repacking your booth safer and easier.

4. Failing to Set a Realistic Budget

Crafting a well-planned trade show budget is one of the most important pieces to the
event marketing puzzle. With all of the commotion surrounding the planning for your
event—such as designing a trade show display, creating marketing collateral or
arranging travel—it can be easy to forget about the logistics involved in getting your
booth materials to the show, moved into the event space and assembled. Overlooking
ancillary costs associated with exhibiting such as shipping, drayage, booth storage and
installation costs can really bust your budget.

5. Forgetting to Follow Up with Collected Leads

Since trade shows are a big investment, you want to make sure you maximize your
ROI. All too often, marketers forget to follow-up with the leads gathered on the trade
show floor. After you and your team collect and organize leads at your show, you
should reach out to the contacts within 48 hours after you get back to the office. By
promptly following up with leads, you will increase the likelihood of closing sales and,
in turn, increase your overall event marketing ROI.

By avoiding these five mistakes, you give yourself a greater opportunity to succeed at
your next event. The trick to trade show success boils down to smart planning and
preparation, especially when setting the event budget.

Nimlok offers a budget worksheet template that accounts for well- and little-known
exhibiting costs, giving you greater transparency as you plan your event. Download
this resource for freeand start planning smart for your next event.