8 Tips for Professional Trade Fair Visitors

Visiting a trade fair can be stressful. There are so many things you need to prepare, that you can easily skip something important. Here are eight tips to help you plan and organise your time and inventory during your expo visit.

Don’t Overpack

You are going on a business trip, not on vacation. You don’t have to pack your whole wardrobe. Be practical and travel light. Most of the things you can find at the hotel anyway, so leave behind the bottles of shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Pack a couple of pairs of socks, some underwear, an extra shirt and a tie, and you are ready. On some occasions, you may have to go to the expo with your luggage. For instance, if you are leaving straight to the airport after the end of the show. The lighter your suitcase is, the better. Just imagine if you have to pull 20 pounds of clothes and toiletries for 8 hrs straight. Be smart, don’t overpack.

Check Your Tickets Before Leaving

It may sound funny to check your tickets in this day and age when everything is done via an app, but you can’t imagine how often business travellers miss their flights because they have forgotten to check in. The day before you leave, spend 10 minutes double-checking all of your bookings. See if there are new requirements, for example, some boarding cards need to be printed in advance. Missing this step can cost your company a fortune, and you might even lose that big promotion you are aiming for.

Book the Ideal Hotel

We can’t dress enough how important it is to book the right business accommodation when visiting a trade show. You have to make sure the hotel is close to the expo grounds or at least to a convenient train or bus station. Big establishments with lots of guests tend to be quite noisy, and you may not be able to rest. On the other hand, small family-owned hotels may not have a 24/7 restaurant or a meeting room. Check out this study on what business travellers want in a hotel room done by the experts at Fair Point to find out what your ideal accommodation should look like.

Memorise the Hall Plans

If you don’t want to wander around like a headless chicken, desperately searching for an info board, memorise the expo’s hall plans. Make a mental note of where the exits are, how to go from one hall to another and the general direction of most of the events. A smart idea is to print and label your map so you won’t waste time. Most trade fairs have brochures containing a list of all of the exhibitors, the event schedules and the floor maps. Get yourself one, and carefully study it.

Make Sure You Have Enough Business Cards

Business cards are essential for every business setting. They are the first thing you give to your potential customer or investor when starting a conversation. If you are visiting a trade expo located in a Western country like Germany or the US, you can probably get away with not having enough cards on you. However, if you want to conduct business with representatives from Japan or China, you absolutely must have a business card. In the East, these tine pieces of paper are viewed as a symbol of professionalism and dependability. Don’t embarrass yourself and your company, just pack an extra box of business cards and keep them neatly arranged in your cardholder.

Make an Event Schedule

Most trade shows have extensive programmes and include many supporting events like contests, lectures or award ceremonies. Inspect everything the expo offers and make a schedule. Mark the places you must visit throughout the day and check what events you can combine them with. A good idea is to have a backup plan. If for some reason, the chosen lecture turns out to be irrelevant to your business, you will have a second option like a product demonstration, for example.

Be Proactive

Don’t hesitate to engage in conversations with both exhibitors and visitors. If at some point you find yourself wandering around the halls, use the time to gather information about your competitors. See how they present their products and services and make mental notes on how to better your own sales pitches. Each interaction can be transformed into a learning experience, so be smart and extract the most of everything.

Have Breaks

Don’t overwork yourself. The more tired you are, the less you will remember and the more inclined you are of making mistakes. Schedule short breaks during the day. It will help you rewind and relax. Often there are additional expo events that last late into the night, and you need to make sure you are well-rested. Take a brief walk outside to breathe some fresh air and let your skin absorb some sunlight. You will feel much better after this short but well-deserved break.

Hopefully, we helped you prep for your next trade show visit. If you want more useful travel tips, leave a comment in the section below and our experts will get back to you.

Stephanie is a content marketing specialist with extensive experience working with different companies in various business sectors.