Trade show support for South Coast businesses
So you never have to ask "was that trade show worth it?"
I help businesses that exhibit every year turn their stand into real sales opportunities: the right show, the right people, one clear message, and follow-up that actually happens.
20+ years shaping product, marketing and sales success for brands like Garmin, Samsung and Vodafone.
You go every year. Your competitors are there. But can anyone say if it paid back?
Most businesses wing it. Not because they don't care, but because the show creeps up in the diary and there's a day job to do. Sound familiar?
Before the show
The stand fills with the wrong people
Pen collectors, people on their way to the loo and, if you're really unlucky, your competitors.
On the day
Everyone says something different
Five people on the stand, five versions of what you do. Visitors walk away none the wiser.
After the show
The leads die by email three
A couple of emails, no phone calls, and two weeks later the hot leads are stone cold.
How I help
Three steps to a show that pays back
I look at your show through the eyes of a visitor, then work with you to close the gaps, so your stand solves their problem, is easy to understand and creates sales opportunities long after the show.
Plan
Pick the right show, decide who you want to meet, and run a six-week campaign to get them booked in before the stand is even built.
Prepare
One clear message, rehearsed, so everyone on the stand is singing from the same hymn sheet and qualifying visitors before the badge gets scanned.
Follow up
A follow-up plan your sales team will actually use, and numbers your board can trust.
What good looks like
Shows that paid for themselves
50
Key decision makers
A defence show on a £10k budget. Booked meetings filled the stand 80% of the time, created multi-million pound opportunities and landed a deal within six months.
4 hours
50 target businesses on site
Instead of going to a show, we hosted our own, with the right audience in the room and multi-million pound opportunities to follow.
£100k
From a £40k show
Garmin at a major consumer show: revenue on the day, and a long tail of sales afterwards.
Beyond the stand
The show is where the gaps show up. The fix is often bigger.
A quiet stand is rarely just a stand problem. Usually it's the offer, the marketing or the sales follow-through. That's where my product, marketing and sales experience comes in.
- Product and positioning: a clear reason for customers to choose you.
- Marketing strategy: budget spent where your buyers actually decide.
- Sales conversion: fewer leaks between first hello and signed deal.
Free tools
Start with something useful
Customer gap assessment
Find out where, and why, you're losing new business, with fixes you can act on. Done personally by me.
Get your free assessment →
Trade show prep guide
A one-page guide to get everyone on your stand singing from the same hymn sheet.
Get the free guide →Is this show worth it?
A quick scorecard to see whether your next show is set up to pay back, before you sign the cheque.
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Hi, I'm Theo.
I've spent 20+ years shaping product, sales and marketing success for brands like Garmin, Samsung and Vodafone.
At a trade show, your next customer could be less than three metres away. But don't forget, so is your competitor's stand.
Let's make sure they choose you.
Got a show coming up, or one that didn't pay back?
A free 30-minute review. No pitch, just an honest look at your show.