5 Best Practices for Tradeshow Effectiveness

Tradeshows, do you love them or hate them? They are a crucial part of our industry, but I do hear many different views of their impact. I was recently a panelist at a top new advisor host event focusing on what advisors should and shouldn’t do at tradeshows from the supplier’s perspective. There were four other suppliers, on the panel with me and I’d love to share the top insights we came up with.

Prepare

When possible, plan ahead to know who you need to see and figure out your route. Plan your questions or talking points with each supplier ahead of time to kick off the conversation. Be ready to make a connection and build a relationship. Introduce yourself and share where you are from and if you are independent or with an agency.

• Have your business card ready to share.
  • Hint – we love business cards we can make notes on so not laminated or waxy.
• Be mindful of how many others are waiting in line–Make your time meaningful and brief.
  • If there is no one waiting, then use that time to share helpful information about yourself to your supplier and really build that relationship. Suppliers would rather be engaging and making the most of the time they’re there. We want to know you and the more we know you, the easier it is for us to assist you in the future.

Issues cannot be handled at tradeshows

Once you’ve made the connection, you can share that you will be following up if there is an issue. Be careful not to make the engagement all about the issue and understand that it is almost never able to be resolved on the spot. Suppliers will respect you for keeping the issue understated in front of other advisors, even if it is not a low-key issue.

Pace yourself

So often the tradeshow starts off with a bang, with so much chaos that suppliers can hardly speak with each advisor. The last hour, often even more, the advisors are no where to be found and we have ample time to engage, educate and get to know you.

Engagement is more than tchotchkes

Yes, they are there for you take one, maybe two but suppliers bring them so there are enough for everyone. If you are looking for more, come back at the end because quite often the supplier doesn’t want to pack them back up. They do want them to last so everyone gets one. Suppliers do note who comes to clear off the table and doesn’t engage.

Finally, because VAX VacationAccess is a unique supplier, I’ll share that we truly value your detailed feedback, your interest in learning more about the site and learning more about you as an individual advisor. We also like to know your specialties and your niches and whether you’d like to share your voice on The Compass. We want to grow a relationship with you, so we know when to follow back up with you for your expertise.

What do you love or hate about tradeshows or what would you love suppliers to know from the advisor perspective?