Experience From My 1st Exhibition Showcasing Tenicity
This week, I had the amazing opportunity to showcase my company, Tenicity during Super Bowl week in Minneapolis as part of the Startup Showcase of the North event.
The evening kicked off with the lead speaker from the Minnesota Government encouraging Minnesotans to be proud of their entrepreneurial heritage and to be bold to go after their ideas and positively impact this region, its citizens, and the world! There are currently 1800 tech startups based in Minnesota and several have gone on to become leading companies globally in their fields. It was an encouraging message to start the evening!
I was proud to showcase Tenicity’s tennis player development platform alongside other leading sports tech startups in football, basketball, hockey and other sports (see complete list of participating companies below).
This was my 1st exhibition and leading up to the event, I had a lot to think through with developing our branding materials. The timeline to prepare was short, but fortunately, with the help of a friend and designer who previously worked in the tennis industry, we were able to develop our designs and messaging for Tenicity’s banner and flyer (see banner pic below). Once the designs were ready, we worked with a local printing shop to get the right specifications in place and test the print quality. There are many decisions along the way, including using an online service vs in-store, cost of materials etc. and it can all be quiet challenging for an entrepreneur who doesn’t really have a marketing budget. But in the end, finding the right fit with your team and developing materials that you can be proud off and happy with, is the key, and I’m glad that I experienced this!
In setting up my space, I think adding a personal brand touch to the tablecloth is a great idea. My wife had one with a tennis theme and racquets and she suggested that I use it, which worked out great! Other companies had their branding on their tablecloth. Also, a large monitor is a good option and I used mine to showcase aspects of our platform that were easy to see for the attendees. The flyers were great as well to use as a visual reference during the conversations and as a takeaway for interested parties.
My one key learning from the experience is to think clearly and strategically about the key message or messages that you want to deliver in the 1–2 minutes that you will get with the people who stop by. Also, in terms of display materials, less is more and keeping a clean look to the space drives attendee focus to your key points (see pic below on our space display).
Overall, it was a fantastic experience and we’ve made several contacts that have expressed interest in the company and offered to make introductions to tennis programs in High Schools, Colleges, and Clubs. Our key value is that we support a structured development program at all skill levels and ages using innovative technology and analytics.
Lastly, I was asked a question in a recent panel discussion about how I manage to dedicate my time to building a new company. The answer is that it comes down to teamwork. I wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of my family. Behind every entrepreneur, there is a family and team of people who support their vision and help them develop it into an amazing new product and service that one day will positively impact the lives and experiences of many people. Below is a picture of my wife and I at the event and even though she is not part of the Tenicity working team, her efforts and sacrifices have contributed as much to the company’s growth and potential as have those of others on our team.
Thanks for reading through my experience. I look forward to many more such events in different parts of the country and world! I hope my thoughts were also valuable to other entrepreneurs and small businesses who will be showcasing themselves to the world and finding great joy in doing so!
All the best,
Harsh
