How We Launched a Company From a Kick-Ass Trade Show Booth

Photo by Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

I don’t remember the exact year, but I remember that it was the beginning of the end of my marriage.

My then husband and I landed tickets to Miss Saigon when it was the show to see on Broadway.

The story, while great (a reinterpretation of Madame Butterfly), was eclipsed in my opinion by the set design.

For those who might question that, there was an actual helicopter on the stage.

I felt like I was in Saigon at the end of the ill-fated Vietnam War, besieged and fighting to get on one of the last helicopters.

I sobbed. Was it the play or the marriage? Jury’s still out on that.

Regardless, I learned something important.

Set design is everything.

When said husband and I readied for our first trade show a few months later, I took that revelation to heart.

How We Made Our Booth a Must-See for BuyersWe had reserved a booth at the International Toy Fair in the Jacob Javits Center and needed to get attention and orders.

We only had four products and two of them were questionable. One was just okay. And one was a winner.

The idea was to create an amazing booth that would garner us attention.

We didn’t have a lot of money for an advertising budget.

So we planned a kick-ass booth.

The name of our company was, Maui Toys.

We decided to create a, “beach experience” in a ten feet by ten feet area.

The floor of the booth was covered in white sand with iridescent glitter mixed throughout.

We found pastel, cardboard cut-out palm trees (life-sized) and planted four of them in the sand.

I hand painted an ocean sunset mural that hung across the back of the booth.

A couple of beach chairs were planted in the sand.

The floor was littered with several sea shells and star fish. A beach ball and beach towels sat nearby.

In the middle of the booth was a pyrex stand that held a display of our four products.

And the coup d’etat was a ten foot long neon sign placed above the booth with our palm tree logo and the name of the company.

It was the talk of the show and everyone came to our booth just to see it. Then, of course, they looked at our products while there and put in orders.

Our company was off and running.

Trade ShowsYou can and should do the same thing. I still think trade shows are one of the best ways to launch a company.

It is relatively inexpensive and if you do your research you can usually find a trade show where buyers are known to write orders.

There are other advantages:

1. You can see what your competition is offering and their pricing. Try to wrangle one of their sales brochures.
2. Find independent sales reps to sell your products. It’s a great way to start your business. Many companies print their sales reps (with territories), on their catalogs.
3. Establish brand identity. This is another reason why your booth design is so important.
4. Ability to attend educational events by industry experts. Learn about your industry!
5. Find employees that may be looking for companies to join.
6. Find vendors that may be looking for customers.
7. Find professionals that are offering services: software, designers, law firms, accounting firms, public relations firms, and marketing firms.
8. Press opportunities.
9. Networking in general.

Do some research and choose the trade show that is right for you.

Don’t spend the money for small shows that don’t offer much.

It still costs money to secure a booth as well as design, sales materials, creative giveaways, travel, and hotel and food while you’re there. You’ll need a helper or two to set up the booth and work the show. Budget all of that appropriately. Make the most of your investment.
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Read my article on reverse engineering your dates to make sure you are ready on time: The One Clear Difference Between a Good Businessperson and a Bad Businessperson