The Alexander Report

Let’s face it. Trade shows are expensive. By the time you’ve finishedmaking samples, shipping product, building and decorating the booth you could have purchased a Mini Cooper. If it’s your first trade show be advised that just because you build it they will not come. You have to put a marketing push behind this special event to attract the types of visitors your want. We’ll start with the basics. It’s been said that in most trade show traffic is from appointments of existing accounts. So what if you’re new in the game is the only option just “not to go?” You have to start somewhere and if you’ve been to the show and it has good traffic and comparable product you should seriously consider attending.

As a designer creating and producing samples it’s easy to become overwhelmed as you prepare for your first show. You want the stitching to be flawless and the draping to be just so. The samples have to look as good as humanly possible so the buyers can fall head over heels for your product. On top of that the booth must be beautiful, “where should we get the flowers from? What will we put on the walls?”

Decisions… Decisions. Although booth presentation is extremely time consuming there’s only one problem with getting consumed with these details. If the buyers don’t know about you they won’t be there to fall head over heels, and in turn their heels will be clicking to the next designers’ booth.

So I’ll get to the point already. The best way to prepare for a trade show starts months in advance. Waiting till the last minute can result in missed opportunities, wasted cash and at times a total fiasco. Show dates are often listed months if not a year in advance, and since they pretty much run on the same schedules it’s easy to guesstimate when the one of your choice is coming around. As a side note, if you can’t afford to do a trade show and you’re launching a new product it’s best to attempt to coincide your launch with the timing of the show that you would attend. That way you’ll launch during the time when buyers are in buyer mode.

We’ll presume if you’re reading this article you may want to do a show at some point. I advise clients to start with a goal. You should always walk through the show doors knowing the minimum level of success you expect for your company. If Glamour and Vogue editors stopped by and took pictures would that be enough? Or are you looking for 20 customers or to establish contacts with your favorite stores? Whatever the goal being realistic and thinking big can help you plan smart. Many times it takes designers several shows before they receive a notable amount of orders. At the end of the day it’s up to you to make a business decision as to what variables would deem your attendance worth the effort.

Ralinda Harvey is the owner of Gloss Marketing, Gloss is…. a marketing and merchandising consultancy that helps retailers and boutiques grow their businesses.