How to Get into A Trade Show
Now that you’ve learned how to choose the right trade show for you, and you’ve discovered the trade shows or live events that you want to be a part of, the next step is how do you apply. Every single event is going to be a little bit different, but overall the general way that you apply to these events is as follows:
First of all, you go to their website. So, for example, one of the shows that I love doing at the Indiana Convention Center is called Manufacturer and Distributor Innovation Conference. And you can go on eventbrite.com and check it out if you want. They do a variety of different cities as well, but this is an event that I love to go to, and when I applied to it, I go to their website; and a lot of times it’ll say on the site when is the application window of time.
Many times, there was a window for when the applications are open, and then when they close. So, for example, for a holiday show, it might be in September when they open up their doors for applications. So you have to be aware of that. Frequently, people think they can apply in November for an actual holiday show, and the truth is, it’s usually months beforehand.
So make sure that you’re following the trade shows and events that you want to be a part of to know when is the open window of time that they are allowing you to apply. So for example, say it’s between the first and the 20th of September, for example. That might be a fitting window of time.
If it’s a big trade show, frequently it might even be in august, I know it sounds funny, it’s summertime, and in North America, it is anyway, and in August, it’s like– What I’m not thinking about the holiday season yet. But trade shows have so much planning to do that often you have to apply in advance.
So what you do is, you’re going to go on to their website, and you’re going to look at their navigation bar, and I guarantee you somewhere in that navigation bar it’s going to say something about vendors. So you’re going to be called vendor. That’s how they’re going to refer to you, not as a trade show entertainer, as an artist, or as a creative. Or it might just say applicant. I’ve seen “applicants,” but usually it says vendors or vendor application. That’s what you’re looking for on their website. You’re going to click on the application, and you’re going to go through the process to apply.
Sometimes the entire application is online. Other times, I mean, depending on the trade show, they want you to print out the PDF, fill it in, and then take a photo of it with your phone, and then apply that way. So there are a couple different ways that they may have you do it.
Some trade shows require you to send them photos of your products. Now some functions are not just open to everybody. They are curated. So, for example, the trade show I was talking about earlier, Unique USA, there’s something like 600 people that apply to that event. Only about 300 or 350 get in. As you can imagine, they have to say no to a lot of people. So it depends on the type of variety of styles they are looking for, or not even styles, but a variety of vendor options.
So I’ve done that trade show several times, and it’s been great. I remember the first time I applied. I got in; I was so excited because it was only like 300 or 325 out of around six hundred. And so to be part of that I was so excited and nervous.
Depending on what you’re applying to, they may require to see a couple things. They may want to ask you a couple jpegs of your actual product. It helps if you have product photos taken already. And if you don’t have that, you can just send a jpeg of what your product is, so maybe if you have prints or you have cards.
I find the best results happen when you have product photos. So if you haven’t done that, I urge you to do that. It’s so valuable to you, not only for social media posts and your website and every other way but for applying to these events. So I encourage you to do that.
It does take some time to set aside a day, maybe hire a photographer, or you can take them yourself with your phone even. Now the iPhone is excellent or a smartphone, you can do a lot with your phone nowadays as far as photography.
So I encourage you to do that. But you also may need to send a booth design. Now, for example, when I was applying to the show in Indianapolis, they required me to submit an actual structure design idea for my booth. I believe it was the show in Indianapolis. They required me to provide a structure design idea for my booth; because they want to know how my content was going to be. So I was able to send photos of previous art shows and events of which I’d been a part. So I could show this is what I normally do, and I’ll probably do something similar for this event depending on how it goes and the crowd and so forth. But, generally, this is what I do.
By sending that ahead of time, it gave them more of an idea of how professional I was going to be. Because they don’t want you to show up and slap things on the wall that look as if you put it together haphazardly, they want their show to come across professional to their customer. A lot of times shows have a fee to enter. Some shows are free, but even if they are free, it doesn’t mean that they want artists not to care about their booth.
Trade show booth design is a big deal, which I get into later on in this article. The way our booth looks at a glance is extremely important, not only for our own branding, but for the trade show producer. The producer of the trade show needs to know that we have our act together. They will want to see some product pieces. They will often ask for a photo of your booth design. It could even mean a model you’ve rendered on paper. Or maybe it’s a concept you could scan. You could scan that photograph on your computer — just something to let them know that you have a plan.
We’ve been learning about the different materials you can use within your trade show booth. What tables are going to use, different textures you’re going to use to help reinforce your brand, your logo. It is helpful to let them know if you have a logo, and so on. So these are the things they’ll be looking for with your booth’s design. After you’ve compiled those things and you loaded them into the application, which is usually an online application, in that case. Then you’re going just to fill in your other information. Often they’re going to ask you for your social media handles; your Facebook, your Instagram, your Pinterest, Linkedin, and so on. They want to know if you already have a bit of a following, if you have a buzz going already, are you going to help draw people to this event.
The more you have a larger group of people that follow you online, that’s great for them as an event, because they want to know you, being there, are going to draw people into the doors.
I’ve had several times at events where I’ve had people show up, and they say I saw you on social media, I’ve been following you for a year, I know everything about you. I know it’s creepy.
And it’s so by me posting on social media all of my thousands of followers found out, so they were thinking, “Oh, you’re going to be in Indy this weekend at a show, cool I’m going to come.” And so they may not even have been interested in the rest of the show, but they beelined to my booth, I got to hang out with them, have like a coffee with them, and they would buy products from me, and they bring their kids and their husband and so forth. So it’s a great way to connect with your audience.
Just to know that you have a bit of a following on social media is important to the event producers and their team.
The other thing that you may also want to be aware of is they may also want to know a slogan, or basically, what your brand is all about. They might ask you something like, in summary, in one or two sentences, “what does your brand do, what do you make?”
Having a slogan or a tagline is essential for that. Having just an elevator pitch in other words or a short way of telling people what you do and why you do it, and why they should care is essential. And it comes in handy when applying to trade shows craft fairs, holiday markets, and so on.
The truth is we compete to get into these events. And usually the first-come, first-serve, so you also want to be one of the first apply, because then you have options of where your table is going to be, or where your booth is going to be at the event.
To get in early is vital, especially to a curated exhibition. You want to be at the top of their list, not the bottom. Because they may just not even get to you if they get filled up. They may not even get to you.
So again, those are some of the critical things when it comes to applying to the event. Be friendly and courteous to them. Make sure that if they require specific things on their application, don’t just skip them. Make sure you give them exactly what they’re asking for. Don’t give them like 20 things that they didn’t ask for. Give them exactly what they did ask for.
I find people like to compensate. You may think that’s going to help you when it can just annoy them.
Make sure that you are giving them just what they’re asking for. Keep it short and sweet and positive.
So once you’ve completed your application, you’re going to submit. Often you won’t hear back for a couple weeks. Usually, they go through all the applications in 2 to 3 weeks, and then they will email you notifying you that you’ve been selected to be part of this event. So it’s excellent to get that email when you get your first application approval.
For those of you who have never before been to such an event, I encourage you to find something you’re going to enjoy being a part of. When you apply, and you get in you’re going to be looking forward to it to be a fun thing while you’re there.
You can also take lots of photos and use those photos in promotions, on your website, social media, and so forth. So it’s a lot of fun to do that let’s go on to the next section and let’s keep going as we learn how to be successful at trade shows.
