Trade shows offer unique marketing opportunities for your business. However, it’s possible to attend a show or convention that isn’t the right fit for your brand, which can lead to wasted resources. If you’re interested in attending an event in the future, follow these five steps to help you choose the right trade show for your business.

Outline Your Goals

Before selecting a trade show, outline your goals and reasons for attending. If your goal is to build a connection with potential customers and increase sales, you may want to attend a small event. Choose a larger, more high-profile convention if your goal is to network and meet figureheads in your industry. These are just a few examples of how your goals can guide your decision.

Consider Your Target Audience

While outlining your trade show goals, consider your target audience. Which conventions and shows are your target customers most likely to attend? Trade shows can help you expand your products and services to a new audience, but you want to be sure the attendees will be interested in your products. Attending conventions that are too far removed from your target audience can lead to wasted time, money, and impressions.

Investigate Your Competition

Investigate your competitors if you’re unsure where to start looking for trade show ideas. If your direct competitors attend shows and conventions, you could be missing a crucial avenue to compete with their marketing. Your competitors may have a similar target audience, products, and goals, so familiarize yourself with the trade shows they attend to gain inspiration for your own brand.

Browse the Event’s History

Once you have a few events in mind, research each show and venue to find the best fit for your brand. Pay attention to factors like the size of the show and the number of attendees. If your company is new to attending trade shows, you may want to start with a small venue to get a better idea of the average event before jumping into a huge convention.

Check Who Will Be Attending

Trade shows are fantastic opportunities to promote sales and find new customers, and they provide chances for networking. Connecting with industry leaders can be difficult during your day-to-day operations, but industry events make it easy to reach out while everyone is together in one place. While browsing the event history, check the event’s website to see which figures in your industry will be in attendance. See if these figures will host workshops or offer networking hours during the show. Then, work them into your schedule.

Follow these five steps to choose the right trade show for your business. Once you’ve decided on a show and started the planning process, consider trade show exhibit management to help you optimize your booth. If you’re interested in exploring the show and networking with other experts, you’ll need someone to manage your booth during your absence. West Coast Exhibit is here to help with our experienced booth design and management experts.