Design a Trade Show Exhibit to Reach More Customers for Your Jewelry Business

If you want to reach more customers, you may want to consider a trade show. According to Business Wire, forecasts project the online jewelry market will grow by $19.88 billion during 2020-2024 – a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 15%. Make your jewelry business a part of that growth explosion with trade show marketing. This type of marketing takes you directly to your target audience, putting you and your jewelry in front of retailers who can display it, promote it, and sell it to consumers.

Participating in a Trade Show

Trade shows offer an opportunity for retailers to see, touch, and wear your jewelry, providing an important experience that can lead them to want your products in their stores. Of those who use trade show exhibits to market their wares, 99% said trade show exhibits offer unique value that other marketing forms do not. To participate in a trade show, you will need an exhibit to set up at the booth space you rent. Most tradeshows only rent you the floor space among other retailers at the same show, while you bring your table, chairs, backdrop, display cases, and products.

Designing a Booth Exhibit

These booth rental fees can cost a few thousand dollars or only a few hundred, but they provide invaluable direct access to individual buyers at retailers across the country or the world. Typically, a jeweler hires a marketing professional to design an eye-catching backdrop, tablecloth, and chair covers for the exhibit. Companies like VistaPrint handle printing, and then ship them directly to the marketing professional or the jeweler who ordered them.

Manning the Exhibit

Only some companies attend trade shows alone. Many jewelry companies hire tradeshow models to do the job of brand ambassadors or product experts. These intelligent people undergo specialized training for each company they represent. Most tradeshow models work for a range of company types, so you might end up hiring someone who also models for Microsoft, a job that requires the individual to obtain Microsoft certification first. Training a brand ambassador to represent your jewelry means creating educational materials that explain how you craft it, the materials used, the meaning behind it, etc.

Along with the tradeshow models, your jewelry company sends a representative who makes or markets the jewelry. This company employee might be the designer if you run a solopreneur shop or a marketing executive in a larger company. It’s your choice who to send, but the most effective individual has an outgoing personality, knows the products inside and out, and holds a high enough position in the company that they can legally sign contracts for it.

Transporting Exhibit Wares

By now, any jeweler attending a tradeshow to offer a booth has a lot of inventory and a full set to transport. Consider purchasing a modestly-sized shipping container to transport it all. According to Container Auction, with regular proper maintenance, a shipping container can last up to 20 years. That means your company will get two decades of use out of your container purchase.

Giving Away Goodies

Most tradeshow exhibits offer small giveaways and contests to encourage tradeshow attendees to stop by their booth. Companies like 4Imprint customize pens, pencils, coffee mugs, water bottles, clocks, and much more for thousands of customers each year. Hold a contest to collect contact information for the individuals who visit your booth and give away a nice piece of your jewelry as the prize. You build a mailing list without really trying by doing this.

Leveraging Tradeshows to Grow Your Jewelry Business

Enjoy the massive growth in the jewelry industry by using tradeshows to grow yours. Mount an exhibit manned by knowledgeable brand ambassadors and a company designer or executive. Use giveaways to entice visitors to your booth and a contest to build your mailing list.