A booth at an accounting trade show gives you a way to get in front of financial decision makers such as accountants, controllers, financial managers and chief financial officers. Part of setting up a booth that draws attention requires you to do some work before you even arrive at the tradeshow, such as drawing a plan for how your booth will look. Create several banners that immediately explain how your firm works in the financial market, and use visual displays to further help visitors get a feel for your brand and offerings.

Incentives

Before the show even starts, persuade your target audience to attend the show by sending a personalized email or traditional invitation. Spell out what will be available at your booth, such as a free 10-minute consultation about their accounting needs. If you’re offering a useful promotional item, encourage them to get there early with messages such as “The first 100 people who stop by our booth get a free software package worth more than $150.”

Start Talking

If you’ve ever walked around a tradeshow and seen an unmanned booth, you know how unappealing it is. Staff your booth with people at all hours, and choose those who are comfortable talking with attendees about the problems your products or services solve. Train your staff to know what to ask to engage attendees, and provide plenty of benefit-oriented marketing materials you can hand out to people who want more information.

Go Interactive

People don’t expect booths at an accounting tradeshow to be overly exciting, so you’ll stand out if you make your booth interactive. First, research the type of people you want to stop by your booth, such as small business owners, CFOs or accountants. Then, set up computer screens with quizzes or games that appeal to that market while helping to point out the problems your product solves. Add colorful decorations to make your booth more festive. As a reward for getting questions right, hand out small promotional items with your company name on it, such as offering money clips to controllers or legal-size flap portfolios to small-business owners who need to keep receipts in a safe place.

Gather Emails

A tradeshow gives you a chance to collect email addresses from prospective clients who might need your accounting-related products or services, but are not ready to commit to buying just yet. Give the email sign-up form a place of prominence on your booth table, and encourage staff to ask attendees if they'd like to sign up. Mention the benefits they gain for doing so, such as receiving occasional emails about tax deadlines if you sell CPA services, or new tax laws if you sell services to CFOs.