Every year the wellness community descends upon Anaheim for Expo West, the world’s largest natural, organic, and healthy products trade show. It takes serious guts to stand out among 3,600 wellness brands and 86,000 industry professionals in a period of just five days.
Before you choose your backdrop and flooring, decide on a simple message that is clearly executed through your booth presence and theme. Answer this question: what do I want people to remember about my brand, in five words or less?
Stay authentic to your brand’s mission and values. Once you outline your message, COMMIT TO IT. Think about how your message is being voiced in every detail, whether it be the kind of napkin you are sampling with or your use of booth space.
Any brand that makes a splash at Expo West starts with an idea that seems wild. Every booth you see that impresses you was based on someone taking a chance. Here are five tactics to be one of those standouts.
- Come up with a bold theme that is authentic to your brand. Brainstorm and welcome all ideas. “Yes, and…”
- Keep your logo visible by placing it at or above the crowd’s eyeline. And make your booth interactive! It’s a great way to engage people.
- Create limited edition swag only shared at Expo West. People love free things, but usually only when they’re in short supply.
- Make sure anyone handing out samples knows your brand and can answer questions. You never know who might be stopping by.
- Create a presence bigger than the show by documenting your time for your website and social channels.
Just as important as your message? Your goals. Do you need to partner with influencers? Maybe you want to connect with more retailers? Or maybe you just want to score a pic with Katy Perry or Jessica Alba. You do you. Create a clear, measurable goal that you can easily execute while at the show, with these five actionable steps for success.
- Be prepared. Know who will be there and who you need to talk to. Know what events you want to attend. Everyone wants to hear celebrity panels, but make sure your time is used to help your business grow.
- Take the week off of your regular responsibilities as much as you can. Be fully present.
- Walk the floor. Prioritize your time to meet people who have the power to change the future of your company.
- Create a 30-second elevator pitch about your brand. Make sure you know how to sell to influencers, versus retailers. There is a pretty big difference in your pitch to each.
- Be bold. Don’t be afraid to go out of your way to start conversations, whether it be a local retailer or the CEO of a top brand. And remember to value all connections. You never know who can help you, or who you can help.
No matter the size of your business, Expo West is a great place to make connections and form alliances within the wellness and health industry. It’s also a great place to sample as much coffee as humanly possible – the favorite Expo pastime of the SRW team. See you on the circuit soon 🙂
