by Rob Weinberg

Trade shows let companies of every size brand and promote their products and services. Yet getting the crowd to remember you weeks after the event is over becomes a matter of giving out the right kinds of sales materials and promotional items – and lots of them.

Let’s face it – it’s loads of fun giving out candy and balloons, and that pretty girl in your booth wearing the low-cut dress will certainly get everyone at the convention buzzing.

But the candy will disappear three steps beyond your booth’s perimeter, the balloon will be deflated by morning, and while the memory of the pretty girl may remain, nobody will ever recall what company she represented.

A catalog or brochure touting your wares is a totally different story, though. These are great ways to remind potential customers of your company’s capabilities long after the branded hat or coffee mug has fallen into disuse and the girl has gone on to shill for your competition.

Here’s How You Get Started

1. What are you selling? Develop a template for your trade show catalog using inventory you expect to carry for a long time to come. Trade show catalogs are NOT the place for promotional or sale items, though, since you’re providing examples of your merchandise or service. Trade show discounts should not be printed in your big promotional pieces.
2. Contact a reputable printing company to create your catalogs, ensuring they contain current contact information on every page. We find many of the overnight printing companies, while offering inexpensive prices, deliver marginal quality. Similarly, many trade show companies offer bulk rates on promotional items and printing, but again the philosophy of Caveat Emptor – Let the Buyer Beware – should be front and center in your mind.
   If you’re interested in pursuing a brochure or catalog for your trade show sales efforts, it might make sense to talk to us first. We can help you with your design (if necessary), and then can guide you to a printer suited to your needs and budget. This would ensure close consultation along each step of the design and printing process, and get you the quality you require to show off your company in the best possible light.
3. Calculate how many catalogs you’ll need given the size of the trade show, the anticipated number of visitors, and the number of days the trade show will run. Catalogs are a great way to promote your business, but running out of them halfway through the first day of the show screams “Amateur night!” Bring more catalogs than you think you’ll need, since they won’t do you any good sitting on a shelf collecting dust. At the show, though, they might just help you make a sale.
   Give them out to current customers – it helps to remind them why they like you. And don’t hesitate to give out your collateral because they cost you money to print. Remember the old adage – “It takes money to make money.”
4. Have samples of catalog items at your trade show booth to show your quality. Customers can see you are what you say you are, rather than just being some fly by night who makes promises but doesn’t keep them..
5. Hand out catalogs to every single person that walks past, shows an interest or inquires about your booth, company or products. Unlike hats, balloons, or candy, catalogs are what customers will refer to weeks later.
6. Use a promotional code on the back of the catalog to track trade show response (both inquiries and sales). Be sure to mention it as you hand out the catalogs.
7. Order next year's trade show catalogs long before you’ll actually need them. This will eliminate panic and last-minute printing surcharges. Just be sure you’ve got accurate inventory and contact information in place before you print the finished piece.

Of course, there is never a guarantee that a particular trade show will be successful for any one company. Industry fortunes, vagaries of the economy, and competitors launching new products can all combine to undermine your best efforts.

So while not perfect, having a brochure or catalog that tells your story well, presents your sales efforts intelligently, and accurately guides potential customers into your sales funnel will go a very long way towards tilting the playing field in your direction.