Are Business Expos Wasted Opportunities?

A number of business expos are held every spring and fall but some chambers of commerce have stopped hosting them altogether. Participation is dwindling and exhibitors aren’t seeing enough ROI. But expos can be valuable opportunities for both exhibitors and attendees if you can get around poor planning and indifference. Have you experienced our biggest pet peeves?

The Usual Suspects

Exhibitors don’t want to pay for a booth to talk to the same people they see at every other networking event. What they want is the opportunity to make new contacts and that means marketing to people outside of the usual suspects.

The business section of the local newspaper or online news outlet may carry a brief mention of an expo, but the target market for many exhibitors is not other businesses. Sure, business owners have lawns, need chiropractic care and have bank accounts, but they are such a small subset of the target market, doesn’t it make sense to invite more than just the business community to attend?

The In Crowd

If a member of the general public does hear about an upcoming expo and checks out the website to get details about admission fees or parking, nine times out of ten, all they will find is “Exhibitor Information.”

What they should see is attractive marketing to get website visitors excited about attending this event. Instead, expo webpages make it look like only a select group of booth buyers are actually welcome. Of course there should be exhibitor information, but that is secondary to highlighting why this is going to be an awesome day for both exhibitors and attendees.

Man Up! (Whatever your gender)

Marketing is not only the expo host’s responsibility. Exhibitors should send out their own press releases and talk about their participation on social media, in newsletters and on their website during the weeks leading up to the event. That’s Marketing 101 stuff but businesses overlook it all the time.

Invite your current customers. Promote a contest. Remind them to stop by your booth while they’re checking out all the other exciting exhibits. Give people a reason to attend.

Play the Game Right

Do your part to make the expo worthwhile for everyone else and it will be good for you, too. If you have a booth, don’t sit behind the table staring at your iPhone. (We’ve seen that!) Greet those passing by in a friendly fashion and ease up on the strong sales tactics. Listen for the problem they hope to solve rather than push your features on them.

If you’re an attendee, don’t be afraid to smile back and chat. If they come on too strong, you can always excuse yourself, but by networking with everybody, you may find folks who want your services or with whom you can collaborate.

Checking out the expos in neighboring towns can be a great way to expand your network, so grab your business cards and breath mints and show them how networking is done!

Here are some upcoming business expos where you can network:

Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce EXPO 2014
March 29, 10:00am – 4:00pm
March 30, 11:00am – 3:00pm
http://www.clchamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=929418

Multi Chamber Regional Business Expo - Schaumburg
Wednesday April 10
4:00pm to 7:00pm
https://www.facebook.com/HEChamber/posts/358504117593371

Oswego Business and Consumer Expo
April 12, 9:00am - 2:00pm
http://www.oswegobusiness.org/

Small Business Expo 2014 - Chicago
April 24, 10:00am - 5:00pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/small-business-expo-2014-chicago-registration-10337685295