Earlier this week we started to look at trade shows and how they can be ways to sell your items. today I want to look a little more into what happens once you have secured that booth. Simply put: PLANNING! You will need to start planning at least two months before the show.

You might decide to promote the fact that you will be attending the show so give thought to pre-show promotion. You could head to Vista Print (or other similar places) and create some postcards including the dates, booth number and a photograph. Send these to your stockists and potential future stockists.

If the show is your first one ever, I know you will want to crete as much stock up as possible but this isn't always a great idea. You will not know what product lines will be popular and rather than spend every waking minute creating items, take samples of your entire range and have a production plan for each of them including delivery times.

In your planning you will want to give thought to the booth set up and display, this can often be overlooked but with so many people displaying, yours will need to be memorable so PRACTICE. Remember that your products are the star of the show and the display should highlight this not steal the limelight. It is also an idea not to over clutter the space but have it well lit, easy to assemble, portable and not overly designed.

The next stage in planning it transport - vital really unless the show is quite literally on your doorstep! How will you transport everything to the show? If it is a distance you may need to inlist a haulage company or another car at least. If you are worried about transport, especially if you have booth fixtures and fittings to take, contact the events manager and see if they have a list of reputable companies you can hire from.

Coming on the next business tips blog on the 29th, Trade shows Part 3!