Running the trade show gauntlet

If you’ve done any amount of exhibiting at all you’ve problem been to Vegas.  After all, it’s THE trade show mecca.  And if you’ve been to Vegas you are probably familiar with the “card snappers” who line the sidewalks on the strip.  They hand out cards all day and night advertising various “escorts”.  But they do it with a bit a flair.  You don’t just get a card shoved at you, they snap the cards to get your attention.  Here is a video that shows what I’m talking about if you’ve not have the privilege to experience it yourself.

It’s kind of awkward to walk past.  You keep your head down and don’t make any eye contact.  You rush past hoping to escape the constant snapping.  It’s not because they are handing out adverts for hookers…it’s more because they are relentless.  They are selling something and you may not necessarily be in the market to buy.

I got the same feeling recently when on the expo floor at a large conference.  I was making my first pass through the hall and discovered exhibitors standing at the edge of their booths beckoning me inside.  At first I smiled pleasantly and said no, thank you.  Then I just tried not to make eye contact.  I turned into the next aisle and saw a row of booth staffers just waiting for me to pass by.  I put my head down and moved quickly through shaking my head and mumbling something about having to be somewhere.  I felt like I was running the gauntlet.  I felt like I was on the Vegas strip.

I’m conflicted on this because on one hand, what’s an exhibitor to do.  You line them all up in neat little rows by the hundreds and they have to get your attention somehow.  Booth staff trainers constantly teach this method of engagement.  But it creates an environment that makes the buyers feel incredibly uncomfortable.  It’s what makes the show floor seem less an information zone and more of a car lot.

Buyers have changed.  They are not coming to the show floor wondering what’s for sale anymore.  They are hitting the show floor to gather information and be educated.  More and more they are preparing lists of who they need to see in advance of the show.  If you want people to come into your booth to chat you need to show them you have the expertise available to answer their questions.

The buyer isn’t there to find out if you sell accounting software.  They are there because they’ve read reviews about your product or heard a peer mention it and they want to know how easily it will be to implement with their current systems.  They want to know what customer support is available.  They want to know how your billing process works.  The show organizer needs to work with their exhibitors to show the attendees how to access this information and where it is available.

Or,  you can just continue you stand at the edge of the booth snapping your cards and have people trying their best to avoid eye contact.