There’s a reason the proverb “everyone makes mistakes” exists. You will inevitably make mistakes during your upcoming trade fair appearance, no matter how much time and preparation you put into it.

It’s okay that way. You’ll have the chance to adjust your strategy at trade show displays you visit in order to make the most of your time and increase your return on investment.

You don’t want to make expensive, preventable blunders that waste time and money and might even damage your business. Here is a checklist of the common trade show mistakes you should avoid.

Not setting measurable objectives

These objectives are shared by almost all businesses:

  • Produce leads
  • Profitably convert leads to customers

Your personnel won’t know where to focus their efforts if you go to a trade show without having set defined and measurable goals. This could lead to a trade show effort that is generally disorganized, ineffectual, and possibly even confusing for your clients.

Selecting the wrong show for the audience and goals

There is no getting around the fact that trade exhibitions are costly for exhibitors. There are many expenses to unpack, ranging from the cost of renting your booth space and creating your exhibit to the price of travel, shipping, and storage.

You have endless opportunities to contact potential leads, create new relationships (and strengthen those you already have), reduce your sales cycle, and keep repeat business when you exhibit at a show where your target demographic is present. The idea of following up with leads will excite you, and you’ll be motivated to improve your sales and marketing tactics.

Being too cheap with your trade show display

Renting a standard trade show booth in an effort to cut costs can seem alluring. You won’t have to budget for certain logistical expenditures, like storage, or the cost of hiring designers to create your booth from scratch.

You could be eager to spend money on a custom trade show design company, but you’re tempted to choose a less expensive firm with unimpressive evaluations. If they’re still in business, they can’t be that horrible, right?

Your prospects won’t be eager to invest in you if you’re not willing to invest in your company. Potential buyers may see a badly designed trade show presentation just as easily as you can. Make sure you avoid committing the above-listed trade show mistakes.