Is a trade show confusing? "It certainly can be," says Julia OConnor, president of Trade Show Training.

OConnor says her firm estimates there are more than 175,000 trade shows in the US each year and each show can be dynamically different from another. Whether the show focus is Business-to-Business Marketing, Business-to-Business Sales or Business-to-Consumer, these are the four basic components of every event:

1. There is a Sponsor

2. There is a Manager

3. There are Exhibitors

4. There is an Audience

THERE IS A SPONSOR ...

This may be a trade association, magazine, show management company or other organization, but there is one party responsible for developing and sponsoring the event. The sponsor takes the financial risk that the event will be successful.

You sign the contract with, and pay your money to, the sponsor of the event. The sponsor decides if your company fits the criteria established for the show, including size of your booth and location. Some shows allow you to pay your money and select your booth site. Some shows use a point system with criteria, such as how often you advertise in its magazine, if you're a member of the association, or how many years you have exhibited at this show. Shows may have waiting lists, which means if you sign on and are allowed in, you may have no choice of location.

If you have any questions about the show, contact the Sponsor.

THERE IS A MANAGER ...

Smaller events may be handled internally by staff of the sponsor, or may be contracted out to a specialized firm, generally referred to as Show Management. Large events have a contracted show management firm.

Show Management is responsible for the all the details - the day-to-day and hour-by-hour running of the show. In turn, management will sub-contract for components of the show, and will designate official contractors, including unions, for such items as labor, electrical, catering, cleaning, flowers etc.

Show Management's responsibility is to collect all the information about the show contractors. The Sponsor, after approval, will send you the Exhibitor's Manual (also called the Exhibitor's Package).

The Exhibitors Manual is the most important document you will receive about the show.

Read it as soon as you get it, highlight all those items which relate to your booth and sign up before the deadlines. Be certain to keep two (2) copies of all your contracts and payments - one goes with exhibit staff to the show, one stays in your office.

Depending on the size of the show, the Exhibitor's Package may be just a couple of pages or a large 3-ring binder. If you have any questions about activity on the show floor, contact Show Management.

THERE ARE EXHIBITORS ...

Some shows have a very small number of exhibitors; others have thousands. A company decides to exhibit because it has a product or service it wants to put into the marketplace. Exhibiting companies can be big or small, old or new. By exhibiting, a company has an equal opportunity to be considered a serious contender in its industry.

The staff selected for a trade show is very important. The Center for Exhibition Industry Research www.CEIR.org - estimates that 85% of the time that a sale is attributed to a trade show, it was because of the staff.

Important: Select your staff to work the anticipated audience. Technical products may require not only sales engineers but also a technical expert to discuss details.

Staff must know about your products and services. And also, your company's philosophy, credit policies, competitors, R&D, pricing guidelines, new products you can talk about, and those that are proprietary and confidential. A staff person has a major responsibility in representing the company.

Your audience expects you to be knowledgeable, but sometimes you'll be asked a question that's not in your area of expertise. It's OK to say, "I don't know." But you will always have to follow it with, "But, I'll find out."

Most people don't want to be sold, so it's important to consider yourself an information source. You have to be available to as many people as possible. Speaking with, or at least acknowledging your visitor is the first step in qualifying a prospective client.

THERE IS AN AUDIENCE ...

These are prospective buyers of products and services who travel to see what is new, and meet with existing or prospective suppliers. In the majority of shows, the audience is made up of people who have authority to buy or those who can influence the decision to buy.

An individual in the audience may be called attendee, buyer, conventioneer, prospect, lead, visitor or participant. Companies may send a buying team - employees from different departments or locations - which will evaluate your company from their own perspectives and then meet to compare notes about you and your company.

As long as the event has these four components - Sponsor, Manager, Exhibitors, and Audience - Trade Show Training considers it a trade show. The more you know about how trade shows work, then the less confused and the more successful you will be.