How to Lessen Loss Exposures at Trade Shows

Trade shows are great ways of advertising your company and your new products. They let you network and make new contacts, both with other businesses and with potential new customers. However, they are also a potential source of loss: both in terms of not being worth the time and money you are devoting to presenting at the show, and in having items, potentially expensive ones, stolen from your booth. Careful planning is the key to reducing both these kinds of losses.

• 1

  Research the show you want to attend carefully. Make sure that the attendees are customers you want to target for your product. This will help ensure your attending the show will be worth your time and money.

• 2

  Articulate specific goals for your participation at the trade show. What do you want to accomplish by being there? Establishing quantitative goals, such as collecting a certain number of addresses or handing out a certain number of brochures, will help hone your participation.

• 3

  Bring the minimum of expensive equipment that you need. Most trade shows state clearly in your participation agreement that they provide security at the entrances of the show only. Any losses from your booth are not their responsibility. So, bring only the minimum of equipment that thieves would want (projectors, laptops, other expensive electronics) that will still allow you to do business.

• 4

  Plan booth shifts for your employees so that enough people are at the booth to both engage with participants interested in your product, and to keep an eye on your equipment. Additionally, make sure that your staffing can afford a member falling ill or being injured during the show. If you don't have enough people at your booth, such a distraction could provide a thief just the opportunity he needs to steal something expensive.

• 5

  Take all items you can effectively carry with you each night when you leave a show. While shows will offer internal security features, such as locking cages and cabinets, they will not take responsibility for anything taken from them. Cage wire can be cut by the bolt cutters of a show worker with a criminal record. Keys for locking cabinets can be generic, and there are a number of them floating around. The less you leave over night, the less you can lose.