Despite the fact that the pandemic caused many trade exhibitions to be canceled in the past, the sector continues to thrive and is one of the most important places for company owners to network. If you operate a cannabis-related company, you should be familiar with the many trade exhibitions that are dedicated to the industry and how to navigate them.
If you want to go to your first cannabis trade show, where there will likely be thousands of visitors and exhibitors, you should be ready. It does not matter what stage your cannabis company is at; taking the time to craft a sound game plan is essential because it is the only way that will enable you to walk away from cannabis trade shows with new leads, new ideas, and promising potential partners.
Taking your time to craft a sound game plan is essential. The following is a list of suggestions to help you get ready for your first cannabis trade show:
Find the Right Commercial Event for Your Company to Attend
There are dozens of different types of trade exhibitions held all throughout the world, including in the United States. You should be aware that no two trade shows are exactly the same. In order to choose the best one, you need to be certain of two things: first, that it is tailored to your sector, which in this instance is the cannabis industry; and second, that it provides the appropriate planning and resources for your business to flourish.
For example, the following is an updated list of cannabis conventions & trade shows for your convenience. You should go to trade shows that, in addition to their audience, directly target the area of interest you have and talk to the buyer persona you have in mind.
Make Plans in Advance
If you have already paid for a booth at a trade show, you should not wait until one week before the event to begin preparing. Instead, you should get started as soon as possible. Make preparations for the occasion many weeks or even months in advance. Attending other cannabis business events, if at all feasible, will provide you with ideas for your own booth, teach you what guests find most interesting, and let you spy on your rivals.
You may also look for ideas by browsing the internet, creating mood boards, exhaustively planning with your marketing team to make your website more trustworthy, and ensuring that everything is ready when the day of the event comes.
Make sure that you keep your email list updated about the cannabis company trade shows that you will be attending, the reasons why they should go, and other key things like the freebies and special discounts that you will provide exclusively at those trade shows.
Always Try to Be Present Everywhere
Not only do a lot of trade events, particularly cannabis-focused ones, include an exhibition floor, but many also offer educational sessions at which keynote speakers talk to attendees about the business. Participate in the discussion if at all feasible. If you are unable to accomplish that, you should make it a point to attend these sessions, as you will have the opportunity to network with participants as well as vendors that are interested in the same industry as you.
If you are planning to give a presentation at a trade show, keep in mind that giving presentations at conferences in general is not a simple task. You will need to plan ahead and keep in mind that the main goal of your presentation is to share information, not to make sales. So, try not to sound too promotional or businesslike. Offer something of real value to the audience, and they will be eager to hear more from you.
Have a Booth That Is Both Rocking and Well Situated
It is crucial that you make certain that you are placed in a convenient area when you purchase booth space for your business. You should try to get anything close to the stage or the entrance; these are spots where people will notice you right away.
In addition to this, the presentation of your booth has to be really comprehensive. You need to differentiate yourself from the hundreds of other booths if you want to get the attention of attendees or possible business partners.
Some helpful hints are:
• Make advantage of height since this is a simple approach to get everyone’s attention. Use props and floor graphics to make your booth highly bright and appealing to the eye.
• Utilize lighting and electrical devices with a creative bent.
• Check that your booth has plenty of empty seats so that anybody may use it. At some point during a trade fair, everyone is going to start feeling fatigued, so providing attendees a spot to relax is a wonderful reason to demonstrate your goods or services in an atmosphere that is both natural and welcoming.
• Make it possible for guests to engage with your goods or services via the creation of an interactive experience. It is a method for making money off of sales without really making any sales.
• Provide a charging station as well as activities to follow up with in order to strengthen your connection with them.
• Only those individuals who engage with the goods or services on display at your booth should be eligible to receive an incentive of value, such as an instructional video or electronic book.
Always be in the Habit of Offering Small Gifts
Freebies are a tried-and-true method for drawing crowds of people at trade shows and other events. But not just any old thing; rather, nice stuff. Give them a huge bag with your name, email address, and social media handles on it so that they can put anything they purchase at the trade show in it. This is what we mean when we say, “Do not simply give them a pen with your cannabis brand printed on it.” You will stick out in people’s minds in this manner.
Before the trade fair, get together with your marketing and content teams to think of unique items that you can give away to both guests and merchants. The goal is to come up with something that they won’t just discard in the first trash can they see. Consider items like water bottles and bags that are necessary for attendees at trade exhibitions.
Find Innovative Ways to Acquire the Information
Giving something away or creating some kind of dynamic during a trade show is a great way to get information about potential customers, which is one of the many advantages of participating in trade shows.
Use creative thinking to come up with anything that will get guests to give you their contact information without seeming to be too demanding of them. In addition to that, provide discounts, even if they are small ones. People attend trade exhibitions in order to look around and make purchases. If you wish to sell, you need to make sure the prices at your cannabis company are reasonable.
Ensure That Your Presence Will Not Be Forgotten
The cannabis business is one that is flourishing and incredibly innovative at the same time. At a cannabis trade fair, you can’t simply offer your goods or services for this reason; instead, you have to sell yourself, since that is the only way prospective leads or partners will choose you out of the large sea of cannabis businesses that are already in existence.
To achieve this goal, you must make it a point to network with attendees at each trade show you attend. This might be exhausting at times, but it is well worth the effort. When a consumer walks up to a storefront and sees the owner there, it immediately sends the message that “we care about you.”
With these helpful hints, you should have an easier time navigating the cannabis industry’s trade show scene.
