Of all the archaic practices that businesses no longer keep up with as technology has advanced, some measures remain the same and have even become more exciting than ever. Trade shows and conferences fit this category, as they serve businesses that wish to come together, network, collaborate, discuss, and present to one another. 

For instance, a company that attends SEO trade shows will be able to showcase their own approach to digital marketing, how they generate value for their clients, can reveal products or services, and may even onboard clients interested in that particular field. 

Conferences take the form of talks, presentations and demonstrations, while trade shows can remain an amalgamation of different entities coming together to celebrate a given industry or topic. Both of these may or may not welcome access to the public, for instance, creative industries will often be more than happy to welcome creative individuals or anyone who might be interested in this particular scene.

Running your own conference or trade show is its own intensive practice, and may require more of you than you may have imagined.

Select The Right Venue

Not all venues are designed alike. In many cases, dedicated convention centres are used for a range of purposes, from lecture hall theatres to wide open spaces for booth setup and perhaps even staging areas and cafeteria zones.

Venues will also be able to recommend worthwhile services such as an in-house security team that can attend to your event, and an already assigned fire-safety drill in place to ensure security and safety. On top of that, renting the space will give you access to a clean and well-maintained facility, so you can focus on the plans you already have.

As such, renting an appropriate venue is a much preferable option to temporarily redecorating and changing around your own business premises. Venues may also come with unique features like loading bays, parking for equipment vans, and more. 

Use A Legible, Worthwhile Ticketing System

Selling tickets to your event is easier if the process is properly tracked, the tickets can be accepted and scanned on entry, and especially so if you offer multiple tiers that can be purchased. For instance, one-day or all-weekend passes can provide more justification for certain guests to come and see what you have to offer.

This is especially true if the convention is so large that it would take more than one day to attend to everything, or if you have so many attendees that scheduling the talks properly in advance is an essential feature of your event. 

With ticketing systems like Tixily, you’re sure to benefit as you plan the most reasonable, reliable system. On top of that, you may tie tickets to identities to stop third party retailers from purchasing many and then adding their own surcharge, which has been known to happen. The easier you can allow verified and well-meaning people into the event, the better off, more populated, and safer your trade show will be.

Keep The Theme Consistent

Some of the most famous conventions for popular industries are often designed around a singular theme. For instance, GenCon is the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, and as such it welcomes small businesses, creative professionals and players from all around the world.

But they’re all focused on pursuing the hobby, practice and business of tabletop gaming, hoping to serve the market, network with one another, and have a good time. It might be that you wish to specify your own kind of theme more stringently so that people understand the exact plans you have in place.

For instance, your entire convention may be about sustainability in business, or the same within a certain industry. It may be a convention on the latest practices around diversity and equality in the workplace. It may be a plain old safety regulators convention for those unsung heroes who helps enact policies that could save our lives one day. What matters is ensuring everyone attendee understands the theme and the parameters therein, often informed by consistent instructional materials with plenty of wiggle room within that.

Structure Your Presentation Schedule

It’s much easier for businesses to organize their product launches, demonstrations and presentations when they know the parameters within which to do that. Structuring your presentation schedule means planning how many slots for lecture hall space there are during the day, and making it clear just what provisions are in place, such as smart board displays, projections, microphones and lighting systems.

When you can assign slots to companies that ask to speak at certain times, you can ensure that ample breaks are provided between each session, and that each contributor feels as though they’ve had time to come. With a worthwhile ticketing system and adhering to any requests ahead of time, you’re certain to see some great showcases.

Ensure Facilties Are Up To Standard

This may sound like a boring and basic tip, but if your queueing lines are ill-placed, if your restrooms are in poor condition or haven’t been cleaned, and if the fire safety drills haven’t been conducted in advance, then you’re asking for trouble.

For this reason, make sure the building is attended to, that certain accessways into specific rooms are locked off, that your chaperones are equipped with appropriate radios to help attendees and communicate if necessary, and to make sure your signposting is properly applied for navigation.

This way, you can avoid any nasty surprises or poor impressions that come from not paying careful attention to the space at hand. On top of that, you will also be able to answer questions such as demonstrating where the disability access is, and can negotiate with other elements of the venue, such as the catering area, for where people can find refreshments easily during their stay.

With this advice, you’re certain to run a successful conference or trade show. We wish you every success in your efforts, and hope that this can become a recurring, winning strategy for your firm.