Tradeshows are one of the fastest ways to build up industry knowledge and education in a few days if you treat the experience as field research and focus less on collecting swag from the booths.
Here are some simple print industry tradeshow tips to hone your focus is to set goals:
1. Leave every show with 3-5 vendors to follow up with
2. Jot down 2–3 takeaways from classes
3. Brainstorm 1–2 ideas to implement in 30 days
4. Use a 48-hour follow-up plan with your top vendor booths
If you want a concise plan for your next show, grab a free copy of the Inktavo Tradeshow Success Kit, which features several worksheets and checklists to help you manage your goals.
1. Address challenges
Before you book any product demos, choose 1-2 goals important to your shop right now, and make that a primary focus of your show floor and education time.
The kit’s “Goal Picker” features helpful starting points for goals such as streamlining quotes, evaluating suppliers, boosting online sales, and more.
Pro tip: Write down what problem you need to solve with that goal:
- “Our approval process takes too long.”
- “Customer quotes are confusing and inconsistent.”
- “We can’t keep our production schedule on track.”
2. Build a schedule
Create a list of five must-see booths and three classes to attend to dictate your schedule at the show. This list will keep you on task and ensure you’re getting the most out of your time at the show. Make sure to add buffer time to your schedule so that you don’t overlap or run behind.
If you’re bringing a teammate, divide responsibilities:
- One person owns vendor conversations
- One person owns education + peer networking
- Everyone adds notes to the same folder or document
Pro tip: Several trade shows offer their own show planner app so you can map out your booth visits and class times to organize your schedule better. Check the website before you go!
3. Ask the right questions
Vendors typically push product features when you visit the booth. Use standardized questions like the following to get answers that better apply to your business:
- “Show me the workflow using a real job scenario.”
- “What noticeable changes will I see in the first 30 days?”
- “What support do you offer post-purchase?”
After each booth visit, score the booth with the vendor scorecard in the kit. You’ll judge on key criteria like Fit & Value and Support, and book demos only with vendors who score 3 or higher.
Here’s an example of how your scorecard should look:
4. Get inspired by education
Tradeshow classes are more valuable if you leave with ideas for implementable changes at your shop. Set a goal of leaving with 1–2 changes to implement, including a first step that takes under 30 minutes, a project owner (if it’s someone other than yourself), a deadline, and friction points to plan around.
You can also brainstorm based on conversations with other attendees. Ask questions of other shop owners you connect with, like what kinds of challenges they’ve solved for in the past year, and how they did it. That could range from quoting speeds and production schedules to the art approval process and workflow changes.
5. Stick to a 48-hour follow-up
It’s easy to forget everything you’ve learned at the show, so make it a point to organize all your notes when you get back. Within 48 hours, sort your to-dos into: do next week / do next month/park it (6–12 months), pick your top 3 vendors, send follow-ups, and schedule next steps.
Take action: run 1–2 small shop experiments within 30 days and use the kit to stay on schedule.
BONUS: Get the Tradeshow Success Kit
A tradeshow is an excellent opportunity to step out of your day-to-day operations and rethink how your shop runs. Use the Tradeshow Success Kit to build a concise plan and get more print industry tradeshow tips to make the most of every event.
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