

Ask HN: Tech trade show (OSCON) advice? - SwellJoe

I've always been told that trade shows are a poor use of funds for an early stage startup, and I believe that advice.  The reasons trade shows are a bad idea include: hard to measure, costly, time-consuming, distracting, and very rarely well-targeted.  But...<p>We got a really good deal on a booth at OSCON in July, and I couldn't pass it up.  It <i>is</i> pretty well-targeted for us, we believe we <i>can</i> track the effectiveness by giving away some software to interested parties, and with the discounted rate we got for the booth the cost is well-within our marketing budget for one month (we disabled AdWords and AdBrite, and we'll take a month off of using those kinds of ads in order to fund the trade show experiment).<p>This will be our first trade show...and I've only ever even attended a couple of trade shows.  I'm sure a lot of you folks have been to trade shows, and you've probably seen good and bad examples of folks trying to get your attention.<p>How does a small company make an impact, and make it a worthwhile use of our time and investment, without spending a huge amount of money?  Me and the primary developer will have to take two whole days off to attend, and I'll be spending a few hours each week in preparation.  So, we want to make it really worthwhile.<p>What can we give away that people will <i>want</i> and remember?  We're planning to get a few hundred nice T-shirts printed, but I don't think we can justify spending enough to be sure we don't run out.<p>What's the most memorable small company you've ever met at a trade show, and what'd they do to get your attention?
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brk
I've done many tradeshows (as an exhibitor) with various budgets.

People are going to walk around and surveil your booth from a distance before
moving in to talk. Spend the money to get some decent size displays. Have some
demo loops or videos with VERY BRIEF text that deftly articulates what you do,
and your value prop.

Put together a 5-10 demonstration. Rehearse the hell out of it. Find a
presentation style that works for YOU and go with it. Rent chairs for people
to sit on and watch your demo. They're walking around all day, a comfortable
place to sit is welcome.

Don't be afraid to have a little confidence or swagger. People are taking
their time to see you, so they have a presumption that what you are offering
has value to them. If you are timid, or too overly grateful for their time,
you will look bad.

Everyone will be giving away T Shirts. I don't think they're worth much. Have
CDs with your docs and info and demos on them. That is, IME, what the
"serious" attendees are after. Bottled water (just generic water) is a better
give away. A case of water is $5.00, and the exhibit hall will be charging
$4/bottle. Don't worry about the water with your logo on it.

Stand in/near the aisles and directly engage people. Don't be overly
stalkerish about it, but don't let people just walk idly by either. Make sure
you scan badges or whatever and collect contact info. You may have to
practically demand it in some cases, but that is OK.

Don't eat or drink in the booth. Be clean and happy and appear approachable.
Don't play iPhone games, or get all hunched over your laptop checking email or
passing time.

Budget ALL DAY to set up and debug your demo. Even if it's just 3 slides on a
laptop.

Go to the local Wal Mart, buy some plants to add a little character to the
booth. Return them at the end of the show :) (done this more than once myself
;) )

Everything you buy or rent there is 2x more expensive than normal. Find out
where the local retailers are so you can get last minute items in a hurry.
Ship down whatever you can. Contact local exhibit company and see if they can
cut you a really good last minute deal on some basic booth furniture demo
pods/etc.

I personally think that tradeshows can be very effective if managed well.

If I think of anything else, I'll add it in later. If you need more help, my
contact info is in my profile.

~~~
SwellJoe
Excellent. Exactly the sort of thing I was looking for.

Another factor in selecting this as our first trade show is that it is being
held nearby in San Jose. So, we're already familiar with the area, will have a
car (or a rental truck), and can easily pickup all the stuff we need from
local vendors without sweating over whether it will be delivered on time and
without breakage, etc. And, we won't be groggy or jet lagged while talking to
folks.

Unfortunately the terms and conditions of the show prohibit distribution of
food or drinks, so bottled water is out. I was thinking along those lines, as
well, until learning of that restriction.

