Trade show intelligence: the other side of the coin

• their location, size, and attractiveness;
• the numbers of staff employed, their areas of expertise, their status in the company, and their levels of efficiency;
• the range and types of products, any unusual or outstanding features, and the nature and level of technology used;
• the standard, quality, and adequacy of any trade literature;
• any specific promotional themes or marketing techniques employed.

Take advantage of any scheduled site visits to competitors' premises, especially when they are programmed as part of the trade show. This may give you an opportunity to learn about your competitors' operations, processes, stage of product development, type of technology, state of morale, or the existence of major management problems.

A site visit may also give you an opportunity to observe, to collect additional trade literature or newsletters, or to identify suppliers and customers. Particularly telling information includes: the number (and comparative value) of vehicles in the car parks, the frequency and status of visitors, the volume of goods moving in and out of the premises, whether or not construction work is being undertaken, the nature of any training programs, and the identities of the trainers.

Your team should meet frequently throughout the trade show to compare notes, identify gaps, re-allocate priorities, and change tactics. At this stage, you will rarely be in a position to thoroughly analyse the information you have gathered. Nevertheless, you should be able to carry out an initial assessment and evaluation.

After the event

While the information is still fresh in your mind, make notes and reduce them to key points that relate to your decision makers’ information needs, your critical success factors, your current or proposed activities or projects, or any other topics of interest.

Check all associated media items and other material for significance. This may offer a different perspective (perhaps based on a reporter's discussions with senior executives or experts), or reveal some vital information that you may have missed during the event. Record all contact details in your contacts database for future use.

There are many available analytical techniques and it calls for in-depth knowledge to be able to select and employ the appropriate one. Nevertheless, some very simple and effective analysis may be conducted by a group of smart people using a whiteboard. This may be achieved by answering three very simple questions: What?, So what?, Now what?. Or, in other words:

• What has happened or is about to happen?
• What will it mean to us, or how will it affect us?
• What can, or should, we do about it?

Having done that, write brief, clear, action-oriented reports, each related to the needs of a particular decision maker. These should describe your results, what your team (and your advisors or experts) think they mean, and what action you suggest or recommend. Stick to the facts, but by all means include your opinion concerning those facts - just make sure that it is clearly described as such. Reduce the volume of each report to the absolute minimum and refer to any supporting material for additional information.

You should now be well prepared for your next trade show, and will have a much better idea of how to turn it into a competitive advantage.