Hello Everyone,

 

I hoping some of you trade show veterans can give me some advice.  I'm getting together the literature that I will have on hand at some upcoming trade shows.  What is the rule of thumb for knowing how many copies to have on hand?

 

Thanks!

 

Tracy

 

Hi Tracy,

 

That's a hard question to answer without knowing how many attendees there will be how many competitors will be in attendance.  Likewise, these things can be unpredictable from one venue to the next - even one year to the next.  What may be a huge hit at one show could inexplicably be a low draw at another.  To make the most use of your marketing money, consider using materials that can be used universally at all shows - plus any other offline marketing you may do (ie, mailings).  This way you can keep plenty on hand in case you need them, but if you don't use them at the shows you can still make good use of the materials.

 

Off topic, but to add:  A lot of companies put together presentation folders with inserts describing their various products or services, but this can get expensive - especially if you are working small venues.  Obviously a good business card is essential, but not typically enough room to "sell" your product/service. 

 

If the message is basic, a simple 8 1/2 x 11 brochure and business card is likely satisfactory - although little extras like pens, notepads, or even something less conventional but that still gets frequent use are always a good idea.  I strongly advocate providing some kind of printed material for potential clients to take home, but your ability to follow up is going to be much more important when it comes to conversion.  Whether it's a drawing, getting them to sign up for a newsletter - something that allows you to stay in front of them well after the trade show has ended.

 

Even more off topic ... have you considered selling good quality rock polishers on your website?  I bought one for my son a few years back and was disappointed with the quality - even still it was fun for us to polish the different rocks we'd find.

Hi Remipub,

 

Thanks for the reply.  You found part of my problem with our first trade shows....the audience is going to be completely different at each one.  I'm going to try to develop our materials to have as much overlap as possible though. 

 

You know, several people have asked me about rock polishers.  We don't carry them for a few reasons.  One is that I don't like tumbled rocks.  I think rocks and minerals are best in their rough state when you can see all of the natural crystal faces and formations (unless they are faceted and set in some jewelry I'm wearing).  The other is that I don't know any that are high quality.  I actually have never used one myself.  Everything on our site right now are items that we have developed.  When we started out I had some other items but was really disappointed in the quality so I haven't looked for anything else.  I realize that I'm probably one of the only people who dislike tumbled rock though, so I will probably need to find a rock polisher at some point.