Trade shows not generating enough sales?
Your trade shows should be your best lead generation engine. Are they?
What trade show ROI should actually look like
Nobody signs up for a trade show because they enjoy standing for eight hours in a noisy hall. They sign up because on the other side of those three days there should be a fuller pipeline of customers and a sales number on the rise. Something they can show to their boss or their board to prove the budget, the effort, was worth it. New contacts and a "great show" feeling are nice, but none of them pay anyone's salary. What should actually matter is qualified leads, deals that close, partnerships built, press coverage, ideas turned into profits, and a return on investment that can be measured.
Shows have their own mechanics that can play against you.
Trade shows are one of the most expensive lines in a company’s marketing budget: 31% on average. And they don't last all year like social networks marketing. Only a few days.
Yet most exhibitors walk away without a clear answer to the most important question: are they worth it? Sure, they have visitors lined up at a point, on their booth. They scanned badges. Many badges. And they even followed up with them, and some get clients out of it. But that is what everybody gets. And 64% of exhibitors can't say they're satisfied with their shows. So what's missing?
The answer to this same question again: was it worth the price, the effort, and the time? Because there are other means to acquire new leads. Did you compare your cost of acquisition on shows to these other means? Because if you haven’t, how do you know your shows actually produced what they should have? What do you base your opinion on?
What if the problem isn't the show, or you, but your "system"?
Does paying 5 figures to come back with excuses sound fair to you?
You wouldn't accept a salesperson who closes nothing and says "well, I showed up to work." So why accept that from a trade show? You put money, time and a chunk of your team's energy into this. That should buy results, not a "branding"story for the next board meeting. If a show costs you five figures and you come back to your office empty, that's not bad luck, that's a big mistake someone needs to be accountable for, and that needs to be fixed. You're allowed to expect a return from trade shows. And no, "branding" is not, it's an excuse most exhibitors pull out because their trade show failed to deliver.
You’ve always known something needed to change in how you run your shows.
You know this feeling we have when we know something is not working, but we leave it on the back burner. Like the work we should do on the house that was urgent for the last 5 years? Do we really need to wait until something breaks to fix it? Shouldn't we strengthen it before it’s too late? Like our health? How healthy are your trade shows? Yes I’m talking about your numbers. But they are just a symptom. Here are the others. How confident are you when it’s time to pick the shows you want to participate in? How in control of what’s happening in the booth are you? And how satisfied are you, not when it ends, everyone's happy when it ends, but when things cool off. Was it a launchpad for your business? Did it create momentum, or was it just a "success" story you tell yourself of others, but that no one can pin down to anything?
How to actually improve trade shows ROI
First, why do most exhibitors fail?
Because they treat trade shows as a gamble. A one off. That will go smoothly, just because… just because what? That’s a shame isn’t it? I mean do you know many times and places where buyers come, of their own will, ready to see, touch, compare and decide, not only about your products and services, but about YOU? And all that face to face... See how powerful that can be? But do you see how difficult it is to come out on top in these business speed dating?
The companies that don't prepare, that don't work with the way shows are, but instead how they wish them to be, fail. So, should you take their complaints, for the only reality? Shows are unforgetful when you're underprepared. And the ones who are, underprepared, pay for a very expensive lesson every single show. But do they learn the lesson? Do they change? Or do they wash it all away? And you?
First, why do most exhibitors fail?
Your marketing, your sales, your customer relationship management all at the same time. That is corporate sports. No matter how well oiled they are in everyday life, when it’s business as usual, trade shows are not your regular going to office day. They’re a shark pool, a sea of competitors, in a noisy hall, over three exhausting days. That is what makes trade shows difficult. And that is exactly why they require their own specific preparation. Like any competition does, don’t you think?
Trade show lead generation has nothing to do with luck or budget
There is a reason some exhibitors walk away from every show with qualified leads while everyone else goes home with business cards either nobody ever calls, or that, for most, turn cold. And no, this is not luck. Trade shows are not lotteries. And no it is not because of their budget. David can beat Goliath, especially on trade shows. So what is it?
