Making Exhibitions Work for You

For the business that is looking to make a big impression in its industry, looking for networking prospects and looking to make a splash on a local, national and international scale; getting involved in trade shows and exhibitions is a strategic move that is laden with opportunity.

Making the move into this territory will improve your business visibility and credibility at the heart of the business community. As well as this, you gain a chance to meet prospective clients and customers, catch up with existing working partners and give your business a valuable opportunity to transform your brand into an established name.

Regardless of your reasoning behind getting involved in trade shows and exhibitions, having the right set-up is crucial to your success. Having a custom exhibition stand is the perfect addition to your marketing arsenal to ensure you sell your business and services in a professional way on the day.

When you maximise the potential of your event set-up, you will attract the footfall and attention you need to make your next event a success. In order to make every exhibition work for you, we have some tips for you below:

• Include these events as part of your business marketing plan, and work according to strategy to ensure your purpose is focused on the day
• Send the members of staff that can offer the most. Sending a part-time admin assistant won’t always be as beneficial as someone who is heading up a critical department
• Send your best sales staff to schmo­oze the crowds and generate genuine business leads that could prove to be lucrative to your business. The visitors at these trade shows are actively seeking out business services and products like yours, so the hard sell might be much easier in this environment
• Set clearly defined sales goals before the event, but don’t disregard visitors that don’t necessarily meet these objectives
• Follow up all exhibition interactions; you never know where the next sale could be
• Where possible, set-up meetings with prospective clients on the day; it is always easier to make important connections when face to face, as many people find it hard to say no
• Scope out the competition, making notes on their service and how they interact with passers-by to get a handle on their sales patter – this is invaluable market research
• Evaluate your own performance against your objectives; this is important data to capture as it can be used to assess the feasibility of future events when looking at expenditure and return on investment
• Where you exhibit is important. Choosing pitches next to household or well-known brands will position your business in the right way. Choose somewhere visible and near communal areas to make the most of visitors  at all times
• Utilise your social media presence to make your customers and prospective clients aware of your attendance
• Choose the right shows for your needs. Attending all events can be costly, so evaluate their worth before applying for your pitch. There’s no point spending money on a custom exhibition stand for it to go to waste at the wrong show! Check the exhibitors list beforehand.

With the right strategy, exhibition team and set-up, your business will soon be reaping the benefits of the trade show circuit.

If you are interested in making a name for yourself at your next event with a bespoke set up, please contact our design team on 01733 570222.