A Trade Show Checklist for Packing a “Gang Box”

First Aid for your trade show display

During a typical day at the office, any supplies you might need are easily accessible and it’s unlikely anyone would ever consider running out of staples to be a “crisis.” When you’re on the trade show floor however, it’s an entirely different story. Needing anything from Velcro for attaching graphics, to duct tape for a quick fix can become quite the dilemma. . . and an expensive one at that. If you’re in need of a roll of tape ten minutes before an event starts and the only supplier is Show Services, you may find yourself paying unreasonable prices. To avoid ending up in this situation altogether, it’s essential to pack a “gang box” for your next trade show.

A gang box is an event survival kit containing items to help you in almost any scenario. Experienced exhibitors bring a “gang box” with them to every event and ensure that it’s restocked before every show. Below is a trade show checklist of both the basics as well as a list of items for more extreme scenarios.

MUST HAVES

Don’t leave home without them:

• Roll of Velcro
• Scissors
• Super Glue
• Scotch Tape & Double-Sided Tape
• Duct Tape or Gaffer’s Tape (Doesn’t leave as much residue as duct tape)
• Mini Stapler/Staples/Staple remover
• Black Sharpies, Highlighters & White Out
• Box [or two] of Pens (trust me, they grow legs!)
• An assortment of sticky notes, message pads, and three-by-five note cards
• Binder clips, paper clips, rubber bands, straight pins, safety pins, zip ties
• Paper towels and gentle cleansing solution (for wiping down booth counters)
• Screwdriver set (both Phillips and flathead)
• Measuring tape
• Box Cutter (make this easily accessible)
• USB/ jump drive of all booth graphics, handouts and brochures (Make sure to know the locations of the nearest FedEx Kinko’s or other copying outlets prior to the show)
• Extra copies of demo/presentation/software & videos
• A/V & Computer/network cables
• Extra copy of your Setup/ Installation instructions for your display
• Pictures of your booth completely set up from all angles (makes it easy to know which graphics go where)
• Grounded, UL-rated surge protector strip
• Electronic copies of your Show Order Forms/ Confirmations, Shipping Documents, and Reservations

 

PERSONAL ITEMS

Sometimes, you can’t leave the booth and these could be life savers:

• Quick dissolve breath strips (or another kind of mint)
• Pocket Packs of Tissues
• Small first aid kit
• Hand Sanitizer or Wet Wipes
• Small Lint Remover
• Stain Removing Pen
• Antacid, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol (have all of them on hand, people have allergies or preferences)
• Hand cream
• Comb

 

OPTIONAL ITEMS

These items might save your exhibit in case of any last-minute emergency.  Think of any scenarios where these might come into play, no matter how extreme and pack the items that could save your booth.  Shipping these to your show will cost you far less than having Show Services repair your display:

• Staple gun with extra staples
• Battery Powered Screw Driver
• Extra light bulbs (make sure they match the ones in your booth)
• Extra screws, nuts, bolts, fasteners, standoffs, etc.
• Wire Cutter
• Calculators, clipboards & order forms, (if you write orders at the show).
• Strong Shipping Tape
• Double-sided carpet tape
• Shrink wrap
• FedEx / UPS Shipping Envelopes/ Pouches

 

While these items are all recommended, we encourage you to add anything else for your specific needs. What do you pack in your trade show tool kit that may be different from the items we listed? Add them in the comment section, below!  Learn more about exhibiting at trade shows in our other blog posts or by heading to our website.

 

Written by John Leberman, Marketing Coordinator for FB Displays & Designs, Inc.

 

Modern Trade Show Lead Follow-Up

Trade Show Lead Follow Up. Photo Courtesy of Flickr.

 

Believe it or not, about 80% of exhibitors don’t follow up with the leads they’ve gathered after meeting new people in their trade show booth.

 

Sounds crazy, right?

 

Not to worry. This being the 21^st Century, I’m going to share my favorite, easy, modern ways to connect with your leads after the event.

