Get More Out of Trade Shows For Your Ad Agency

I’ve seen agencies find themselves in the following situation too often: They drop a few thousand dollars and three days out of the office to attend an industry trade show with the hopes of generating new business for the agency.

They create a list of 30 prospects from the show who all said they LOVE LOVE LOVE their work and want to talk about a project they have.

So they come back to the office and pick up the phone to call them.  They leave  a voice mail – all 30, and wait patiently by the phone for them to call back.

A week later, they send, all 30 of them, an email to follow up on the phone call.

Two weeks later, with no communication from any of these 30 prospects, they vow never to waste any more money or time on these ridiculous trade shows.

Then they move on to returning those current client phone calls.

It’s no wonder they’re frustrated. Before they completely write off trade shows, there are a few things they should keep in mind.

1. When attending a trade show, people go in with the expectation of networking – that’s a critical component of any industry event – meeting people who share your experiences and learning from them.
2. Trade shows can be inspiring – that’s another reason why people go, to think of new ways they can energize their business.
3. When you return back to the office after a trade show, despite your best intentions, those same challenges, i.e. limited budget, approvals, and all the work that did not get done while you were at the show, are all there, waiting for you.

In my next post, 4 ways to avoid the scenario above and maximize your trade show investment with a long-term game plan.