Entrepreneur

7 Ways to Get the Most Out of Exhibiting at a Trade Show

Do it right, and a trade show can lead to more funding, new customers and lots of buzz.

Since debuting their cloud-based coordination and communication platform for senior-care providers at a regional trade show in 2012, Asif Khan and Fahad Aziz have raised $2.5 million, won multiple awards and acquired more than 100 U.S. facilities as customers. But that doesn't mean they've outgrown the exhibition halls. To this day, they trumpet their web and mobile health solutions at trade conferences around the country, hitting an event devoted to assisted living every month or two--and paying up to $4,000 per show in registration fees alone.

"That's where we get most of our leads," says Khan, founder and CEO of Caremerge, which is based in Chicago and San Francisco. "If you're a regular at these trade shows, you start to become a household name. You start to generate the buzz you want."

Exhibitionist: Asif Khan of Caremerge.
Exhibitionist: Asif Khan of Caremerge.
Photography by Kevin J. Miyazaki

This isn't just about , though. For Khan, industry expos are the best possible venues for zeroing in on Caremerge's ideal prospects and partners. Rather

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