 

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-LinkedIn

What could be simpler? Start typing your prospect’s name into the search bar on LinkedIn and in a few moments you can invite them to connect with you. I usually write the recipient a personal note to remind them how we met or about the conversation we had. Since LinkedIn is all about maintaining relationships with people you know, I think this improves your chances that they’ll accept your invitation. Now, this lead has a simple way to contact me, and I them.

 

-VIP Questions & Follow-Up

It seems like every show I staff, I leave with a list of a few very important clients & prospects that have questions or need quotes of a more in-depth nature. Ideally, these should be responded to within 24-48 hours. Due to the hectic timeline at the end of a trade show, I create reminders in my phone’s calendar to address these right away. I try to split the list into questions/quotes that I can ask someone at the home-office to reply to, and those that I should write to personally. This way I cut down on the overall response time.

 

-Instantaneous

Very often on the trade show floor, I’m doing a presentation for a client using a tablet or smartphone. In these instances, I find it very helpful to compose an email with the pictures, PDFs & catalogs we reviewed & send it to the prospect while they’re still in the booth. When practical, I prefer this tactic because I can ask them to verify they’ve received it (avoiding emails lost due to misspellings or hidden in Spam/Junk mail folders). In addition, they don’t have to carry around my catalog for the rest of the day!

 

-Group Emails

Did you collect contact info during the trade show with a lead retrieval machine or app? Did you get a list of attendees from show management? What about the business cards you’ve collected during the expo? A quick, group email can be used to thank those that stopped at your booth and to extend a reminder of your product & service offerings to all. We use Constant Contact to manage these lists, but there are many similar providers out there.

 

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What steps will you take to improve your post-show communication? Leave your thoughts in the comment thread!  Learn more about exhibiting at trade shows in our other blog posts or by heading to our website.

 

Written by John Leberman, Marketing Coordinator for FB Displays & Designs, Inc.

 

How to Make Lemonade from a Lemon Booth Location

Photo Courtesy of Flickr, Yellow Sky Photography

Stuck in the back corner of the hall or behind a column? Miss out on getting into the main exhibit hall? Here’s how you can see all your clients and prospects and have a successful show:

1. Pre-show announcements.

It doesn’t matter if it’s an elaborate mailer, or a quick text or e-mail, send something telling clients and prospects you’re not going to be easy to find, but the extra effort will be rewarded. Don’t forget to maximize your presence at the show on Linkedin and Facebook.

2. Sponsor a coffee break.

Convince show management into allowing you to sponsor a coffee or beverage break. Then put a very large and colorful sign nearby with a map to your booth and a prize offer for attendees who find you. 

3. Give them a yellow brick road.

Negotiate with show management to let you place stickers on the aisle carpet leading attendees to your booth. These can be arrows, footprints or pictures of your product.

4. Give them what they want.

Do some serious brainstorming and come up with a novel – a really, really novel – promotional item that will allow people to wear or carry your logo to the masses. The right item will cause people to ask where they can get one for themselves.

5. Let Elvis do your talking.

Hire talent to hand something (samples, coupons, flyers with maps to your space) to attendees as they come into the facility. Some show managers will let you rent space or will designate a specific location for this activity.

6. Give them the shirt off your back.

Dress your entire staff in shirts with a map to your booth on the back and your logo on the front.

7. Sponsor headrest covers on the shuttle buses.

Put your logo and booth location on the back of every shuttle bus seat headrest so that everyone knows how to find you once they are in the hall.

8. Network like a madman!

In addition to every networking event, take advantage of social media. Tweet a ‘Thank you for visiting our booth’ message to every visitor to your booth. This leads to a reply or a retweet that not only creates a bond with the prospect (enhancing the possibility of a conversion) but also takes your brand and booth location to the followers of the prospect leading to more potential visitors.

9. Get friendly with show management.

Don’t be afraid to talk to show management about your dilemma. The more they know that you are serious about maximizing your presence at their show, the more likely you’ll be able to get first option on a better location if someone pulls out or is a no-show.

Good luck and have fun!

Written by Francine Brooks, President of FB Displays & Designs, Inc.