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What are the goals
from the exhibition?
Ensure that your exhibition goals adhere to your core marketing
objectives.
Exhibitions are probably
just one element of an overall marketing campaign and thus need
to ensure that they help achieve your marketing aims and objectives.
Don’t enter
into an exhibition without considering what you want the end result
to be.
Here are some reasons why companies exhibit:
- High-profile product
launches
- Increase demand
for the product
- Educate the target
market
- Obtain research
from the target market
- Communicate a corporate
image
How to display your
products without cluttering your stand.
In a perfect world, your exhibition stand would only feature a
couple of products. However, as we know, other pressures often
ensure that this isn’t possible.
When you have a relatively
small exhibition booth and a lot of products to exhibit, there
are a few tricks you can employ to make the most of your space:
- Use the back wall
of your stand to hang your products. As well as creating an
interesting backdrop, this frees up valuable space.
- Try to incorporate
steps into your stand; you can then use them to display exhibits.
- Put some thought
into the design of the booth. Elements such as drawers and stands
can be used to mount products.
I’m not happy
with the placement of my stand. Is there anything I can do?
Most organisers will operate on a first come, first served basis.
So to get the stand you want, you really should book it well in
advance. Of course, it is not always that simple. If you have
been assigned a mediocre space and would like one with a better
profile, let the show organisers know the size of the booth you
would ideally like and get yourself on a waiting list. Exhibitors
do drop out of shows and the vacant space needs to be filled.
Make sure you are ready to move stands and wait to act if anyone
drops out. You should bear in mind that moving stands at late
notice can work be quite costly. Are the extra costs involved
less than the opportunity cost of not moving?
Should I promote
my special offers?
It is absolutely essential that any special offers be communicated
with your audience. Your stand should follow the same principles
as any good retail outlet.
Place signs on the outside of your stands to tell potential customers
of your special offers and they will come and see you. Everyone
likes the idea of saving money!
I need somewhere
private to talk to potential clients
There are many ways you can fragment your stand. One excellent
way is to use blinds as walls in order to make intimate meeting
rooms. This technique was employed by the Exhibition Director,
for the CBI conference/ exhibition at The ICC in 1996.
“By using blinds to separate your stand, you create the ideal
room for informal meetings. They are not sound proof, but they
don’t have to be.”
I want my stand
to be different
For most industries the aim is to make their stand as prominent
as possible.
What do you do if you
find your stand is the same as most others and there is no apparent
reason for this? If you want your stand to break out of this uniformity
and are facing opposition, what do you do?
- Audio/Visual displays
can add a new dimension to your stand and can make visitors
stop for a while.
- On-Site Massage
from Sense is one of the most cost-effective ways to attract
people to your stand. With the added benefit that after a treatments,
visitors will open up to give you much more information. For
a free quote click here.
- A game or quiz with
a large prize can often attract people to the stand.
How do I get your
customers to recommend me?
Testimonials are regularly used by sales people. They offer a
certain amount of credibility for customers who are, quite understandably,
reluctant to part with their money. Place relevant testimonials
next to your exhibits and let your customers do your selling for
you.
How do I make my
invitations as inviting as possible?
If you have an expert in calligraphy working in your office –
fantastic!
If you don’t, why not use your computer to make it appear
that your invitations have been addressed by hand?
If you use a script-style
font and edit your macros accordingly, the results can be very
impressive.
Four ways to bring
your product portfolio to the show
It might not physically possible to bring every product you produce
to the show and this can cause concerns that potential customers
will think that what is on show is all that you offer. Here are
some ideas on how to show your stand visitors that you offer a
lot more than what is on show:
- Video can be a tremendous
tool. Why not video your products in action and have it running
at the back of your stand?
- Make models of
your products. If you have a huge product you would like to
display, a scaled version can get the message across without
the hassle of getting a ten tonne piece of machinery into an
exhibition hall.
- If you don’t
want to bring masses of product literature to the show, why
not simply get a few thousand show-specific business cards produced.
List all the details on how to obtain further information, so
it’s clear where interested parties can go to if they want
to receive further information.
- It may not be possible
to put a presentation on to CD or even floppy disks. So why
not get an Internet feed. Then all you will require is a PC
to let your visitors browse through what’s on offer.
Is literature on
the product a good or bad thing?
You would think that literature about the products you are pushing
would always be a positive selling tool. However, this is not
necessarily the case. By placing your brochures outside your booth
you are inviting potential clients to grab one, rather than coming
to speak to you.
