The Radiant Rhino Series Part 8: How to Know If a Trade Show Is Worth It for Your Product Business

One of the biggest lessons I learned while doing trade shows for The Radiant Rhino is this:

You cannot just stand in your booth and hope sales magically happen.

You actually have to lure people in. Politely. Repeatedly. With enthusiasm you did not know you had.

This photo is from one of the trade shows I did in New York City (NY NOW®). For several days straight, I said, “Would you like to smell our shower steamers?” to well over 1,000 people walking past my booth.

By the time I got home, the introvert in me needed a full week of silence, darkness, and zero human interaction. A different story for another post.

Trade shows are very much a hit or miss.

Before you go, know your numbers.

Calculate how much you need to sell just to break even. Flights, hotel, booth, registration fees, shipping, and all the sneaky extras add up fast.

Then decide if the ROI makes sense.

In my case, a single purchase order covered the entire cost of the show, and the brand got significant exposure.

Worth it. Even if I didn’t want to talk to anyone for a week afterward.