Just like in the military, one of the first things that a business needs to do at the trade show is establish a trade show headquarters. Employees will face unusual circumstances in the field and there should be an effective and fully functional command post where complete communication and all answers can be received to the variety of resources.

 

You have just one shot at your industry’s major trade show. It can be very challenging to be in a new city where money and time will consume every participant and attendee of the trade show. One successful way to manage the logistical details at a trade show is to establish a command center throughout the convention. Make the command post at a hotel suite nearby where management and employees alike can funnel questions and direct the action to about their trade show questions and challenges.

 

Hospitality suites are a great place to entertain prospective customers and current clients alike. These pricy choices are great, but sometimes they can be hard to manage. One big problem will be who can go into the room and who cannot enter, especially when a free hospitality and its inevitable treat offerings will be the new hot spot on the trade show floor, even if they aren’t really interested in your product or service.

 

Be careful if you are offering alcohol in your hospitality suite. The irresponsible behavior of alcohol can also cause big problems, especially if the suite has crashers that were not invited. These actions can direct oppose the goals and objectives of the business sponsoring the event and will have the prospective customers walk away with a negative and unprofessional opinion of the company. For this reason, hospitality suites have all but disappeared from convention exhibits.

 

Your Command Post

All of the negative aspects of a hospitality suite can be revised dramatically if you design and mange your command post to function strictly as a private command center, the headquarters of your trade show. Maximize your resources and time from this command post. Expand your communications and increase the overall value of the exhibit when you organize your team at a command post. Management can use the suite space and the hotel services in a way that can accomplish logistical goals for the business. Some of these services and uses can include the following:

 

1. Pre-Trade-Show Meeting and Briefing

The night before the trade show, the command post will be the location of motivational sales and briefing. The entire team should review the activities and where different assignments for each team member should be. Goals and objectives will be covered, as well as marketing and product presentation ideas. Key points about the presentation will be covered by the sales team.

Managers at the trade show should use this time to go over logistical details, strategies for working and selling from the booth and other general booth discussions and actions throughout the entire trade show time. Motivational speakers should give sales people nuggets and stories they can use to sell the product or service more effectively. Managers should use this time to pull everyone’s attention away from their normal routines and direct their attention to the goal of the trade show and its incredible opportunities.

 

1. Public Relations Center

The headquarters suite can handle pre-schedule press or one-on-one scheduled meetings with selected editors or important industry contacts in the area. There should also be an area where public materials and information are disseminated at the trade show booth.

Schedule appointments with product experts during the trade show at the company suite headquarters to gain positive mentions in post-show articles. Also, talk with these editors about coverage in upcoming articles in future publications. These opportunities can build strong relationships that will benefit the company in the future. Also, these meetings can help to communicate industry trends for magazine features and articles.

Coordinate and schedule communications with company experts and editors or industry contacts. The public relations manager should be in control of all these functions, including arranging the necessary transportation for the event. They should be able to provide transportation to and from the convention center. For this reason, the hospitality suite will need to be located close to the convention.

Always provide liquid refreshments and snacks during the press meetings to keep people comfortable. It is recommended that only non-alcoholic drinks are offered while meeting key people to the industry.

 

1. Rest and Regroup

A trade show can be a very complex and intense experience. At the end of the day, the booth team can schedule a relaxing and regrouping time where they review what has transpired. What common challenges have they faced? How can they improve for the next day? What are the competitors doing that they can use? Individual strategies can be reviewed by managers while competitive analysis can be an effective way to stay focused, but analyze the situation for greater success the next day. A regrouping session can maximum results for the next day.

Reviewing key sales prospects and activities can help ensure the entire team is on board and has the same mentality for the next day’s events. Any issues that have arisen during the day that need additional attention can be discussed as well. The booth team should each have a manager to speak with to meet for dinner and prepare for the following day.

 

1. Backup and Replenishing

Sales and marketing individuals should always have the opportunity to invite VIP prospects and current customers to meet at the command center to discuss details of more business transactions in the future. Meeting with top management in the command center will help to support active selling and push the company to the next level of success while at the trade show. Since the booth can be too busy and chaotic, these area can be a comfortable and quiet place to discuss future business partnerships. You can also use the hospitality suite as a closing room to seal the deal with prospective clients, making customers feel more relaxed and secure with their decision.

 

One Response so far | Have Your Say!

1. Alex Gordon
   April 8th, 2010 at 11:45 pm #

   Я хотел бы с Вами поговорить по этому вопросу….

   Менеджер проекта (полиграфия) ……