You only have 1 chance to make a first impression...and at a tradeshow you may have less than 5 seconds to engage someone as they walk by. One of the best ways to engage is to ask a question.
Ask Qualifying Questions (sample questions—don’t ask all of them)
are you looking for specific solutions or shopping for ideas?
what solutions are you specifically looking for at the show?
what problem are you trying to solve?
is this a priority/what makes this a priority?
what does your organization do?
where are your headquarters?
how many employees do you have?
who are your customers? (consumer, business-to-business)
what is your area of responsibility within the organization? (title/area of responsibility)
what is your familiarity with us?
what is your current focus (business initiatives/issues) within the organization?
who or what is driving the focus or initiative?
what is the level of support within the organization for this initiative/focus?
what sort of initiatives have you implemented in the past?
what was the outcome/success of that initiative?
how have your initiatives aligned with your mission/vision?
what does your organization have to do to remain competitive in the future?
who else in the organization may be helpful in achieving these objectives?
Note: Remember, the objective is to identify needs and problems versus applying a solution to a situation. Use as many open ended questions and clarifying questions as possible
Have an easy to understand positioning statement about your organization—one or two sentences