Best Practices for PPAI Expo Success | Exhibitor Edition

The PPAI Expo is upon us! Haven’t started planning for it? Didn’t get the results you wanted last year? Do not panic! Follow these simple tips and you’ll be on the track for PPAI success!

Smile! Social media and email won’t help you here. Your smile is your brand. Practice it and use it often!

Make eye contact! We’ve attended well over 100 product shows and are always “hooked” into a conversation when an exhibitor makes eye contact and smiles! Who can resist a friendly face and a smile?

Act like you really want to be exhibiting. When you or your show staff don’t want to be part of the exhibit team, it shows. Save the time and money and stay home.

Have a purpose! Use show time to build on friendships and business relationships. Know your top 25 clients and know what you want to discuss with them. Make a personal call to your top 25 the week before the show. Set a time and reason to talk. Probe for homework, quotes, and spec sample needs. Your booth should not be a place to sling out catalogs, but a place to wrap up deals.

Don’t sit in the corner of your booth checking email! We’ve all send hundreds of exhibitors who were relieved to see us pass their booth without stopping. The point of the show is to draw prospective clients in, not turn them away.

Spring for the padded carpet in your booth. Your clients will stay to talk longer and your feet will thank you at the end of the day.

Look sharp! Whether you wear a suit, business casual, or jeans and a pressed shirt, dress like you mean business! Impress your clients and take pride in your appearance.

Stock up on breath mints and hand sanitizer. This should be self-explanatory.

Follow-up on your show promises. If you said you would send a sample or spec or special pricing or resolve a problem — do not fail to deliver!

Have a great show and enjoy Las Vegas!

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