Trade Shows are expensive, so you want to be sure to carefully check out trade shows you might attend to ensure they are a good fit for your product. Here are some steps you can take to decide if a trade show is worth attending.

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1. Ask you industry contacts, or any potential customers you may have talked to, which trade shows they attend regularly. If there are one or two shows everyone mentions, those are the shows you should investigate.
2. If timing permits, try to attend a show a year before exhibiting. This is the best way to investigate a show, and it allows to talk to small companies exhibiting about their experiences. You will also be able to see exactly what type of an exhibit display you will need. You can also see how your competition exhibits its products. You will want your booth to be comparable, or better than your competition’s booths.
3. See if the show is sponsored by a major trade magazine or industry association targeted at your key potential customers. These shows often have educational seminars related to the industry and they are typically the trade shows key buyers attend. Some shows are run by independent groups and my experience is they are not as worthwhile.
4. Ask for a list of last year’s trade show exhibitors. Also ask for the floor plan from last year’s show. Most trade shows will give you this if you call up their sales departments. Look first, to see if all the main industry players exhibit at the show. Second look for names of smaller companies who have small booths. You’d like to see a variety of smaller companies exhibiting as they typically won’t exhibit if they don’t get a good return for their investment.
5.  Call up some of the small exhibitors and ask for their Trade Show Manager, who usually will be the Sales Manager. Tell them you are considering exhibiting at this year’s show and ask them if they felt the trade show was a good investment for their company. After you receive some general feedback ask these questions.
6. Were there many of their target buyers at the show?
7. Did the show have good traffic?
8. Was the company satisfied with the number of leads they received?
9. Have they attended the show for more than one year, and will they go back next year?
10. Was the company looking for sales representation, and if so, did they meet any potential reps?
11. Was the meeting well-attended by industry press, and if it was, did the company receive any press coverage?
12. Were there unexpected costs of the trade show, for example costs of setting up the booth, charges for bringing the booth into the hall, or electrical charges for plugging in equipment?
13. Ask the trade show exhibitor sales persons if they have a new product showcase, which is typically less expensive, or do they have another exhibitor who might want to share a booth. Find out if you can bring in your own booth and set it up yourself, or if you need it to go through the drayage company. The drayage handles, for a price, handles the movement of your exhibit items between your carrier’s vehicle and your trade show booth space. Try to find options for keeping your expenses as low as possible.
14. Consider the impact of the trade show on your budget.  You don’t want to spend your entire marketing budget on a trade show. Your costs include the exhibit, marketing materials, the space rental charges as well as travel and hotel expanses.  If the costs are too high at a national show, consider attending regional shows, hopefully in your geographic area.