Exhibiting at a show is a great way to build brand awareness, showcase your offering and gain new contacts. Here are our top tips…
1. Relevance: look at your ideal customer profile, if they are going to be at an exhibition then you should be too!
2. Give yourself plenty of time to plan – for the big shows you can never be over-prepared
3. Book your stand space carefully – an area up in the corner of the hall facing a wall isn’t going to get the best visitor flow
4. Make people aware of your attendance: send out pre-show e-shots promoting your stand location
5. In your invitation asking people to visit you, include a registration link to make their visit easier by pre-booking
6. Data capture: create a method for getting the contact details of all visitors to your stand
7. Space only vs. shell scheme – shell scheme is fine for the smaller shows and conferences, but for your biggest events book space only and build a custom stand
8. When booking your stand space look at who has already booked in the surrounding areas – make sure they aren’t direct competitors
9. Use social media to increase awareness of your presence – many of the big shows have their own Twitter accounts to interact with visitors and exhibitors
10. Contact journalists within your industry to let them know you’re going to be there and what you are going to be promoting
11. Find out what sponsorship opportunities await – they lie everywhere, from the hall plans and give away bags to the lanyards and floor stickers, give one a go
12. Similarly, talk to the venue about what advertising opportunities exist around the venue – from shuttle bus advertising to floor stickers
13. Create an informal seating/meeting area on your stand where you can invite visiting customers and new enquirers to sit down for a chat rather than standing up
14. Make sure your sales team are well briefed, ensure they understand why you are exhibiting and what you want to gain from doing so
15. Are your competitors at the same show as you? If so you need to up your game and ensure your presence beats theirs
16. Give contact details and corporate branding prominence on your stand design, so even the people passing by can see who you are
17. If possible, try to hold off new product launches until the big shows where you can create a buzz, giving people a reason to visit your stand
18. Use the exhibition as a networking opportunity and a chance to make plenty of industry contacts
19. Carefully consider the lighting on and around your stand in relation to the look you want to achieve, bright and clinical look or warm and soft? This will be determined by the product or service you offer
20. Make sure your team is ‘on brand’ – every one of the staff members on your stand is a brand ambassador and is responsible for your company’s corporate presence at the show
21. Have a wander around and mingle – don’t expect everyone to come to you!
22. Giveaways: everyone loves a freebie! Make it something they want to keep or carry around the show with them
23. Areas of access: keep a generous walk-way area free and don’t block off the sides of your stand, make sure your stand is inviting rather than a barrier
24. Use the data collected at the show to build your database and target them for future shows
25. Follow up: use the data gathered from the show to send out a friendly ‘thank you for visiting us’ mailer