Even Millionaires Want Booth Swag

There are trade show exhibits, and then there are trade show exhibits built on temporary docks on international waterways. Sabrina Fernandez of One Wave Collective has a unique and vast experience as an experiential marketer having worked with luxury brands for in-water boat shows attracting tens of thousands of consumers. Those planning a yacht purchase have high expectations, and the outdoor conditions can be unforgiving.

“The logistics are definitely no joke, especially when you're dealing with a temporary structure such as an in-water boat show, which is where a lot of my experience lies. Time management, organization of different parties, adhering to the natural elements like rain, wind, and so on — they all play a huge role in the success of these events.

“Another thing I've learned marketing luxury products, and this may be a silly or an obvious one, but people love free stuff. They absolutely go bananas for it. So a lot of times this feels like it's the way to their hearts and it's incredible the way that millionaires, just like the everyday person, goes to great lengths for a hat with a logo on it, for example. So my point in saying this is that I highly recommend for exhibitors to set aside some budget for swag, just to give out at these trade shows.

Because it's literally walking marketing. You give it to one person, they throw it on. Somebody sees its and says to themselves, “Hey, that's a nice looking hat. I want to get that.” And they might come to your booth for the hat. But they'll stay for the product. So I strongly believe in the swag.

And remember that it's a representation of your brand. Especially if you sell a luxury product, make sure that your swag is high quality. That's a big one.

And then another thing I've learned kind of keeping on that same theme is the power of events and socials. So again, I'm going to suggest that budget be set aside always at trade shows for some kind of private event or social gathering that allows salespeople to engage with their prospects in a laid back setting. This is a lot of the times where the trust is established, and that is obviously key for making the sale, especially for an emotional purchase or a big purchase. So that's definitely a game changer, and I know it's one of the things that a lot of salespeople will ask for and rely on the most.

“I'll round this out with something I've learned, which is kind of a, from a sales perspective, and it's never judge a book by its cover. I mean, I think that at these events, of course, it's important to be efficient with your time, figure out what your qualifying questions are when coming across a visitor to able to be to be able to be qualify them, but never judge based on appearance or clothing.

“Because I've seen a lot of instances where, you know, the guy dressed like he's been lounging at home all day will come in and end up buying the big ticket item. This is something all the good salespeople know, but it's often overlooked, I think.”