Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Before the event
• Method 2 of 2: During the event
• Tips
• Warnings

Whether it's a convention, festival, or fair, a tent is a great way to promote your product, organization, or business. Planning and preparation is the key to being perceived as a professional and attracting the attention you want.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Before the event

1. 1 Find the right activity for your tent. If you can go to a similar event as a regular visitor, do so. Pay attention to other representatives.Take a notebook and sheets of paper with you, take notes on what you like about the booths and tents, and think about what you could do better. Also be mindful of your audience. Competitions, demos, and trial products for the elderly will differ from those offered for teens, young adults, and other age groups.
2. 2 Sign up in advance. Find out in advance what it takes to pitch your tent at the event you want to attend. Also, apply in advance and pay the fee.
   • Now is the time to contact the event organizers for any additional requirements. If, for example, you need light or electricity in your tent, be sure to ask ahead of time. If you need a sound system, cooling, transportation, or anything other than your intended space, ask now!
   • If you have a chance to choose a tent site, choose where there will be most traffic. If you cannot do this, choose a site near other tents that will attract the category of people you need.
3. 3 Keep track of expenses that are associated with the event, including tent rental, travel, hotel, sample items, entry fees, etc.When the activity is over, you will want to compare the costs and benefits of other activities and decide if you want to repeat.
4. 4 Make your reservation. If you need to travel for this event, book accommodation, plane tickets and rent a car. Large-scale events can fully provide all services close to the venue, so once you are sure to show up at the event, make sure you have all these conditions.
   
5. 5 Collect or make your goods. Your products will depend on the type of event and what you are advertising, but consider the following:
   • Identify yourself clearly. Banners and identification marks. You should have at least one large banner that shows who is advertising what. Additional posters will provide the audience with other important information. Don't expect everyone passing by the tent to read a lot of text. Instead, use large, eye-catching pictures, and leave the text details for the flyers. Posters in the same style will help create a unique and finished look for your tent.
     
   • Multicolored stickers. Free items. The classic way to attract people to your tent is to offer something for free. Samples of your topic would be ideal. Useful items (pens, T-shirts, bags) with your name and printed symbols can serve as a constant reminder or even a walking advertisement. Even inexpensive sweets or a plate of snacks can attract people.
     
   • Literature. If you want people to contact you or remember you after the event, get ready to hand out business cards, flyers, or brochures to get your message across. Take more of them if you think they might come in handy.
   • Demonstrations. If you can showcase something that is relevant to your organization (such as a product or service) or show the results of a successful project, bring them to the event and share them. It is best if you somehow allow guests to participate in your presentation, perhaps give a taste of what you are promoting.
   • You are next. Contests. Make them to attract people to your tent. With the big prize lottery, you can find many useful contacts for yourself. Even if the competition is bean bang tos or mini golf, you can captivate people for a while and have time to talk to them and let them know what you are doing here.
     
   • Place under a canopy. Canopy.If your event is outdoors, you will definitely need a portable awning, awning or gazebo to keep out the sun (or rain). It also makes you look more formal and professional. If you can match the colors of your organization, or choose just bright hues, it will help make your presence more visible. Check in advance how much space you can take.
     
   • Table and chairs. The organizers can either provide them or not. If you don't know for sure, ask.
   • Protection from adverse weather conditions. If your tent is outdoors, you may need a paperweight to press down on papers, clips and pins to hold the tablecloth and banners in place. And of course, dress according to the forecast weather.
   • Come prepared. If you know you will be assembling your own tent and table, as well as attaching posters, make sure you bring the right tools with you. Screwdrivers, pliers, and an adjustable wrench may come in handy. You may also need scissors, tape, pins, and rope. If you don't know exactly what you will need for your tent, try putting it up ahead of time at home or in your home office. Note: with the current restrictions on the plane, make sure you hide your tools in your checked baggage and not in your carry-on baggage, thus avoiding the hassle. There is nothing worse if your tent tools are confiscated for security reasons.
     
   • The wheel was invented for a reason. Handcart or cart. Especially if it's a big event, don't count on being able to park close to your tent. A handcart or cart will help you get to the right place.
   • Lighting. If you think you will need lighting, make sure you have an electricity source.
     
   • Water. You will talk a lot and it may be expensive or inconvenient for you to go to the stalls.
   • [[Image: Americana 8287.webp | thumb | How to get there.] The vehicle is big enough to carry everything you need. If you need to rent a truck or van, take care of it in advance.
     
6. 6 Ask for help. If your tent is a success, you will have to talk to a large number of people during the event. Try not to put on a one-man show. Even one single person can help you maintain your presence of mind and voice. If your tent is going to be quite popular, you will need help to make sure that everyone concerned will have someone to talk to without having to wait in a long line. If possible, make a schedule so that people work in short shifts. It is very tiring to stand in one place for a long time and repeat the same thing over and over again.
7. 7 Prepare your assistants. Tell the public what they will offer to the public, who they contact and how, where are the various amenities nearby, and when to arrive. They will talk about your organization as experts and they will be able to conduct a more professional conversation if they are informed, even if they are just volunteers.
8. 8 Dress properly for success! Try to attract nice and appropriately dressed staff to your tent to gain the attention you need. It will set you apart from the maze of other tents and make you part of the show.
   
   • If your organization has a uniform or at least T-shirts, wear them and ask colleagues to do the same. Custom T-shirts are relatively cheap, even if you buy them in small quantities.
   • Dress in the same style. Even if you wear jeans and T-shirts in your organization's colors, it will seem like it was originally intended.
   • Dress professionally. A business suit will show that you have serious intentions and will present your presentation in a different light.
   • Wear a suit or themed outfit. If the event has a festival atmosphere or you have a theater group - wear clown costumes, ball gowns or big funny hats that will attract a lot of attention.
   • If necessary, use the help of professional speaker models. Attractive people who know how to “work” with the crowd can draw the attention of many clients to your tent or your organization. Make sure you get help from professionals who know how to behave properly.

