Trade Show Planner: Hotel Reservations
Your 12 month trade show checklist
Making hotel reservations is just one task in a large checklist you’ll need to complete as a trade show exhibitor. Review my entire pre-show, on-site, and post-show checklist of exhibitor planning activities.
Trade Show Planning:
Make Hotel Reservations
6-3 MONTHS TO GO. PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES.
The hotel that show management selects as the show hotel can fill up quickly. Making hotel reservations for you and your team four to six months before a large trade show can help ensure you not only stay in the show hotel but also receive the early bird discount.
How early you make the reservations depends on the show's size, the number of rooms in the show hotel as well as across the city, and the number of flights going to that location.
If you are exhibiting at CES, produced by the Consumer Technology Association, in Las Vegas, the show hotel may already be full a year in advance. While Las Vegas has many hotels, you may have to stay ten miles off the strip if you wait. While CES is a vast show, there are always many flights going to Las Vegas, so that may be less of a concern.
Suppose you are going to a regional show in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In that case, there are fewer hotels and flights. But, since there are also fewer events taking place simultaneously, securing a hotel room and flight closer to the time of the show should not be a problem.
Some exhibitor managers make hotel reservations for their company's attendees. As I mentioned in Registering Your Booth Staff, by doing it yourself, you know that the task is complete and everyone has a room. However, it is your choice.
If you are not going to make the hotel reservations for your staff and management team, make sure to provide them with all the details and deadlines they need to do it themselves. For example, be sure to give them the deadline for discounted reservations, the date the show begins, the date the show ends, etc.
While these people are adults and you shouldn't need to stay on top of them, you may have to do that so everything runs smoothly, and you all have rooms.
Since some reservations may be made by you and some by the attendee, I recommend you create a spreadsheet listing each participant, their arrival and departure details, the hotel name and reservation number, and an emergency contact.
Learn more.
Read Chapter 17 of Trade Show 411 to get insider tips on selecting the right hotel.
CONTINUE YOUR TRADE SHOW PLANNING WITH RELATED CHECKLIST ITEMS.
Are you new to trade show exhibiting and feel completely overwhelmed?
Trade Show 411: The Essential Guide to Exhibiting Like a Pro is a must-have for marketers and small business owners. It gives you both the strategy and action plan to set you off on the right foot. By linking your pre-show marketing strategy to onsite activities and post-show follow-up, you’ll get the most out of your sales and marketing efforts and maximize your trade show results.