If you’ve ever
seen the aftermath of an exhibition, you’re probably aware
that a very high percentage this literature ends up either in
a bin or on the floor.
So what’s the
solution? Be clever. If you need to use brochures, stack them
inside the booth or have somebody handing them out to people who
leave the booth. Why not use the web? By creating a website instead
of brochures, all you have to hand out is a card with the addresses
on. People will be a lot less likely to throw away a business
card than they would a weighty brochure.
The best way to
promote your stand at the exhibition
You’ve got the stand you want and you’re happy with
the product range. All you need to do now is get people to the
show.
All venues will have
substantial advertising opportunities available; this is a virtually
guaranteed way to get visitors to your stand. However, there are
a few simple advertising principles that need to be followed -
clarity equals more visits.
Advertisements which
aren’t immediately clear may work well in certain situations
but the hustle and bustle of an exhibition venue is perhaps not
the place. State your message, say where you are and people will
visit.
Use the web
The Internet is a low cost marketing tool that, if used correctly,
can reach thousands.
If your company has a web site, make sure you communicate the
fact that you are exhibiting at an exhibition through the web
site. State where you are and invite visitors to speak to you.
The show itself will
almost certainly have a web site, so get your details on there
if possible.
The venue itself is
vital. Many venue sites will now offer you space on their site,
if you ask – so ask!
A whole new industry
in virtual exhibitions has grown up in the last couple of years.
If the show has a virtual show running along side it, make sure
you are there (many people who register for trade shows never
actually attend. This is the perfect way of communicating with
them.)
Make sure all potential
leads are followed up
It sounds a simple enough concept, but you would be amazed at
the amount of leads that are never followed up. Sources put the
figure as high as 80 per cent, making you wonder why they exhibit.
All good stand managers
will ensure that as part of the preparation of the show, a follow-up
plan has been decided upon.
Getting the attention
of the media
Make sure everybody working on your stand targets people with
press badges. Greet them positively and ensure that a demonstration
is always available there and then. If you ask them to schedule
an appointment, it is quite likely they will never return.
Have your key staff available at all times; make sure they have
their mobile phones switched on permanently.
Get your name known
As with any retail environment, a lot of products and services
are purchased simply because of the customer’s awareness
of the brand.
Exhibitions are no
different. Make sure your name is clear on your stand and get
your brand everywhere, including brochures, advertisements, give-aways,
mailers and hotel door drops.
Make them go where
you want them to go.
You want your salespeople to greet potential customers as quickly
as possible. To predict how attendees of an exhibition will flow
on to your stand can be tricky if it is open from all directions.
By constructing your stand in such a way that there is only one
entrance and one exit, you have a predictable traffic flow. Then
all stand visitors can be greeted and thanked for visiting.
Keep an eye on the
competition
It is important to make sure you know what the competition is
up to. During the show a lot of spies are sent out on fact-finding
missions. It is the best time to do this – most of the competition
being under the same roof.
However, sometimes
not all of the industry’s leading companies are at the exhibition
and it is important to find out why they are not attending. Maybe
absent firms are suffering financial problems and that may present
an opportunity. Maybe, they have deliberately decided to avoid
this particular exhibition. If so, why?
Designing your stand
Ensure that your stand has been designed so that it is your products
are visable from a distance.
Make it easy for a
customer to browse without feeling pressured by salesmen or the
sort of claustrophobic feeling an enclosed stand may give. You
then give customers chance to assess your products and gain advice
from your sales team later when the interest has been captured.
Make sure you use
certified electricians
Ensure that competent electricians who adhere to the ‘Exhibition
Venues Association - Regulations For Stand Electrical Installations’,
undertake all exhibition wiring on stands.
Security tips for
exhibitors
- Do not leave cash,
handbags, valuables etc in unlocked drawers or cupboards on
exhibits in the hall.
- Do not ask your
neighbour to keep an eye on your stand. If they get busy you
could be the loser
- Do not leave your
exhibit at night before visitors are clear of the show.
- Check all lockable
units before leaving the stand.
- Report anything
of a suspicious nature immediately to security by telephoning
the security officer or the organiser.
- The lunch period
1200 – 1400 hours requires particular attention.
- Any exhibitor having
small valuables, which they wish to leave on their stand, should
provide themselves with lockable cabinets or other safe storage.
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