It is a system, a process, a road map, a recipe. Because yes, trade shows have an underlying structure, human beings are (mostly) predictable, and what happens on shows answers unwritten rules everyone can learn to read and use in their favor.
That is why I built a five-step system called the M.A.G.I.C. Exhibiting™ Formula. The only trademarked trade show performance framework in the world that helps exhibitors be successful at trade shows. The right sequence of actions. With total control. And nothing left to chance. Except the positive surprise trade shows offer to the one prepared to receive them.
The Trade Show Consultant and Trainer behind the M.A.G.I.C. Exhibiting™ Formula
Ruben UZAN
CEOs and marketing directors. Do you finally want to stop wasting your trade show budget? Are you now ready to change how you run shows so you can leave every one of them with the leads that turn into positive R.O.I.?
I've been exhibiting at more than 200 shows for the last 11 years now with companies of all sizes and at all kinds of trade shows, exhibitions, congresses or conventions. I’m one of the fewer than 200 trade show experts in the world, and a handful in Europe, who work exclusively on what happens on the show floor.
What I do goes beyond booth design, logistics or implementing technology to "measure" trade shows. And it is not generic sales or pitch training (because they don't work on shows).
What I’m doing goes beyond all that. It is a 360 approach to professional events that are meant to do something else than generate laughs and pats on the backs saying "thanks for the champagne". The reason why humans meet is to fix problems. And trade shows are here to connect sellers and buyers to generate business. So keep branding for your ads.
What I teach is human dynamics that determine whether a visitor becomes a buyer or walks away forever. And if the method is trademarked it is because many people, including show organizers, have watched it, said wow, and decided they could pretend it was theirs, because they saw what it could do for exhibitors. But too bad for them, knowledge can never replace experience. You're probably old enough to know that.
The method is an art backed by science (anthropology, psychology and NLP - sorry, no astrology), and you won't find anywhere because it's the fruit of 10 year of my shoes on the trade show ground, working the aisles with and for my clients, making their trade shows results predictable and building their sales pipelines with them.
What exhibitors say after working with Ruben
We’ve just come back from the show and are overwhelmed with requests!
A unique and surprising methodology that is probably the opposite of what you have always done (and let’s be honest, that didn’t work).
Many beliefs about what should or should not be done at a trade show have been completely challenged.
And the results are there! We’ve just come back from the show and are overwhelmed with requests! And the best is that we even had fun doing it! It was an incredible human and sales experience! We’ll do it again without hesitation!
Thank you again a thousand times Ruben for your energy, your skills and what you have allowed us to accomplish! We feel like we have won a marathon, and an athlete is nothing without his trainer!
Julie Guez
Co-founder, Lions Team
This is by far the best investment we have made for this show
During the course of the training, we discovered a whole science behind succesful trade shows. This is by far the best investment we have made for this show.
Not to mention that it pays for itself with all the savings that Ruben and Julien made us realize on other useless services.
Once there, Ruben and his teams brought us a lot in terms of organization and dynamics, which allowed us to generate a number of leads 3 times higher than our expectations!
Mickael Bessermann
Associate, UTH
So, how do you fix your trade show and improve your results?
1 - Watch The Exhibitor's Edge, my masterclass on trade show performance. It is free. I'll walk you through the M.A.G.I.C. Exhibiting™ Formula and show you exactly how exihibitors have successful used it to multiply their results.
2 - If the masterclass resonates with you, book a video call with me. To assess if shows are indeed a good engine for your lead generation and what you can do to make them more successful. 30 minutes, no sales pitch, but an honest read on your next show's potential and what you can expect to gain from it.
3 - If it's a match between you and us, you'll be invited to join the Exhibitors Lab, where we host 2 programs, The Catalyst or The Activator, made for different company profiles. Your decision.
+670 Companies trained. Every size. Every industry.
From every continents.
