Choosing the right trade show for your brand.

In my store management days for The Abercrombie and Fitch brand, I was a manager by day and a handbag designer by night.  I would use as much of my paycheck as I could to fund my business.  I decided that I would take the leap of exhibiting at a trade show in Atlanta in hopes of getting my line carried in a few boutiques.  I don't think I slept for at least two days before the show in preparation. 


The morning of the show finally came and everything was going great, not one person passed my booth without stopping and complimenting my line.  Each boutique owner would ooh and aah about how great my handbags were.  I'd introduce the collection and give them a line sheet with all of my pricepoints.  They would take a quick glance and tell me they would be back.  This happened all day long.  This was my first show so I wasn't sure if this was normal practice or not. (wishful thinking)

A reporter at the show came by and interviewed me for a magazine editorial and said I had one of the best collections she'd seen at the show. I was very excited and honored to answer her questions about my brand but couldn't figure out why I still had no orders.  Day one came and went and although I'd received more than enough compliments I still had no purchase orders.  So now it's day two and I'm determined that I will not walk away empty handed.  As I'm speaking to some of the other exhibitors around me, we begin talking about our brands and then it hit me like a ton of bricks! I WAS AT THE WRONG TRADESHOW FOR MY BRAND!! Most of the other brands at the show were considered moderate while mine was designer.  My wholesale prices were much higher than a large majority of the other brands there.  I was crushed.  I'd invested a lot of time and money into this show.  Being that I was a one woman team and also working a full-time job, I had so much on my plate that I failed to do enough research.

I ended up leaving the show with one order from a high end shoe boutique in Florida that I couldn't even fulfill because of production minimums with  my manufacturing company.  As much as I wanted things to take off for my business in that moment, it just wasn't time for it to happen.

Tips for choosing the best trade shows for your brand.

-Go through the trade shows exhibitor list which in most cases would be listed online. This should allow you to get to different exhibitor websites. Compare their retail prices with yours and only attend shows where the majority rules in your favor. 

-Don't waste time or money on a trade show that has no proven success ie. first time shows. As a small business you cannot afford to take such a huge risk.

-Reach out to your competitors, yes competitors who've attended a show you're interested in. Don't be afraid to  ask questions and get their perspective of what the experience was like for them.

-Seek out a trade show auditor that can give you specific information on attendee numbers. Foot traffic will make or break a show for you and your business.

-Visit your prospective trade show as an attendee before becoming an exhibitor.  Take notes. What is the overall vibe of the show? Does it mesh well with your brand? Do you feel like you can succeed in this environment?

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