5 Ways to Make the Most of Trade shows

Tradeshows are a great way to build personal connections with potentially thousands of people in the food and beverage industry. They are filled with opportunities, but you need a plan going in to take advantage of them. This guide breaks down how to set goals for Natural Products Expo West and Expo East, Fancy Food Shows, and any other industry trade events.

As a brand, here are the most common goals you may have:

1) Meet buyers and distributors to ultimately make sales
2) Find ingredient suppliers
3) Build your brand awareness so people (Press, incubators, consultants) seek you out and write stories about you.
4) Turn industry insiders into customers
5) Network with other founders and supporters in person

Let’s break down how to succeed at each.

1) Meet buyers and distributors to ultimately make sales

From my experience, few deals close at Trade shows. Distributor shows are where you want to go if your main goal is to make sales from a trade show. That said, being at the show can play a big role in your sales process. 

• Reach out to buyers before the show to generate interest in your brand
• Schedule time to meet one on one with a buyer or distributor either at your booth or in a quiet location. 
• Pitch your brand by showing that you’ve done deep research into the retailer, their customers, and why your product will be a good fit for them. Provide samples and have them taste on the spot to see their reaction. Set next steps for after the show.
• Follow up until you close the deal.

2) Find ingredient suppliers

One big benefit of trade shows is that there are hundreds of ingredient suppliers attending too, so it’s a great way to meet new primary or backup suppliers. With TeaSquares, we had a great green matcha supplier, but it wasn’t until attending Expo West that we found a great powdered black tea supplier. 

3) Build your brand awareness so people (Press, incubators, consultants) seek you out and write stories about you.

Trade shows are filled with hundreds of brands, so it’s difficult to stand out. When I last attended, I feel like I only walked by 1/3rd of the booths — it was a much bigger show then but still. To get noticed, you need to make your booth exciting. One of my favorite examples was a ginger beer brand that hosted a “happy hour” at the end of the day at their booth. There wasn’t any alcohol, but there was music and a party-like atmosphere. It attracted dozens of people who came by to see what the commotion was about. If you just sit back and hope people discover you, they won’t.

The other way to get good attention is to reach out to media writers before the show, encouraging them to come by your booth. We have a Directory of 562 Media contacts, or reach out via Linkedin.

Create an e-mail list/newsletter specifically for brand supporters. These are people who want to hear all the latest updates about your brand and progress but aren’t necessarily customers. This way, you create a tribe of supporters who will look out for opportunities that benefit you.

4) Turn industry insiders into customers

Trade shows will have tens of thousands of natural product enthusiasts, who are all looking for delicious products to sample… and guess what? They are ALL avid consumers as well. Each week they fill their virtual and physical shopping carts with their favorite products, many of which they discover at events like this. 

So instead of looking at people’s badges to find that “one buyer”, treat everyone who stops by your booth as a potential customer.

Here’s the ultimate sampling process, courtesy of our friend Yuval at Promomash:

• HOOK: Get the shoppers attention in a way that causes them to ask what you’re about. Hand them a sample.
• STORY: Tell your story in 10 seconds and if their interested, have a 20-second elaboration ready.
• OFFER: If they provide any sign of interest, make an initial offer to get their e-mail address. Create a QR code for them to scan, which takes them to a brief form to fill out – and then they get a coupon.
• UPSELL: A heavily discounted, one-time only offer available only for attendees. 
• AFTER EVENT AUTOMATION: Use e-mail to immediately increase interest in your brand and increase the lead quality in the contact list. Keep this event-specific.
  • E-mail 1: Welcome Video
  • E-mail 2: Provide value and reiterate brand story with a link to purchase.
  • E-mail 3: A fun and interactive survey to gauge their interest level.
• BUILD RAVING FANS: Ongoing, creative, offering of value. All about creativity and commitment to ongoing contact. Build a relationship!

5) Network with other founders and supporters in person

Of course, for many founders, one of the key goals is simply to connect with other founders and supports while everyone is in the same place! Use this as an opportunity to reach out to people you only know virtually so you can build an even stronger relationship. 

Make it easy by using a calendar app so people can book time with you, say in 15min increments. Those conversations may go longer, but instead of making people wait, invite them to join the conversation! People will come in and out, but it’s a great way to network.

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All of these goals are totally worthwhile, but I can tell you it can be tough trying to accomplish too many of them. So have a primary goal, and 2 secondary goals so you can leave the show feeling like you accomplished something big!