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Construction Trade Shows in the US

I like to cover all types of trade shows, and given my leaking roof, and the roofing jobs I've recently requested help with I figured that discussing Construction Trade Shows would be an interesting topic. 

Lots Of Shows

There are a TON of trade shows related to construction in the US each year.  Below are a few and some information about each.  These shows hold information about contracting equipment, training, best practices and more.  If you're in the contracting and construction business then you should find a show near you!

 

Orlando Park Home Show
When: May 14th and 15th
Where: Orlando Park, Illinois

Description: The Orlando Park Home show will feature many of the best contractors and landscapers in the industry as well as professional representatives from the construction industry. 

 

Hampton Roads Industrial & Facility Show
When: May 18th and 19th
Where: Virginia Beach, VA

Description: A show positioned to assist facility management personal, as well as maintenance professionals. This trade show is FREE. 

 

Southern Building Show
When: May 22 to 25
Where: Miami Florida

Description: A building show for individuals working in the state of Georgia (yet its in Florida... go figure).  This is a very large event for the Construction Industry. 

 

There are a ton of shows across the entire US related to construction and contract work.  FInd ones in your area to find out more about how people help fix up your home and keep you living comfortably. 

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Take Advantage - Promotional Goods At Trade Shows

Trade show exhibits are an extremely effective marketing initiative; however there are certain mistakes that can make a trade show a waste of time and money.  An effective trade show appearance takes careful planning, dedicated execution and appropriate follow-up to fully realize the sales potential.  The following are some trade show missteps to avoid.

Failing to create realistic goals and a plan to achieve these goals is a mistake that many exhibitors make.  You cannot expect just to show up at a trade show and come away with hundreds of qualified leads.  You must have a plan in place that covers pre-show marketing, activities during the show and follow-up activities after the show.  Part of this planning process should be to develop a realistic, detailed budget.  This allows you to have a handle on all projected expenses and predicted profits so you can calculate the return on your investment for each show you attend.

Inadequate training for your booth staff is another mistake often made.  A trade show is a different environment than your sales staff is typically used to; therefore, they need some specific trade show training.  Make sure your staff is properly trained in how to perform effective product demonstrations, how to engage booth visitors, how to offer promotional material like promotional golf products, and what materials to give visitors.  Also, they should be aware of what specific sales message you want delivered and which high-opportunity prospects and customers to expect at the event.  It is important that you and your staff be well trained in qualifying leads; this will eliminate dead end leads and result in more sales after the show.  They should know how to quickly assess the visitors’ interests, needs, buying power and decision-making ability. 

Ignoring trade show leads is another mistake often made; you should not wait more than a week to follow-up with contacts that are considered a high opportunity prospect.  They should receive a phone call, information packet and a personal letter within a week, preferably sooner.  A detailed follow-up strategy included in your overall trade show plan will allow you to accomplish timely lead follow-up and turn warm leads into hot sales. 

After any trade show appearance, it is important to review your performance; this will allow you to make any necessary changes to your exhibit strategies before the next trade show.  Always ask your booth staff for ideas about how you can improve your exhibit, after all, they were the ones that were there handing out promotional golf balls and may have some innovative ideas to make your next trade show more successful.  Keeping these pointers in mind as you plan, execute and follow-up a trade show exhibit will allow you to have a more profitable trade show experience and add to your customer base and bottom line. 

 

Trade Shows in NYC!

Its that time of year again!  Of course, anytime major Trade Shows hit the market, they'll want to do so in major markets like L.A., Chicago, Miami, and of course New Your City.  The Agenda Trade Show did just that when they kicked of a huge first day in New York City.   Supporting more than 60 major brands from businesses of all sizes, the venu showcased the city as part of the Exhibit.. 

Taking Place at Chelsea Art Museaum and focused on bringing out the best in NYC, the event seems to be overcoming potential risks of utilizing busy cities and is finding success.  One of the reasons that this event is being deemed so succesful is that it offers what others are calling a "warmer Feel" to visitors.  

Its exciting to think that the start of major trade show events for the year are starting to push their way into the seen.  The tech industry is starting to wrap up their major announcements and other major brands are hitting the exhibit floors to show what they have to offer to consumers across the world.  

It will be interesting to compare the success that the Agenda Trade Show experiences compared to events that will be held in different locations across the country.  Personally, I would love a trade show booth setup on the beach in Hawaii.  Now that is what I call a Warm and Intimiate location!

Impact of Successful Trade Show Keynotes

What can we learn from the recent failures of AT&T during their "pre-order" for the iPhone 4 day of hell?  

 

  1. Steve Jobs WWDC presentation was that good
  2. Leaked pictures and video of the phone has already built anticipation for the phone beyond what anyone would have expected. 

If you missed the excitement yesterday, it was Apple's first day to allow pre-orders for the iPhone 4.  Unfortunately, and with the significant assistance of AT&T, their pre-order system failed completely.  Individuals spent hours trying to connect and reserver/order their phones only to receive error message after error message.  Millions of people were hitting the sites all day!

Facetime

So, since this is a trade show site, I'd like to think that the Hype and promotion of the product had everything to do with Apple's World wide Developer Conference (aka BIG FREAKING TRADE SHOW).  A week free of press and promotion, not to mention all the advertising Apple got from their unexpected Key Note presentation difficulties.  Local news segments around the country were covering the story for 3 - 5 minutes because Steve Jobs had a difficult time showing off how excellent the iPhone 4 was.  It looks like he did a pretty good job after all.  

 

Did you get your iPhone 4?   We did..