Why the Exhibitor's Edge might be your best decision to improve your trade show performance
A lot of consultants or experts claim a lot of things. But if the advertising looks nice, and it should, you never know if you can actually trust them right? Especially today with AI. Can you put your trust in them by just reading a website? Of course you might be looking for a solution, but what if? What if the solution is not efficient, or worse than the pain. Because let's be honest, the pain, at least, is free, you've already paid the price for it. The solution is a new investment to make, a new choice, with its uncertitudes. That's why I've decided to pop the hood of the system I teach, and turn it into a masterclass. Because I know most exhibitors are stuck on repeat, and they're skeptical that anyone can get them out of this trade show Groundhog Day. Now if you've watched the movie, Phil Connors got out of it when the penny eventually dropped. The masterclass might be this penny, and it won't cost you even one. So if you REALLY want to improve your performance and break this vicious cycle of paying for shows that don't pay back enough, that might be what you're looking for. The decision to make the change, will be up to you after that. But at least, you'll know what to expect. But for now, there is no decision to make, just sit back, relax, and watch. And trust me, you'll learn something about shows 95% of exhibitors never learn.
Fixing 5 problems before your financial director cuts your trade show budget
No proper trade show strategy and kpis
- Show potential and team performance is never set before the show
- No strategy, no goals and no measurement tools are set in place
- Like Woody Allen said, showing up is enough (it's not and you know it)
Every show is evaluated against its objectives
- Show potential, team objectives get calculated before the show
- A strategy is built with KPIs before you even book the stand
- Your team stops just showing up, it follows an actual plan
Not the right kind of visitors at your booth
- Spending money on the wrong tools, like goodies, booth babes, or "trendy" trainings like public speaking, pitching, or storytelling
- Using corporate, blend marketing that become background noise
- Attracting tire kickers, swag scavengers and chat boxes who never buy
Your booth is a magnet for the right visitors
- Your booth repells naturally the wrong people, saving you time and energy
- It attracts the right visitors
- You finally focus on the people you came to meet
Poor quality conversations
- Sales push, and visitors push back or avoid them
- Decisions are postponed to "later" with the famous "let's keep in touch"
- Collecting business cards and "fake positives" from too few visitors anyway
Profitable conversations
- Every conversation shifts a needle in the visitors mind
- Visitors feel good after every conversations
- Visitors ask for follow-ups, they push for it
Poor or messy execution
- Team is disorganized and it shows
- Boredom and exhaustion takes over
- Leaving before the end is in everyone's mind
Flowless execution
- Everyone on the floor knows their role and collaborate
- The booth runs for three days in harmony with high energy
- Your team leaves proud and ready to follow-up
Poor results from follow-up
- Follow-ups are not done
- People you recontact ghost you
- Conversion rate is low
Get satisfying return on investment
- Follow-ups are done the right way at the right time
- Visitors look forward to them
- Conversion rate is so high, shows become your favorite sales engine
What if your next show tripled your results, and cost you less?
Imagine walking out of a show already knowing your pipeline is full and those leads will convert. Imagine your team energized instead of running on fumes for the next two weeks back at the office. Imagine everyone in your company not asking what happened at the show, but when the next show is.
That is what companies that work with us get to experience, every single show. And that is what you could be experiencing too. Of course this is work. But aren't you already putting maybe tens or hundreds of hours and a big chunk of money in your shows? If you're already putting in the effort, you might as well make it efficient, no? Unless, perhaps, you can afford little or mediocre, of course.
The silverlining, for companies we work with, is that the 2 programs we run with them pay for themselves, sometimes before the show even started. How? Because once they have a method built for success, they stop wasting time and money on services that they thought would move the needle, but in reality, never did.
That is what working with us looks like. When you finally make trade shows work for you instead of against you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What the heck is trade show expertise? Never heard of that...
it’s been out there since… trade shows started. It is niche, but just like pentathlon coaches are. You won’t meet them at your local bar, but if you’re a serious athlete considering serious results, trust me, you'll look for one. Trade shows are the same. Now most people are ok with meager, average results, or they don't even measure anything, so that’s why you won't hear about this. But I am here with my team. And if you’re going to spend thousands of euros for your presence, why not put all the chances on your side to make sure it’s profitable?
You say you can measure success on a trade show, seriously?
