East Coast Tradeshows are coming up; are you ready?

It's getting to be that time again on the East Coast; the time when specialty food makers (and the foodies who love them) start gearing up for the two big tradeshows: the Fancy Food Show (held each year in June at the Javits in NYC), and Expo East (held for the last couple of years and going forward at the Convention Center in my hometown of Boston). Every year, the place fills up with amazing products, hopeful product representatives, and buyers looking for great new products to carry in their stores.

My favorite part about attending these shows (aside from the loads of free samples that are given out - don't bother getting lunch when you go) is getting to see how different companies set up their booths and their materials. Some booths are consistently mobbed (three words: chocolate and cheese), while others are smaller, quieter, and often manned by 1-2 people, sitting with arms folded, frustrated at the lack of traffic to their booth.

What makes the difference?

Part of it definitely seems to be the overall look and feel of the booth. Attractive graphics, especially those that go beyond the traditional banner and white tablecloth, make a much more distinctive impression. Samples of the product itself also make a difference - especially if it's something very tasty (three words: chocolate and cheese). While full-size product samples aren't always needed, attractive and concisely written take-home materials make a big difference in jogging folks' memories after the show.

The big difference, though, in my opinion, is the attitude of the folks at the booth. Part of sales is and has always been developing trust, and a bit of appropriate body language and friendliness goes a long way. For example, one of my favorite booths at Fancy Food was BuyWell Coffee, which was staffed by two incredibly sweet sales reps who had no problem striking up a conversation about the coffee. Same with Theo Chocolate and Go!Appetit, among others. Meanwhile, some booths either had stressed out staff sitting looking bored at the booth for hours, or they had surly folks who looked at you with suspicion the moment you arrived at the booth to find out whether you were a *buyer* or not. Doesn't exactly inspire curiosity, does it?

The way I see it, sales isn't really about getting someone's money; it's about inviting someone to have an experience they can really benefit from. The key to making them accept the invitation is all in the delivery.

By the way, if you're getting ready for Expo East in September, now's the time to get your materials started. Need someone to help you with that? We're available.