How to Prepare for a Trade Show- eCommerce Frontline Library on trade.gov/ecommerce
How to Prepare for a Business Trade Show
Events like trade shows help to drive a buyer’s lifecycle through awareness, consideration, evaluation, and purchase.

How to Prepare for a Business Trade Show

Article written by James Bledsoe, Director of the eCommerce Solutions Center


Set Trade Show Goals
 

Trade shows help you not only to showcase your products or services, but also help you to grow your brand awareness and capture a wider network through increased visibility that a trade show provides. 

Let the US Commercial Service help you with Trade Show business resources
Let the US Commercial Service help you with Trade Show business resources

The US Commercial Service provides business resources at trade shows are also a value add to stakeholders like exhibitors, attendees, and local businesses. 

The USCS provides trade show resources such as:

  • business-to-business matchmaking appointments;
  • foreign buyer trade delegation recruitment;
  • government-to-business meetings;
  • country market overviews;
  • and educational seminar breakout sessions.
Trade shows can be large events, make sure you plan your expenses.
Trade shows can be large events, make sure you plan your expenses.

Make sure trade shows are worth it, by first figuring out a draft budget for attending the trade show (air, hotel, food, tickets, booth, giveaways, transport, venue fees), establish return-on-investment benchmarks, followed by the sales needed to cover all expenses and ROI goals.
 

Research Trade Shows

You can begin your trade show research with this recorded webinar “Make the Most of Your Trade Shows” hosted by Strategic Partner IBT Online.

Find a trade show calendar to help you identify export opportunities.
Find a trade show calendar to help you identify export opportunities.

Find a trade show calendar to see what trade events are coming up, and what business support resources are available to you as a US business at the show.

 If you are hosting a trade show and would like the USCS to provide our business resources at your show, visit our Trade Event Partnership Program (TEPP) page.
 

Your Pre-Event Strategy

It is recommended that you create an event landing page on your business website, not only to advertise your presence at the show to your visitors, but to also boost your website search score by using trade show keywords for search engine optimization. 

Social media is a great way to help you promote any video content that you create and will promote through hand-outs and business cards at the trade show that direct attendees to a specific URL or social media account.

 

Return to eCommerce Frontline Library Content

Return to Library

Looking for more ecommerce resources?

The eCommerce Business Service Provider Directory
eCommerce Business Service Provider Directory
Find service provider help with SEO, analytics, digital marketing, website development, IT security, translation, and more.
Find a Service Provider
Cross-border ecommerce generates sales for your B2B and B2C business
Cross-Border eCommerce Business Resources
Improve your online business presence to acquire new overseas consumers.
Explore Our eCommerce Resources
The WGR Service uses SEO crawls and internationalization best practices
WGR Gap Analysis Service
Is your website search engine optimized to attract overseas consumers? Online customer acquisition begins with a properly functioning website.
Learn More About the WGR Gap Analysis Service
Phone Map Tech Download
Business Market Intelligence
Staying informed about business opportunities with international market research is key to successful export planning.
Search Articles by Country and Industry
Computer Screen, Flags, and Coins CCG Image
Country Commercial Guide (CCG)
Reports on market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business customs prepared at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department, and other U.S. Government professionals.
Pick a Country Guide
Warm tone library bookshelves
eCommerce Frontline Library
Learn strategies and hone your business tactics for competing and winning in the ultra-competitive frontline of international ecommerce sales.
Read online sales data, SEO best practices, and ecommerce regulations
Finger pointing at button with words "e-commerce"
eCommerce Featured Events
Resource videos on digital strategy to increase online overseas sales.
Check out upcoming and recorded webinars and livestreams on ecommerce
Rural Export Center
The Rural Export Center (REC)
Start your export journey with customized research and training through the Rural Export Center
Rural business export help
eCommerce Solutions Center and US Commercial Service Logo
The eCommerce Solutions Center (ESC)
The eCommerce Solutions Center (ESC) is dedicated to promoting economic growth and supporting opportunity for all U.S. businesses engaged in overseas cross-border ecommerce through its focused support of ecommerce educational outreach events.
Learn more about the eCommerce Solutions Center

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility