Next time you’re at a tradeshow, throw on your trenchcoat, dapper hat and shades and go undercover.
The name? “Bond. James Bond.”
Admittedly, playing spy can be fun. And it’s something you should certainly be doing at your next tradeshow.
According to Ruth Stevens, author of ‘Trade Show and Event Marketing,’ you should be spying on your competition: “Whether you exhibit or not, trade shows can be a valuable source of competitive intelligence.”
You can check out new products and promotions, competitor target audiences and even talk to them about marketing strategies if you manage to strike up a conversation with the right person. In fact, you could go all out and compile a small dossier (there’s that spy stuff again!) on your various competitors.
Once you’ve gathered the information, be sure to use it: discuss it with your company managers when you return to determine how or if any of the information you’ve compiled affects you.
You probably won’t get into as much action as 007, but the information you bring back from the ‘enemy’ may be priceless.
