GSA Expo

The GSA Expo 2005 is coming up May 3-5, 2005 at the San Diego Convention center and anyone with a GSA schedule should at least try to make it a point to at least attend the show and meet up with your key contacts at breakfast, lunch, dinner or even better....out at night. This is a great opportunity to catch people out of the office and willing to openly talk about opportunities while having a little fun. If you don't find the time to go, your competitors will be taking advantage of this time with potential end users and contracting officers from all over the country.

Besides networking with potential contracting officers and end users, GSA itself will have a booth with their customer service directors available to meet you throughout the show.

In the past couple of years, the show has been in San Antonio and in Orlando. My experience as an exhibitor has been outstanding, while my neighbors have sat at the show, bored stiff and frustrated because they think the show is "too big."

I want to challenge exhibitors this year to take a moment to review the advice below from Alex Tucker Tradetec of Skyline on behavior in the booth so that you can have a more successful show.

Just having a 10 x 10 space and a couple of people sitting there at a table will not result in opportunities. You must create a "buzz" around your booth and add some excitement.

Here are some of Alex's points:

DURING THE SHOW:
  • Smile. A smile attracts attention and makes people visually connect with you. Once that connection is made, the more likely it is that they'll stop to see what you have to offer.
  • Be Ready with a Conversation Starter. Never greet visitors with, "May I help you?" All you'll hear is, "No, just looking." Instead, establish a greeting that requires a response other than a yes or a no answer. For instance, you could say, "Welcome to our booth." "Which products attracted your attention?" This creates a friendly tone, while at the same time steering the conversation in the right direction.
  • Watch Your Body Language. If you are sitting down, slouching, leaning, or heaven forbid, sleeping at your booth, not only are you telling visitors that you're bored with your product or service, you give the impression that they will be too. So move to the edge of your booth when you're free, make eye contact with visitors passing by, start a conversation with a likely prospect, and always remember to smile. By creating a more positive image, you have a better chance of getting the response you desire.
  • Staff Your Booth Accordingly. If you have too many people, your staff could become bored and lose interest. If you have too few people, your staff could tire easily and perform poorly. A good rule of thumb is two people on duty for each 100 square feet of exhibit area.
  • Increase the Value of Your Promotional Items. If you display your promotional items on your counter, many people will walk by, pick one up and then keep on going. By keeping a few of them in your hand or your pocket and only distributing them after a demonstration or conversation, you place a higher value on them. They are now seen as a token of appreciation instead of a grab-n-go item, and your visitors will notice the difference.
  • Give a Demonstration. People love to be entertained, and demonstrations are a good way to attract an audience. Demonstrations also allow you to show why your product is superior or different from the rest. Is your product stronger, less time consuming, more reliable? Whatever your product's advantage is, demonstrate it. You're sure to get a response.
  • Work the Crowd. If you're in the middle of a demonstration and new people approach, acknowledge their presence with eye contact and a smile. Try to make them feel involved until you can give them your undivided attention. And to keep demonstrations on target, ask your visitors if there are any particular features they'd like to see or if they have any questions. Not only does this help you stay on track, but it also makes your visitors feel more involved in the demonstration.
  • Monitor Your Booth's Activity. Keep a close eye on what works and what doesn't work. Are people ignoring your signs? Maybe you should change them. Is your staff tiring easily? Maybe you should lengthen breaks or rotate staff more often. Remember that every show is different and you should be flexible enough to make changes as needed.
  • Check out the Competition. Take some time to examine the other booths. Listen to their sales pitches. Check out their displays. Watch their demonstrations. Find out what worked and didn't work for them and why. Not only will you know what things to avoid; you'll get some great ideas for your next show.
AFTER THE SHOW:
  • Conduct a Post-Show Evaluation. Once the show is over, and its still fresh in everyone's mind, evaluate everything you did and what happened at the show. It doesn't take very long, and you'll get some good insight into what you need to work on for the next show.
  • Send Follow-up Letters. About two weeks after the show, it's a good idea to send out a follow-up letter along with some promotional material to everyone who stopped by your booth. Not only will it let them know you appreciated the time they spent with you; it also keeps your company name fresh in their minds.
For more information on these and other trade show exhibit tips, Alex has provided these web links:

Incomm Research Center at http://www.tradeshowresearch.com
Center for Exhibition Industry Research at http://www.ceir.org

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