Exhibitions and trade shows are a unique chance for potential customers to see, hear, touch and experience your product or service first hand, for the same cost of a colour page ad in a trade journal.
There exists no other way in which you can demonstrate your product or service to so many potential customers in such an effective environment. Nine out of ten visitors to exhibitions have an influence on the buying decision of their company or organisation.
Which Show? Most organisers of shows and exhibitions can supply you with all of the information you will need. Questions to ask are:
Once you have chosen your event, the first thing to do is appoint a show manager to have overall responsibility for organising the stand and show staff.
Decide on your objectives. Are you launching a new product or service, or raising company profile, or contacting a new market, or re-launching existing services, or conducting market research, or measuring the competition. What you want from a show will affect your decision on how to exhibit.
Fix a budget that includes stand hire and design, transport, security, insurance, catering, accommodation and the cost of all the follow up work. Remember, the cost of exhibiting is likely to be roughly four times the cost of the stand/space, so add in a 5% contingency to cover the unforeseen.
Finally book your site as far in advance as possible and choose your stand design and the products to be displayed.
Now is the time to contact Redcliffe. We'll help you take care of those display problems and show you how easy it is to achieve eye catching displays that will make your show a success.
1. Produce a progress calendar and aim to begin your planning up to twelve
months and not less than three months in advance.
2. The earlier you book your site the better the position you'll get. Generally
a central location is best as that's where most visitors will want to go.
Others gain from an entrance or exit position.
3. Remember the little things like vehicle passes and I.D. badges for staff.
There are often only two options of display area. The shell scheme or open space. The shell scheme will give you an enclosed walled area with a fascia board displaying your name and the stand number.
A space is just that, an open area for you to do with as you wish. The size of stand will depend on the nature of your product and the size of your graphics/backdrop. The smallest shell scheme is normally 2 metres x 3 metres. Do remember that shell scheme walls are rarely flat or regularly sized and may require an interior "skin" of nyloop boards.
Find out how easy a banner display stand or pop up system is to use by calling Jo Burr at Redcliffe on (0117) 952 6067. Jo can show you examples of exhibition graphics and modular displays that have proven successful for others and suggest practical ways for you to make your show a success too.
DO - Use the 3 second rule: In the 3 second that it takes for a visitor to pass your stand they have to know who you are, what you do and a good reason for using you.
Have as much lighting as possible, a dark stand is a dead stand.
Keep it simple, at a glance information.
Have a staff rota for rests and walkabouts, more than 2 hours a shift is too much.
Include time for staff to visit seminars or "Meet the Buyer" forums.
DON'T - Put too many staff on the stand at once, it is too intimidating.
Leave personal belongings or litter in full view, take a waste bin.
Just give away your card, write your stand number on it and the name of the show.
The individuals you choose to staff your stand make or break the event. Nothing is more off putting to a visitor than a gaggle of bored, hung over staff sitting around chatting on your stand.
A briefing session is a must to define your targets. Give each person an area of responsibility, front of stand, walkabout duty. An organised stand is actually fun to work on...Honest!
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 also as important as what you say, try to develop a way of making eye contact with potential clients, whilst still talking to an existing visitor. Practice passing on a visitor to other staff thus freeing up your front line troops to bag another passerby.
Don't miss these little tricks for getting the most out of the show: Take a camera, you never know when a local celebrity may wander in unannounced, if you get the shot you could use it again in future publicity.
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.
The whole event will have been a waste of time unless you are prepared to devote as much time and effort to following up your leads as you did for the show.
Generally the first contact should be in writing within the first week. You won't lose any business by being too quick to follow up. Your letter should be an acknowledgement of your meeting and the subjects discussed, this will show the potential client that they are important to you.
You have already spiked their interest at the show, but remember that on average it takes up to 11 separate contacts to secure an order. A successful exhibition can keep working for you long after the event, keep up the PR by sending out photos and press releases of the stand full of people and customer stories of discovering you at the show.
So you've managed to secure an excellent position at the exhibition, the stand looks great (and so it should the amount you've spent on it!). Your marketing material is up to date and you've come up with some fantastic ideas for attracting visitors. So what about your people? There's the usual sales crew, support staff and a couple from admin to make up the numbers. They'll be fine, it's not like it's difficult or anything the customers are coming to us right?!
It's easy to make some very elementary mistakes. Follow the five classic do's and don'ts on working your stand.