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1. Plan before the show to ensure you have a system in place for following up all the promising leads so they do not get cold.

2. Keep notes of discussions you have with leads on sales-lead forms and staple prospects' business cards to these. Keep leads in a box under the counter and remove them each day.

3. Gather names by using a box/jar on the desk with a free offer anyone who puts their business card in. Avoid offering a prize as you encourage junk cards as well.

4. Dress comfortably but smartly and wear sensible shoes. Take regular breaks to freshen up. Give everyone a badge that includes their name and job title.

5. Be aware of body language. People will avoid you if you stand guard by the edge of your plot with your arms crossed, 'protecting' your space.

6. Avoid filling the stand with salespeople. Consider other staff especially from technical support if your business is highly technical, but ensue they are well briefed.

7. If you hire temporary staff to help you man the stand, brief them well. Visitors are unlikely to be impressed if their questions are met with a 'Don't know' from stand staff. Rehearse a script with temps that sounds professional.

8. Avoid saying 'Can I help you?' It begs the response, 'No thanks, I'm just looking.' Ask general open questions, such as 'What are you looking for at the show?'

9. Train your people to talk to visitors in a friendly and inviting way. Show them how to find out quickly what people want, take the details and wrap up so they can move on to the next visitor.

10. Organise a rota so your stand is never left unmanned. If you are on your own, offer to swap cover with a nearby small exhibitor so you can each take a break occasionally.

11. If you have new products or services ready to put on to the market, use the exhibition as a launch pad. Some trade magazines reserve a lot of space for show reports. Their reporters are hungry for good copy and striking pictures.

12. Organisers often send out a pre-show briefing to the press. Make sure you are in it. Get in early with a strong image and you might get a photo with a caption in the exhibition catalogue.

13. Most exhibitions have a press office. Ensure you give it plenty of press packs before the show opens. Keep a supply tucked away on the stand in case it runs out. Plan ahead what press stories you can put out at the show itself. Big orders go down well with the organisers and they will publicise them.

14. Some shows have a daily show 'paper' - a perfect opportunity to get valuable publicity which many exhibitors miss. If short of news you can still make useful contacts with journalists covering your industry.

15. Make the most of the PR opportunity and get some complementary tickets. Send them out to all your prospects and customers, inviting them to the show and to your stand in particular.

16. Most shows run parallel conferences or short seminars. Offer to be one of the speakers - it's great for your credibility and useful for marketing.

Do's & Don'ts:

Do:

Focus on your target audience and objectives

Plan well in advance

Design a welcoming stand

Get contact details and follow up

Don’t:

Build barriers which discourage visitors

Ignore visitors or leave stand unmanned

Forget to take plenty of brochures