Benefits of participating in Exhibition
1. Why go to Exhibitions?
Promoting your product or service through exhibitions, trade shows, open or counter days, offers excellent opportunities to increase exposure and sales. Exhibitions remain the most powerful and cost effective method of reaching key decision makers directly.
Ensure you maximize the return from your investment.
We can provide highly creative visual, yet
cost effective solutions for all, regardless of stand size, using:
Display Banners
Pop ups
Large Format Prints
Panel and pole Systems
2. Know your objectives beforehand
What is your target:
Launching a new product or service?
Raising company profile?
Generating Sales leads or direct sales?
Reaching a new target market or audience, or contacting a new market.
Assessing the competition?
3. Which Exhibitions to attend?
Exhibitions provide an excellent platform for potential clients to experience, at first hand, your product or service. You need to identify and find out as much information as is available.
How well established is the event and what promotional plans are the organizers undertaking?
What is the breakdown profile of visitors, is it ABC audited? And how many market leaders or competitors attend?
Is it supported by Trade Associations, Professional organizations or Publications?
What was the previous year's attendance?
Which press and media attend?
What is included in the cost?
Exhibitions provide the following additional benefits: Highly targeted audience, over 90% of visitors are directly responsible for purchasing decisions
Clients come to you through face-to-face contact - build customer relationships
Greater potential market penetration
4. What are the true costs of participation?
These can include:
- Space costs
- Stand costs - design and construction, graphics etc.
- Services (power, electricity, communication)
- Show linked marketing - promotion, advertising, literature, giveaways etc.
- Training
- Accommodation and subsistence
- Catering and hospitality
- Storage and Transportation
- Insurance/Security
Of all the above costs, the only items offering long-term re-use at other venues are Stand Costs and Graphics. Consequently, consider allocating the budget appropriately .
5. What type of stand should I choose? - Stand Size & Layout?
An effective stand:
Creates the right environment and atmosphere for both visitors and staff
Considers its position relative to competitors and aisle traffic
Creates focus points and a welcoming atmosphere
Draws visitors in Professionally designed and produced graphics can Create a Lasting Impression for any exhibition stand.
Pop Up displays, Roll Up banner Stands are a great way to promote your business.
They are cost effective, portable and give a unique look (www.displaybannerstands.com).
6. Effective Planning and Preparation?
Consider the following:
- Plan ahead - allow for up to 9 - 12 months for new or large events or 3 - 6 months for regular or smaller exhibitions.
- Appoint an Exhibition Co-ordinator to have overall responsibility for organizing the stand and show staff.
- Set Measurable Objectives - from your corporate objectives, set targets in the forms of enquiries, sales, exposure in media etc. to measure the exhibitions success.
- Prepare a written Plan/Brief - space requirements, design, products, on site services (power, water etc.), staffing levels, show linked marketing, data capture, and evaluation criteria, action plan - timetable, key tasks, persons responsible for them, deadline for completion.
7. At the Event - creating the Lasting Impression and The Art of Attraction?
Your display, your floor show and your special offers can only do so much to attract potential custom, the rest is up to your people.
Ask open ended questions, don't allow visitors to answer just "yes" or "no". The phrase "can I help you?" has very rarely worked. Your body language is as important as what you say. Try to develop a way of making eye contact with potential clients, while still talking to an existing visitor. Practice passing on a visitor to other staff thus freeing up your front line troops to bag another potential customer.
Build in time for you and your staff to walk around the show, you may find potential new business in and on other stands, or even new suppliers. Always be prepared: the next enquiry could be the big one.
8. Measuring the Success?
Consider:
- Generate quantified results from your participation
- How many leads did you take? - track all generated enquiries.
- What was the cost per enquiry?
- What exposure did you achieve - trade publications etc?
- How many were new prospects?
- Were objectives achieved?
- How as the stand received - visitors, stand personnel, management etc?
- What were your conclusions of the show?
- How can you improve future performance?
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