Brian - It would help to know more about the tradeshow, the context, the culture, and what your goals are related to it. Is it about spreading the word? Recruiting coworkers? Educating people about the option? I assume it is in your geographical area, and targeted at people who might be good prospects.
You're on the right track in wanting to embody coworking in the booth. When you say "we do not have any cool furniture" I take it as meaning that you can't set up the booth as a simulated coworking space, giving people a taste of the experience. You don't mention whether there's power or wifi available, so let's assume that neither is an option. So, based on my quarter century of grassroots guerilla marketing experience, putting together zero-budget booths at conferences for computer user groups and cohousing neighborhoods, here's how I'd go about it: - Throw your logo & URL & phone & mini-map, a picture of people in the space, and a few words about why onto a half-page horizontal flyer. Include a phrase that makes it into a coupon, like "bring this in for a free day's coworking experience (1 per person, expires MM/DD/YY). Print out a bunch, and slice it down the middle, and voila, you've got postcard-style coupons ready to distribute. - Take some pix of the space, people in it, people working together, and put them in easel-type picture frames. So the table becomes a display that helps people visualize themselves in the space. Heck, pose a picture of folks embracing a cardboard cut-out labeled "you" or use a dashed-line edge around the shape of a person to communicate "picture yourself here" - Load up the pix into a slideshow to run on a digital picture frame or iPad or laptop. Bring a spare battery and a security cable. If there's power, add a video projector and something to project onto. - Find a piece of fabric that matches the space decoration and/or logo and toss it over the back curtain or use as a table drape to make the booth feel different and be associated with it. - Wear a t-shirt or button or hat or something that says "Ask Me About Coworking" or something catchier. - Focus your efforts during show hours on connecting with people. You'll get lots of practice for your elevator pitch. Play with it, don't get into rote recital, but variation, or a question that evokes the need for what you've got: "How much did you spend at StarBucks while working last month?" "When's the last time you got inspired while working?" "How many great ideas do you get from others while working at home?" - While you can do a fishbowl on the table for cards, the value of unqualified leads is pretty low - it will cost a lot to do mailings and follow-up per actual customer you get out of them, plus follow-up sales calls where they don't really have a relationship with you can be annoying and reduce the value of your brand's perception -- at best you can offer everybody a "congrats - you won. Bring this card in for your free day" type of communication. Have a clipboard sign-up list with room for specific notes on each person so you can make the highest-quality follow-up connections. There's much more I could say, but a lot depends on the context and relationship of the show and it audience to your space and its focus. Remember, you're not there to convince everyone there to come and sign up. Your goal is to find the few folks that belong there and help them "get it" and come try it out, and others to become aware of the brand and concept and be more likely to mention it to a friend as an option. The key: set up a support system so you can be there, be comfortable and enthusiastic, and be having fun. That's what will get people inspired to connect - they'll want some of what you're having! Have fun, take pictures, and let us know how it goes! Raines Cohen, Coworking Coach <http://www.CoworkingCoaches.com/> Berkeley, CA Tomorrow: Visiting a cohousing-friendly green realtor at the *Work With Lounge* "co-working incubator" at ShareExchange<http://www.shareexchange.coop/>(Santa Rosa, CA) Friday: Celebrating the handover of San Francisco's Citizen Space<http://www.CitizenSpace.us/>to new leadership, keeping the community alive. On Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 7:32 AM, Brian Whipple <[email protected]>wrote: > I need some help. Currently I am trying to come up with a way to set > up a tradeshow booth that I am attending in the future. I have no clue > what to do. My circumstances do not help out much. > We do not have any cool furniture to set out like some past people > have done. > We only have a table to work with. > We do not have much marketing material because we just kicking this > thing off. > > My goal is to explain what coworking is, and also provide something > that embodies what coworking is. > Your thoughts? Should I give something out? Hand outs? Coffee? > Snuggies? > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
