The pre-show promotions should start with the preparation of a list of potential customers. You can use your own database to make such a list; buy the list from a professional list management company; or use last year’s database of tradeshow visitors to compile the list.

You next need to decide the exhibit. There is no point in displaying a product that you displayed last year. Most of your potential customers have already seen it; many may have even bought it. Your aim should be to mount the exhibits of a new product or a product under preparation which is likely to be released in the market soon.

Finally, you need to decide the bait or the offer to lure the visitor to your stall. It can be the product’s strengths especially if it happens to be a path breaking product whose development the industry has watched with interest. It can be the discounts or rebates that you plan to offer at the tradeshow or it may be the promise of a handsome gift. Any of these can bring potential visitors flocking to your stall.

You have a wide choice of instruments to communicate your tradeshow USP. The message can be sent through personal invitations, trade press advertising, direct mail, press releases, e-mail or fax. Each message can be personalized to obtain a better result.

However, all this hard work may not deliver the desired results if you ignore at show promotions. These are equally important and you need to invest a substantial portion of your budget to promote your stall at the tradeshow. Among other things you need to invest on billboards, airport advertising, hotel TV advertising, mobile ads, hotel room promotions, show directory advertising, sponsorships and press kits.

The promotions should continue at the stall too. Depending upon the product, you can consider awarding promotional products or conduct contests for the visitors. You can even consider arranging mime or magic shows if you are promoting products like toys.

Finally, don’t forget after show promotions. These may include deferred rewards, lead-fulfillment information packets and post-show personal communication.