Sunday Soundbite

Your exhibitor checklist for RBTE

Chris Field – 20.04.18

RBTE kicks off on 2 May. Unless you have already fixed lots of meetings with retailers at the show, then you are going to have to doorstep them as they pass. It’s not for everyone; most of us would rather gnaw off a limb than stop passing traffic, but you’ve got two days to generate some leads and almost no-one is going to stop and have a chat unless you grab them.

Sure, you hope that your stand and its messaging will do all that for you, but unless you are big, famous brand, that’s not likely to happen.

We’ve been going to RBTE and its former incarnations for nigh on 20 years, and the rules of engagement have not really changed. What has changed is, it‘s harder than ever to get people to come and the talk, because they think they have heard it all before on the Internet. The chances that they will come and see something new are rare, so they the only way they are going to make a discovery is in a conversation with you.

Memorise your three key scripts

One blinding opener that will get people to stop

A summary of what your company does and what value that gives to retailers

A few soundbites from one of your best case studies

Meet and greet

Make sure you have a work schedule so that your stand always has at least one greeter on duty at all times. Think about the poor visitor who may be interested in a chat but sees that everyone is already in conversation, or has to talk to someone at reception who often can’t or won’t help.

Put your phone away

No, really, put your phone away. No, really, put your phone away; nothing says, I don’t want to talk to you, than seeing a guy on his phone. And ideally, stop fiddling with your demo or other on-stand tech; you look bored.

Don’t huddle with your colleagues

No one wants to break up a group of people who are clearly having more fun talking to each other than talking to retailers.

Check your breath

You’ve got two days of intense close-up work on your hands and this is the nearest you are going to get to retailers possibly for a whole year.

Good luck. Trade shows are cattle markets so you need to be as woolly as a freshly-washed sheep, as cocky as a pre-dawn cockerel and as horny as a spring bull.