There’s no one secret to success when it comes to pulling off a successful trade show. Your preparation, goals, staff and presentation all contribute to your success and it pays to reflect on what you did well and where you can improve for the next time. A properly thought-out and well-written post-show report will be your blueprint for an improved showing in the future.

Prepare and Take Notes

Trade shows can keep a person very busy, there are a lot of things that need to be done and you’ll probably have a lot on your mind. Make an effort to find some time to write some notes over the course of the show. Keeping track of your observations will make writing your report a lot quicker and easier and you’ll be less likely to forget something or delay your post-show report.

Your Goals and Leads

What were your goals going into the event? Did you accomplish them? Leads are likely one of your top priorities, so think critically about the contacts you made and how they reacted to your presentation. Is this person in a decision-making position? It’s also important to consider the quantity and time frame they would be dealing in. 

Staff

Your staff and their interactions with attendees is crucial to your success. Evaluate their attitudes and ability to communicate your message. This is a good opportunity to assess if you have enough staff or need to adjust your training. You may also want to take note of who showed up on time with a good attitude and knowledge and who didn’t. It’s also valuable to get feedback from your staff about how you could improve your exhibit for the next show.

Presentation

Describe what worked and what didn’t. Did the attendees find your visuals easy to understand and informative or did you find that you needed to clarify often? Did your display attract attention or did you find it necessary to draw people in? Reflecting on these types of questions can help you realize where you can improve your exhibit with simple changes such as increasing the size of your visual materials to attract attendees or clarifying the language you used. Also, try and assess how your demonstrations went and how effective they were at communicating information about your brand and product.

The Competition

You can learn a lot from observing what other groups are doing. Where did they succeed or fail and why? How do their exhibits and presentations compare to yours? How did attendees respond to any demonstrations they conducted? Pay attention to things such as their strategies for drawing people in and the amount of staff they required to accomplish this task.

Crunching the Numbers

How did you do expenditures-wise? Were you able to stay within your projected budget? Recall any ways that helped you minimize costs and make a note of any possible ways to lower costs at future trade shows.

Access Online Writing Tools

Now it’s time to actually sit down and write your report. There are lots of tools available online that will improve your writing skills and knowledge of grammar rules. You can also access proofreading services online. A well-written and proofread report will demonstrate your professionalism and give you an edge on the competition. 

Here are some useful tools that will improve the quality of your post-show report:

1. Lets Go and Learn& Writing Populist

These are grammar blogs geared towards entrepreneurs looking to improve their writing.

2. Assignment Help

A writing consulting page recommended by the Huffington Post.

3. Studydemic& Academicadvisor

These are two useful writing guides, particularly if interested in educational technology trends.

4. Essay Services& UKServicesReviews

These are two proofreading services staffed by qualified writers, proofreaders, and editors.

Extra Tips and Tricks

“Try and have your report completed quite soon after the event wraps up, preferably within 48 hours. Doing this will lessen the likelihood of it getting pushed back unacceptably far and remember that the fresher it is the more people will read it,” suggests Kyle Browning, a writer from Academized.

Taking photos can enhance the quality and look of your report. Just remember to ask permission from organizers and make sure attendees are comfortable being in photos. Also consider sharing these photos on social media, assuming you have permission from the trade show organizers.

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