Surviving a Trade Show ...

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Trade shows are an ordeal.

Trade shows can be the very definition of work hard, play hard . But they are a priceless opportunity to get your product out there, get known, make contacts and, most importantly, generate leads and sales. It's tough but incredibly worthwhile and that's why we're going back to Las Vegas this year.

This year is the second time Aframe will be at NAB Show but we're all hardened expo veterans. We've been there, done that and got the promotional T-shirt, pen and stress ball. We've got the experience and the scars - mental and physical.

Here's our tips to surviving a trade show.

1. Be ready for business No matter how quiet it is, don't sit down, don't play with your phone, don't stand in a group chatting. Your next potential lead could walk by at any moment and if they don't think you're available for a chat, they'll walk on past. Stay looking active and alert. It's a good idea to have a plan for how you'll try and generate traffic when the stand goes quiet.

2. Make your booth stand out In a sea of hundreds of booths, you need to stand out. Not everyone has Adobe sized pockets but you can still make an impression on a small budget. Have strong branding, make sure everything is integrated and smart. Make sure your demo laptops have clean and branded desktops and screensavers. Try and do something that makes you stand out from the crowd.

3. Be distinctive Being distinctive doesn't just end at the stand. Our orange and black Aframe shirts may not be what we'd wear through choice, but they catch the eye and we get remembered. Our CEO, David, was recently talking to a journalist who remembered the Aframe shirts at NAB2012. For a small company in a big show, that kind of recognition is all important. Anything that makes your product more memorable to leads who've spent all day talking to people is helpful. With such a tight schedule, chances are you'll end up wearing them to social events too which just helps make you all the more memorable.

4. It's 24 hours Business doesn't end when the show closes. Some of the best sales are done off the show floor over dinner and drinks. Evening social events are an opportunity to meet more leads and chat in more relaxed circumstances. And make sure you have a process in place to follow up with any leads you get. Once you have a lead you need to keep it. Hit them with an email or follow up call as soon as you can.

5. Be kind to your feet Wear comfortable shoes. When you're at a fair you'll walk for miles and stand forever. If you normally spend your day sitting at a desk, you'll be very quickly reminded just how little time you spend on your feet these days. It's surprising how tiring it is so wear your most comfortable-yet-suitably-smart shoes. This is not the time to be breaking in a nice, new pair of shiny leather brogues.

6. Fuel up Have a big breakfast. There will be no time for lunch and there is NOTHING worse than someone eating their sandwiches on the stand. It looks messy and you can't answer a question with a face full of meatball sub.

7. Keep your water up You'll be standing all day in a large air-conditioned conference hall (hopefully) talking to people all day. OK, it's not running a marathon, but you can still end up surprisingly dehydrated. Make sure you drink plenty of water. Don't mainline coffee all day - that just adds to the dehydration (and gives you unappealing breath issues!).

8. Beat the lull The final afternoon at a trade show can be deathly. Delegates are already heading home, your energy is low, you already have a large stack of new leads it's very easy to ease off. But there's still business to be done. Have a plan for generating traffic from the last remaining delegates and try and get those final leads. It may be time to do something attention-grabbing!

9. Get social You can bet that the majority of delegates will be tweeting, facebooking and linking-in from the show, so make sure you do too. Make sure they know you're there. Post pics, comments, make sure you use the official hashtag and be part of the event conversations. Mention other exhibitors and hopefully they'll mention you back, putting you in front of their followers. It shows you're active and it also lets the team back at base know what's going on.

10. Last of all, have fun As all the best football managers say, just go out there and enjoy yourselves. Trade shows can be a full on and exhausting few days, but they can also be a terrifically good time and the more relaxed you are, the better your sales pitch will be. Just remember you have to be up early and on top form each day. No-one wants to chat with a hungover exhibitor with the stench of last night's tequila on their breath

About Aframe Aframe's cloud video technology helps people connect and collaborate, making them more productive and improving execution in their video projects.

The ability to access high resolution rushes and production footage from anywhere in the world via a web browser enables companies to save time, money and focus on producing better video.

If you're going to be attending this year's NAB Show, why not drop by and say hi. We'll be in the Cloud Computing Pavillion in the North Hall (stand N-CP 13/14/15). See you there!

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LINK:	http://aframe.com/blog/2013/03/nab2013-the-exhibitor-s-guide-to-surviv...
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