I had a preliminary exhibitor list of about a dozen companies posted on my site - until yesterday. I took it down and replaced it with a “coming soon” message. I took it down because I think it was hurting our ability to bring in other exhibitors.

It goes back to the “chicken and the egg” argument, but knowing when to post your exhibitor list is a tough call. It is especially difficult for me because we generate leads for our exhibitors through our Exhibit Hall page. I put a check box next to each exhibitor name and visitors to the site can check as many boxes as they like and request additional information from the exhibitors immediately. Exhibitors love it because they start generating leads as soon as they sign up and attendees love it because they can start their research and evaluation before the show even starts. I want to offer that benefit as soon as possible because it is a major selling point for us - turning their investment in space into a year-round investment that shows results immediately rather than having to wait until the doors of the exhibit hall fly open.

However, when I only have a dozen exhibitors up on the page, I think other companies tend to think, “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?” and then wait to sign up until they see more companies. Trouble is, everyone is doing that - no one wants to jump in the pool first. So I think I will wait until I have about 30 companies signed up to post the list.