For those in the pet business, being a vendor at a pet show is a great way to build and strengthen your business. Here are some tips for making your pet show as successful as possible.Before the pet show:Great places to set up booths are dog shows, cat shows, dog walks, home shows, flea markets, street fairs, and even boat shows. If it's a home or boat show, you might not have any pet product competition, and you'll meet many people who have dogs and cats!Focus on shows that cost little or nothing for you as a vendor or exhibitor. Until you find out whether shows work well for you, look for events with no vendor fee or a low fee (say $25 or less). There are plenty of events, like pet expos, where you can spend hundreds of dollars for a booth.Find out ahead of time whether you're to supply your own tables and chairs. Also, if you want electric power, find out ahead of time if it's available. (Great for laptops so that the battery doesn't die.) There may be an extra charge if you want the event to provide booth furniture or electric power. Bring an outdoor extension cord and duct tape in case you need to tape the cord across a floor.Consider writing a press release and submit it to your local newspaper and local publications. If you have connections to people who work at any of these places, that can be your "in" to getting the press release published. It will be a great opportunity to get a story published about your business and promote the Pet Expo at the same time.Make sure you have enough brochures and business cards. Those odd sized business cards are great as they will stand out from all of the regular sized cards people will accumulate. Make sure that everything you hand out has your identification on it so people will know how to get to your website or call you on the phone.Be sure to bring a blank notepad. It can be a lifesaver.Invest in a great booth sign. A very large eye-catching sign is worth its weight in gold.Wear some kind of a badge or sign. That way whenever you leave your booth, you are a walking advertisement.Consider a theme for your booth. You could make it more cozy & inviting by having stuffed animals and pictures of your own animals on your table.EDUCATE: Print out literature that people can read. Then have the articles available for people to scan. Highlight in yellow the main points.***Run a contest or raffle. People love this, and you can have a contest form where you will gather names, email addresses and phone numbers to follow up with. I triple starred this because it is such a great way to get contact info.
Take your laptop or tablet if possible. This way you can sign people up as members right on the spot.Have two chairs inside your booth. Someone may come in, and now you've made it inviting and cozy.Have a large bowl of water for thirsty dogs (and for cats for people who may bring their cat)! People love this & appreciate it. You may also want to have a treat for pets or drink for humans there, too! You could offer people a bottle of water if it's a hot day! They'll appreciate the thought.Always have someone with you when you do a show. You'll need the help if you're busy talking to someone or if you need to use the bathroom. Someone should always be running your booth, even if they know nothing about your business.
Have literature on hand about the opportunity. You'll meet many people at these shows and will want to be prepared for the pet professionals you speak with.DURING THE EVENT:• Stand as much as you can. If you have to sit, try and sit off to the side, not behind your table.• Stay fully present to what is going on. This means no reading, doing crafts or having long conversations with your friends. This also means no eating, chewing gum or talking on your cell phone.• Listen more than you talk. Don't give a lot of information until you know what they know. Find out where they are in their knowledge of your product or service. Then have a discussion.• Be generous. Be willing to help the other exhibitors have a successful show. Get to know the other exhibitors and what they are offering so you can be a resource to the attendees.• Make sure your booth is staffed at all times.• Be familiar with the layout of the Expo and the Speaker Schedule so you can act as a resource for the attendees.• Do not start to break your booth down even 5 minutes early. There will be attendees there until the very end. It is not fair to them or to the exhibitors around you if you start packing up early. Also, packing up early will insure that you will not be asked back to the Expo next year.• Collect contact information from everyone-at least name, phone number, and email address. Be sure to note anything you learned about their pets.• Walk around the show and meet people who haven't visited your booth. Meet other vendors. Be very friendly. They may be interested in adding our disc to what they have. If so, you've picked up another member!AFTER THE EVENT:Promptly follow-up with every person whose contact information you collected.
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