Once you locate the best trade show for your company and get your display design underway, it's time to approach your waste management trade show marketing. With the right waste management trade show marketing plan, you can attract corporate purchasing agents and business owners looking for new services for their companies.

To make the most out of your participation and maximize your waste management trade show sales, you need to market yourself before the show as well as at the show. Focus your waste management tradeshows advertising in a number of ways, and you're sure to have both new and returning clients visit your booth:

1. Sponsor a trade show as a great waste management tradeshow marketing opportunity.

2. Reach out to the industry through your waste management tradeshow marketing.

3. Create a buzz with your waste management trade show giveaways.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find waste management trade shows advertising opportunities through sponsorships

Show organizers are always looking for sponsorships for their trade shows. With a sponsorship, you can increase your exposure through pre-show marketing coverage, large ads in the show guide and a good spot on the show floor.

I recommend: Get noticed through obtaining a sponsorship at the Waste to Fuels conference and tradeshow, or download the marketing guide at Waste Expo's website to learn about sponsorship and other opportunities at this high-exposure tradeshow. If your budget doesn’t allow you to purchase a pricey sponsorship, the Solid Waste Association of North America’s Thinking Outside the Blue Box Conference has sponsorships available for under $300, or you can customize your own sponsorship program if you would like. For a regional show, you can sponsor the Illinois Recycling and Waste Management Conference & Trade Show and receive advertising on their website throughout the year.

Increase waste management trade show sales by targeting industry publications and organizations

For your waste management tradeshow marketing plan to be successful, you have to reach out to the industry as a whole. If you create name recognition and advertise your upcoming tradeshow exhibits, potential clients know where to find you - and are likely to seek your booth out.

I recommend: You can find multiple advertising opportunities through the Air and Waste Management Association, a leading industry organization that also hosts trade shows and conventions throughout the year. To reach waste professionals of all types, promote your trade show exhibit in Waste Age. Download its free media kit to see if this publication is a good advertising opportunity for your company.

Use waste management tradeshow giveaways to emphasize the green nature of your company

When you're in the waste management industry, being green is an important thing. One way to make sure your potential clients remember your environmentally-friendly policies is to make your waste management tradeshow promotions reflect that, such as choosing recycling-themed green products for these giveaways.

I recommend: Hand out green imprinted promotional items such as recycling bin magnets, notepads made form recycled paper or buttons with a recycling theme from Recycled Products. ePromos also has an extensive line of waste management tradeshow giveaways with a recycling theme, including a recycling guide that would keep you in your customers' minds for years to come.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Hold a drawing for special services or products to get names and contact information for waste management tradeshow follow-up.

While the current electronic age holds the promise of a "paperless world," most small businesses have yet to touch down on that particular planet. Whether you're a solo practitioner or a growing manufacturer, streamlining your company's waste flow can spur growth and efficiency.

Following the three Rs — Reduce, Reuse and Recycle — will have your company's output toned and fit in no time.

The benefits of efficient waste management include:

1. Producing less waste means less time spent managing it – or paying someone else to store or dispose of it.
2. Reduced paper and other clutter means less time wasted searching for necessary items and more time building your business.
3. Adopting a new, eco-friendlier or more efficient policy offers great PR opportunities.
4. The bottom line: efficiency costs less and earns more.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a waste removal solution easily online

All trash removal services are not the same. Shop for best service and prices for the type and volume of waste your business produces.

I recommend: Waste Nations has a network of top trash haulers throughout North America ready to provide a full range of waste removal services. This one-stop waste management solution offers free quotes within 24 hours.

Be proactive and pare down

Having your business waste hauled away probably costs you money. The more waste, the more it costs. An ounce of waste prevention can save your business a ton. Do a waste audit. Look for ways to decrease waste.

I recommend: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WasteWise program offers tips on business waste reduction and prevention. One key way to accomplish this is to invest in high quality scanners to back up paper data - check out HP's Digital Sender – a workhorse designed just for this purpose.

Assess what can be reused and recycled

Implementing a company-wide recycling program doesn't have to be complicated; a few phone calls to your building manager or municipality to determine your options should get you started. Then e-mail a memo asking staff to participate.

I recommend: The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) offers great tips on going green and getting employees to get with the program. Check out Throwplace.com, the "Internet's landfill alternative," for a list of items to donate.

Unload excess stuff

All businesses need a cost-effective contractor to dispose of waste. Some contractors serve specific industries, so check with your local municipality or state EPA for green disposal services.

I recommend: Check the EPA's WasteWise Resource Management section to find an eco-friendlier resource management contractor. Contact your state's EPA to find industry-specific contractors specializing in waste disposal for your company.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  For a business investment that's never wasted, be sure to back up all electronically stored data. System crashes are often described as 'when' rather than 'if.'
• •  Donate used items to charitable organizations and gain: feel-good waste reduction, a tax write-off, and positive buzz for your biz.
• •  Seemingly small steps like refilling ink and toner cartridges and switching to electronic document storage can ultimately yield big savings.
• •  Start an incentive program for employees to participate in a recycling program and offer rewards to the biggest contributors.
• •  Examine how other companies manage waste and implemented recycling programs to see what worked (and didn't) for them.