Running out of trade show ideas for improving your B2B events? Well, we’re here to help.

If you want to see your trade show attendance and exhibitor count to grow, you need to focus on the experience of the show. Participants need to make more quality connections. Exhibitors need to showcase better products and services. Of course, your event has to run smoothly so as not to distract attendees from why they are in the trade show in the first place.

And if you want to run an event this way, use our free event planning checklist to get started!

Trade Shows Made Easy

Trade shows allow for a lot of opportunities and exposure, but they also entail a lot of planning. To make the most out of the road, this simplified guide lists down all the things you need to take care of, starting from half a year before the event, all the way down to the aftermath! The key here is to make sure you are meeting not just the “what” but also the “why” of your trade show, as this helps separate the must-dos from the distractions.

Integrate for a Smooth Event

There is always a way to improve your current processes, a way to make everything go smoother. Usually, this involves integrating your various workflows to make everything fit together well. This guide lists two of the most common marketing tools and how to work with event marketing software. Marketo, for example, makes automation with other platforms easier. Salesforce, on the other hand, leverages the power of the cloud to record the various interactions of your customers and attendees. Teams handling travel management can also use various software to sync their team’s travel details with registration data.

How to Craft Meetings for the Techies

Techies are a unique set of people. They dabble not only in bleeding edge technology but also in a very diverse set of interests. Due to this, keeping your techie meetings simply all about technology would be a waste. Despite this, technology still plays a central role. WiFi has to be fast enough and presentations have to be immersive enough. At the same time, there should be enough novelty and opportunity for making connections with other participants. Plus, the theme should be creative enough to spark interest and make people want to join the event as opposed to just logging into the online communities most of them are accustomed to.

Make sure you are meeting not just the 'what' but also the 'why' of your trade show.
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How to Excel at Venue Management

Venue management isn’t only about having a good eye for space and logistics. A Venue manager has to be cordial and approachable as well as a great communicator. This creates a good environment for collaboration. Of course, trust is always the most important ingredient for building a lasting connection with clients. At the same time, it’s also vital for managing expectations and preventing miscommunication. Organization, flexibility, and the ability to organize your time (and budget!) are also valuable skills.

29Rooms: A Story of Success

29Rooms, the brainchild of Refinery29, has hit the sweet spot of events. Behind their success is their penchant for designing events around the specific needs of the audience without fear of thinking outside the box. The focus is on the discovery and generation of various ideas, involving artists with interesting points of views. In the end, 29Rooms aspires to create unforgettable experiences by giving the audience a venue for exploration and cultural conversation. With this, they’re continuing to expand into more cities, satiating the demands of a vibrant and growing customer base.

Choose the Right Payment Option for Your Next Event

There are two types of Payment options available for live events: closed-loop and open-loop. Both of these have their own pros and cons. While closed-loop payments have the advantage of not including intermediaries such as banks, they also have the tendency to burden the customers by making them download individual apps for each vendor. They can also be more difficult to grow on the business side. Open-loop payments can take advantage of more recognized payment services which are easier to scale, but there is generally less control over customer data. This would threaten important marketing areas such as loyalty programs. This guide has more information about these payment systems, which will help you decide which to invest on for your events!

The Worst Things to Do at Trade Shows

Trade shows are the perfect chance to stand out and make your mark. However, too many event professionals come to these shows without definite goals and an impactful presentation. At the same time, there are some managers who do not come up with the proper technologies or even souvenirs to make an impression. Finally, presentations do not just end when the customers leave your booths. Follow-ups are very important in order to cement any connections that you have with your customers. Make sure you relay these pitfalls to your exhibitors so they get the most effective experience during your event.

Trade shows are the perfect chance to stand out and make your mark.
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Facebook and Events: Answers to Your Questions

There are too many questions surrounding the hows and whys of Facebook events. Social Media Examiner has compiled these FAQs, starting from the types of events Facebook can accommodate to the step-by-step process of promoting your events. It also contains a section on linking your event to other platforms such as Eventbrite, as well as to other useful event-related Facebook features such as Stories. Finally, the guide also illustrates how to sustain interest and promote future events using the same platform.

Get Airport VIP Treatment Without Being a VIP

Airports can be notorious for slowing people down because of their security measures. Fortunately, there is a way to breeze past the doors without making a fuss. You can always start with the basics, such as arriving early and accessing your ticket through your phone. Dressing up appropriately and making sure you have TSA regulations handy also helps. And it doesn’t hurt to analyze the lines as well, as there are those (with children, for example), that could make you go slower if you’re not careful.

Let There Be Light: A New Way of Generating Projections for Events

Standard projectors are dying out. Nowadays, more intelligent ones are taking their place. Among them is Lightform, a revolutionary system that scans the surroundings and programs the depth of each nook and cranny so it can project stunning effects that conforms to the venue. This creates a mesmerizing environment that can wow the audiences of your events, while also allowing for better immersion in simulated environments. All this happens with a click of a button using smart software, so you can save time and spend it on other important things. Installation is also easy, with the option for full wireless control.

Trade shows don’t run perfectly all the time. What was your worst experience when running a trade show? What are your favorite trade show ideas?