Why Not Win a Best-of-Show Award at Your Trade Show?!
If you plan to exhibit at a trade show, and especially if you’re reviewing trade show displays or upgrading components for an important show, think about leveraging your investment.
It’s all about marketing and publicity – why not do a little extra work in trade for the bragging rights for winning an award from the show? One award to consider campaigning for is a best-of-show award.
Most trade shows award at least one best-of-show award, but often they have several, one for each industry that’s represented at the show. If a best-of-show award for your industry doesn’t exist at the trade show where you’re exhibiting, and if you know the show’s producers well, you could suggest to the producers that they create a category that would fit your company. If you can convince them to do this, you’re very likely to win the best-of-show award for that category.
Many companies that exhibit at trade shows don’t enter the award contests held at the shows. There are various reasons for this, but you should keep in mind that the fewer exhibitors who enter the contests, the greater your chances are for winning. And, this is a great excuse for extra publicity for your booth!
It’s important that you search for any and all available information—usually found on the show’s website—about award contests and that you do so as early as possible. Pay attention to the contest rules, as some shows will allow you to enter only one contest, while other shows will allow you to enter multiple ones.
Some trade shows will require you to pay a fee to enter a contest. If you happen to be exhibiting at a show that doesn’t charge a fee, or at one where you can enter an unlimited number of times, then you have less to consider when it comes to choosing products and services to enter in the contests. However, if you can enter only one product or service, then you obviously want to enter the one best-suited to beating your competition.
When it comes to submitting your entries, it pays to recall the advice of your high school teachers: follow the directions! Notice the deadline and the format the show requires for the submission itself. If you miss a deadline, or if you don’t follow the guidelines for the submission, it’s likely your entry will be disqualified without being considered at all.
If you do win a best-of-show award, make the most of it! If you’ve entered one of these competitions, fill out a preliminary press release – before the show – be prepared to announce your win. (You can finish it, fill in the details, etc., if you win.) Send this release to relevant media outlets and provide it to the media representatives who are at the show. Announce your award on your company’s website. Mention it in your marketing materials. Add it to a banner stand or graphic at the show.
Winning a best-of-show award is not out of your reach, and the benefits of winning the award last much longer than the show itself. Find out what awards are up for grabs at the trade shows where you plan to exhibit, and enter the contests well before the deadline.