3 Reasons to Plan Your Trade Shows Months in Advance
A lot goes into planning and preparing a successful industry trade show. Giving your team enough time to go through the expo booth design and planning process several months before your trade show dates is vital. The 2025 trade show season is about to begin, so here are three reasons to start planning.
Early Birds Get the Best Trade Show Spots
Researching trade shows that best align with your target audience and overall business goals well ahead of time is worthwhile. The sooner you select your trade shows for the upcoming year, the sooner you can select booth spaces that will be prime real estate for your trade show booths. When choosing a space for your booth, you’ll want to analyze the location, layout, and size of your booth space to make the most of your booth design and attract the most traffic.
It Takes Time to Create High-Impact Trade Show Booths
Most teams begin planning their trade booth design at least six months before their upcoming trade show. When in doubt, the more time you can give yourself to plan a quality, high-impact trade show design that aligns with your marketing objectives, the more successful your trade show experience will be. Six months before your trade show is also a great time to write and rehearse your sales pitches, place any orders with business vendors you may work with, design and print marketing materials, and order any trade show freebies or giveaway prizes.
You Can Plan Pre-Show, At-Show, and Post-Show Marketing and Follow Up
Another benefit of starting your trade show planning process sooner rather than later is it gives you more time to plan your marketing efforts before, during, and after each trade show. You can begin planning your marketing strategies as early as nine months before your trade show. Here’s what you can include in your marketing efforts.
- Pre-Show Marketing: Email campaigns, press releases, social media posts, and show-specific giveaways are all ways you can entice your audience to visit your booth.
- At-Show Marketing: Branded freebies, product demonstrations, interactive games, captivating digital activations, live social media streaming, and newsletter sign-ups can all be useful ways to market your company during trade shows.
- Post-Show Marketing: After the trade show, reach out to any leads, identify topics of interest for your website, blog, or SEO strategy, re-evaluate your ideal consumer’s pain points and areas of interest, thank your booth visitors via email and social media, and review your trade show ROI to inform your future trade show strategies.
From designing and manufacturing a high-impact booth to planning and implementing your trade show marketing efforts, giving yourself plenty of time to prepare will give you the best chance of success at your upcoming trade shows.