Method 2 of 2: During the event

1. 1 Show up in advance. Allow enough time to pitch your tent and explore all amenities before the crowd arrives. Prepare yourself completely before the doors open - then you won't waste time fiddling with posters and boxes, but you will be able to communicate with potential customers.
2. 2 Examine your tent outside. Once you've set everything up, go outside and look at your tent from the point of view of your visitors. Are your banners clearly visible from all angles? Does your tent look welcoming? Are loose edges sticking out somewhere?
3. 3 Consider visitor routes. Do you want to be at the table, and your visitors will be in front of you, or do you want the table to be in the back of the tent, and you could approach people and invite them to your place?
   
4. 4 Be friendly. Talk to your clients. When they come to your tent, give them a couple of seconds and then say hello. Most likely, they will say hello in return. Then smile and tell us about your tent. Sometimes, if you start talking about extraneous topics, such as what a good day it is or what a cute baby they have, you can distract from your product. After you discuss business issues, you can talk about extraneous topics. Remember to smile and say: "Thank you, come again!". Also, hand the prospect your business card, if you have one, and tell them where you will be next.
5. 5 Communicate your main idea to the client. While you have drawn people to your tent, make sure they leave with a basic understanding of your purpose for being here.
6. 6 Ask people about their interests. This means that you need to start a conversation with them and tell them how your product can help them, provide information, advertise.
7. 7 Hand out flyers, brochures, and other materials. These items will remind you of your organization, provide contact information, and explain your main idea after the event is over.
   
8. 8 Exchange contact information. Tell interested customers how they can reach you and find out how you can reach them. Then make sure someone in your organization makes this contact immediately. This practice will help you later compare the relative effectiveness of each intervention.
9. 9 Clean up your area. Put yourself in the shoes of the attendants at a big event. So at the end of the day, fold down your tent and make sure you clean up all leftovers and debris. Thus, you will show yourself on the good side and will not spoil relations with the organizers of the event and service personnel.
   
10. 10 Write down your impressions. If you set up your tent again, this time write down your main impressions of the event. Write down what you took with you, what you need to take next time, and what you can do without. Write down which methods have worked and which have not. Point out what you learned from this activity. Next time you can use these recordings to make things even better. If someone else will be in charge of the organization, you can give that person advice from what you have learned.

Tips

• Choose a tent that will fit without a fit.In some cities, you will not even be able to use a screwdriver on your own and you will be charged an additional bill for the fact that you can hold this screwdriver. In cases where you still have to pay a fee, use a credit card.
• Enjoy the process. If you enjoy talking to people, it will show up in your presentation and add value to you.
• Collaborate with event organizers, security and nearby tents. Good manners will help you make good connections!
• Consider bringing bottles of nutritious shakes with you - food, like water at an event, will be very expensive and harmful. A small, portable refrigerator that can be hidden under the table is ideal for refreshing drinks. Grab a mint and a mirror to check if your teeth are okay. You will talk to people!
• Mark your equipment clearly and legibly, preferably with indelible ink. Do not leave your tent or your belongings unattended. It often happens that expensive equipment "goes away" during events, especially at the beginning during installation or at the end. Insure your expensive equipment and especially items that can always be stolen, such as laptops - take them with you to your room at the end of the day if the event takes place over several days.
• Take the boxes with presentation materials with you personally. Wear them if you can, check them if you must. Give a presentation CD or DVD to several of your team members. You can then order urgent materials that will be sent to you from the office overnight, but you will lose one day of the event and delivery may be unreliable during the convention. If you must accept delivery, always list your hotel room, but never give the address of the convention itself, as then the package will go through their postal service. And these are the same guys who didn't want to give you a screwdriver (see above). In this case, you will most likely see your package only at the end of the event, if at all.
• It will be good to take your partner or your friend with you to this event! Just in case you need to go to the store, run to the restroom, etc.
• Read about the event itself and its rules. Large-scale events usually run smoothly with each and every one contributing.
• Link your contests and free products to a specific target audience. Are you trying to attract children, professionals or the general public? Will your flyer or gift fit this purpose?
• Keep track of your passion for collecting unwanted items. For some reason, in everyone's excitement from the show, the tenth mouse pad, squeaky toy, or other logo bullshit might sound cute, like cheap plastic necklaces and pewter coins, but when you get home, you'll want to throw it all away. Save yourself from such a fate and say "no" in time.

Warnings

• Do not rely in vain that your things will be safe in the tent. Take your most valuable things with you if you leave. If possible, do not leave the tent unattended in the presence of people. Always cover tables with an opaque cloth before leaving.
• It is almost always easy to get rid of obsessive people who want to talk to you, tell obscene stories or just annoy you by politely listening to them for a while, and then sharply rounding off the conversation with the phrase “Well! All the best to you! " and focusing on the other person. You can start shifting your things. Cut off the person if you have to. Due to a lack of your attention, they almost always go away. You can get rid of really evil people if you smile and firmly say, "Thank you for your opinion, but now you should leave."And as a last resort: say loudly, drawing attention, “I know there is a security service here” The tent owners standing nearby will almost always rush to your aid if the situation gets out of control. If a similar situation occurs in the tent near you, send one person to guard.
• Ignore people who are uninterested or just angry. Take every bad excuse to look into your tent and focus on the next person.
• Bells and whistles will attract people, but make sure they don't drown out what you want to say about your tent.
• "You really going to read all these brochures? "Not every person passing by will be interested in your organization. To waste your time and lure every person who passes by, just let them walk and turn to the next potential client.