Be a Smarter Marketer - Learn the L-A-W for Trade Shows By Julia O'Connor

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People attend trade shows because they are in a specific industry and want to learn more. They want to know what’s new and how you will help them.

So, you print up lots of fancy brochures, develop demonstrations, have unique gifts or hand-outs - and want to get rid of it all before the end of the show, so you don’t have to ship it home.

If you think your only job as an exhibitor is to GIVE information, you are wrong.

You exhibit at trade shows because you are in a specific industry and need to keep up with trends. You need to know what’s new and how it will affect you, your suppliers, your partners and your clients.

Trade shows are the ideal time for you to GATHER information. The show gives you the opportunity to gather market intelligence that is important to your particular company.

Here are three simple steps to being a smarter marketer:

LISTEN for

1. New words. New words means there are changes in your industry you don’t know about. It may be a technology, a process or a company, but learn all you can while at the show.

2. New concerns. When people visit your booth, listen carefully for their underlying concerns about the economy, competition, mergers, politics, big issues. These may affect your business later, so begin to prepare now.

ASK about

1. What you need to know. Before the show, determine critical information you would like to have for your company. Ask other people in your company what they would like to know, not just what’s important to your division or department.

2. Trends. You don’t know everything. People are flattered when you ask their opinion about changes in their specific part of the industry.

WRITE it down

1. Right now. Trade shows are busy, noisy environments. You can’t trust your memory, so write the information down on the lead card or other form you will keep.

2. For distribution. After the show, take all the information you have gathered and write a confidential report about what you learned. Distribute it to those people in your organization who need to know and can act on this information.

Three simple steps to make you more aware of your industry and to keep your company in the forefront.


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Julia O'Connor - Speaker, Author, Consultant - writes about practical aspects of trade shows. As president of Trade Show Training, inc,, now celebrating its 10th year, she works with companies in a variety of industries to improve their bottom line and marketing opportunities at trade shows.Julia is an expert in the psychology of the trade show environment and uses this expertise in sales training and management seminars.Inf