It's serious business. I bet it’ll surprise you. The metrics I use have been in use in retail. I have adapted them to trade shows to choose the appropriate booth surface, and the number of people your team should count among other things. After shows I use them to make sure you did your work efficiently, or to assess if there was a problem and where it came from. and once the sales cycle is over, you can use them to calculate your r.o.i. and the trade show’s profitability. I'll teach you all that, don’t worry.
Is it really worth it working with you?
I can tell you yes, but that wouldn’t convince you, right? What I can tell you is to check with yourself: is it worth continuing to invest in trade shows like you do without training your teams? They are the ones doing the job, not your display, not your goodies, nor your costly coffee machine. Everything eventually comes down to choices. If you want to invest in your teams, yes, you’ll get your money back, several folds. But, if you are convinced that your money is better spent on booth design, displays and goodies, then nothing can stop you. But beware, if you think your booth will do the job for you, I will be happy to have you as my booth neighbor. This attitude will help me and my clients stand out even more next to you.
Are the results guarantee?
Yes, if you join our Activator’s program. It is our most complete program, with myself coaching your team before the show and during it. You can even hire some of my booth staff members to help you improve your results even more.
We've done trade shows for over 20 years, do you seriously believe you have something to teach us?
Happy you asked. You know what they say: habits are harder to break than an atom. So the question I’ll ask you back is: did your trade show habits take you where you wanted? If you’ve been awarded best exhibitor of the year I surely have nothing to teach you. But if it’s not the case, there is room for improvement, and that’s where I step in. Now if you don’t want to change your habits, what are you still doing here?
Our salespeople are already very good, why would we need you?
Trade shows are a different context, and what works in the office, doesn’t always work on trade shows. Don’t trust my words, Kurt Lewin (the godfather of social psychology) demonstrated the environment affects behavior, hence performance. Now, how can you know if there is room for progress? if your S.I.R. is above 20%, no need. If you ask yourself “what’s S.I.R.?”, then you have room for progress.
So you're going to measure human interactions?
Indeed, but it won’t turn your team into robots. Don't worry. But it will turn them into better humans. Not in general (though the training makes a real impression on them) but at business relationships building to be precise. And until they launch skynet, there is room for it. Actually there is an urgent necessity for it, because unless we come back to being more human, machines will overpower us now with AI and robots coming. So as long as there is a need for a human in the loop right, you can count on me and my team to make sure humans are not the weakest link on trade shows.
Isn't it like pitch training?
It’s a very good thing that you know how to talk about your company, we’ll save up some time there. Now, pitching is about sending a message from person A to person B in a one way direction. This is not what trade shows are about. They are about building relationships between A and B and that is a two way street, a circle if you prefer, not a straight line like in a pitch. Last but not least, have you heard of the expression “being pitchy”? It is a turn‑off on trade shows, fyi.
We've already digitalized our booth, what are you useful for?
Tools can never replace strategy. And data is good, but knowledge is better. Just so you know, we use metrics too. But metrics are not a strategy, they are the tools to measure its success. I always say: technology gets mistaken for progress these days. What we teach you is how to be better at trade shows. Tech companies sell you tech. And beware of all things digital. If they make things more convenient in the short term, they create new problems in the long term. Remember the times you used to be able to read a book without feeling an urge to consult your notifications? Or when programmers knew how to code? That’s what technology does to human psychology. We reinforce the latter. Because this is becoming the weakest link these days. And technology can’t fix that, it only makes it worse.
I've already got a booth designer, what more will you bring me?
We didn’t understand each other then, as I’m not a booth designer (and I’m not jealous). I advise you on what makes the success of a trade show, and how to build your booth with the right content. The container is yours to choose. A beautiful booth is great, but a productive one is better, don’t you think? That being said, I will advise you on the ergonomics and the content (your message and the way you will manage the space). Other than that, I’ll focus on your team and the way they work. This is something no booth designer will help you improve, this is not their job. But it’s mine.
How long in advance should we call you for help?
12 weeks before a show at the latest. Otherwise sorry, I don’t do trade show emergency fix. I do trade show efficiency build up. So if your next show is in less than 12 weeks, give me a call after. I'll analyze your results and use this as a good starting point for a future collaboration. We’ll start this way on the right foot, cause when it starts off bad, it rarely ends well.