Episode 011 – The 4 Key Things You Need to Research before Your Next ShowFor many people listening to this right now, you are headed right into a busy trade show season, or maybe right in the middle of one. The best part about this is no matter when your next show is, you can utilize research as your secret weapon to give yourself an edge at the show and beyond. Obviously if your next show is still a ways away, that gives you more time to research, but even if it’s just a week away, you can still conduct research to give your company an edge!If you are heading into a brand new show you have never been to before, then research is so critically important. But research is also for shows you have done before, maybe even multiple times before. Here are the 4 Key Things you need to Research before Your Next Show: ·      First – What industry does that show serve. To best prepare your booth, what info you will be bringing, what your focus and your message will be, you need to understand all about the industry – even if you’ve been in that industry for years! Here’s what you need to research:o  Industry trends, o  Who are the industry Leaders – what do they focus on? What is their messaging and branding? Learn from how they do what they do o  Buying habits – important to know their buying habits, and how things may have changed. Do they buy direct or go through buying groups or dealers? o  Have government regulations affected the industry? ·      Second – All of the Show info – how old is the show, number of attendees, number of exhibitors, speaking opportunities, networking opportunity.o  Doesn’t matter if you have done this show many times in the past, dig through the show website to find out what’s new. Shows are constantly trying to reinvent themselves to keep things fresh and attendees coming. They may open up new segments to draw in whole new markets.o  You don’t want to be caught off guard and miss out on new opportunities! Find out what the show is doing new. This should be on the show website, and if you can’t figure it out, call your show contact and ask!·      Third – Your Competition – who is your competition in this space? You may know who the current competitors are, but what do you know about them? Do they have new products? How are they changing? What are their strengths and weaknesses? And who are the new competitors? Pay attention to any new names coming into the market! They may be bringing all new products, services and ideas that can sway customers in their direction. o  Stay aware of companies that are not direct competitors, but sell a similar or complementary product or service. Especially if they sell to the same customer base you are selling to. o  Another example would be a complementary business which

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