Toronto Trade Shows

Toronto trade shows are held mostly at one of two facilities. The Metro Toronto Convention Center and the International Center.

Forget the value in the Canadian Dollar, this is one of the best cities to either host or attend a show anywhere in North America.

The Metro Toronto Convention Center boasts up to 600,000 square feet of exhibit, meeting, and ballroom space and can host groups of up to 40,000.

The International Center holds over 100 trade and consumer shows per year and provides 500,000 square feet of space in 8 interconnected rooms.

In addition, some of the cities finest hotels can provide excellent packages for hosting corporate events and Toronto trade shows.

To find more information on Toronto Trade Shows click here.

Trade Show Marketing Tip

Selecting where to get your booth space on Toronto trade shows or any show floor is one of the trickiest skills to get good at.

What's interesting is what is true for traffic flow for one show doesn't work for another.

What's true for one convention center isn't true for another.

So here is how I try to go about getting good location.

Things to Stay Away From

• The entrance doesn't work often. People just have walked in the door and aren't oriented yet. They need to get comfortable for a few moments.
  
  
• Same with the exit (generally the same as the entrance) but people have had their fill.
  
  
• Coffee or Food stands. This one can go either way. The main food areas which are cafeteria style will be like a vortex with people going in with a mission. You have to work extra hard to get their attention.
  
  
• The main tent. Here you are fighting the noise of the presentation and people are also here with a mission. You have to work double time to halt them.

Things to Be Close To.

• The center of the hall. Work from the center out. Any aisle is fine. Any corner is fine.
  
  
• A big exhibitor. If you are close to the Microsoft booth in a tech show, you will have more people nearby. Beware of the presentation ring however. Too close, at your peril.
  
  
• A competitor. This works if you have competitive advantage and can put them on the defensive. It can be fun to send people back and forth from your booth to theirs, with them scrambling to be responsive to your new product announcement or pricing action!

And don't forget

If you are at a show. Walk the floor twice each day and specifically watch where the traffic is. How does it flow? When is it busiest? Make some notes. Plan for next year accordingly.

The Most Important Thing to Know About Selecting Booth Location
DO IT EARLY!

Did I say do it early?

You don't have much flexibility if you are coming late to any Toronto trade shows or any popular show.

Many show managers reward their oldest and best exhbitors with their preferred space.

If you are new you have to earn the right to be in a great location.

The longer lead time you give yourself the better your chances will be to get a high value location.

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