So… What Happened at the Tradeshow?

By Meghan O'Sullivan

Tradeshow marketing shouldn’t end when the booth comes down. That’s when your story starts.

---

Okay, I’m not trying to poke fun at you. Actually, I am.
​
And I’m poking fun at myself too, because I’m guilty of this — the wild overhyping of attending a tradeshow. I’ve written this exact copy more times than I can count:

“Can’t wait to see you at [insert industry conference here].”
“Visit us at Booth 124!”

Okay, I get it. It gets you a little attention, builds some credibility, and sends out a few trust signals. And then the show starts. We get bombarded with posts of booths being constructed, your sales team waving wildly, and swag spread out on tables. Wahoo! This is going to be great!

And then — nothing.

The conference ends. You write one final post that’s about as exciting as saying, “Okay, that’s a wrap.” And then you’re off to your next show.

And you’ve left your audience wondering:
​

• What happened?
• Who did you talk to?
• What did you learn?
• What surprised you?
• How did people react to new products and trends​

​Somewhere between the breakdown of your booth and the airport, the story disappears. In fact, the story never even happens. You’ve abandoned us! The real value lies in what happened during or after the show — but I’m not seeing anyone post about that.

What if you tried something new?

What if you posted a few recorded conversations from the booth, or captured some great quotes from people’s reactions to a demo? What if, after the conference, your VP of Sales or Marketing did a video debrief — “Top Trends Coming Out of Conference A”? Or hosted a ten-minute round table discussion with your team or a current customer who also attended?

Can’t bother with video? Write something up on the flight back. After all, you’re writing something to debrief the team anyway, so see if there’s anything you can use to inform your followers.  Capture one insight you can share: a pattern you noticed, a surprising takeaway, a fantastic presentation you saw.

Just tell me something real. Tell me something new. Share the value of your perspective — because that’s what your audience is actually waiting for.