Trade Show Exhibition Tips

Trade Show Exhibition Tips

So we are entering trade show season again and this year there seem to be more than ever to choose from. Exhibitions and trade shows can be a great way to generate leads but can also be a very costly mistake. Personally I have experienced both! I have exhibited and generated more leads than we could fulfil whilst I have also exhibited at trade shows which resemble a wild west ghost town (At one, I am sure I even saw a tumbleweed blow down one of the aisles!).

So we thought we would provide a few exhibition tips direct from our experience here at Igneous Marketing:

Pick the Right Show: So tip one is ensuring you pick the right show to exhibit at. This is not as easy as it once was because of the vast influx of new trade shows. It is therefore very important to ensure you do your research. When talking to the organisers make sure you ask about past exhibitions. Try to get figures around visitors and more importantly who has signed up to attend this year. Are these attendees your type of customer? Are they decision makers?

Another great tip is to try and speak to past exhibitors for a truly unbiased view of the show. You can even ask the organiser how many people rebooked for stands. This is a great barometer of how the exhibitors felt about the previous show.

Location: You location in the hall is key as you must make sure you get the footfall to make the show a success. In our experience the best locations are near the entrance (but this is expensive) or near the restaurant/refreshments. The best place normally is the lecture theatre (if they have one) as often people queue outside and this is a captive audience for you.

Take enough People: It is always better to have more people on your stand than not enough, to capture every potential customer. In lean times these people can canvass the hall and distribute flyers, attempting to drive people to the stand. It is also vital to ensure your staff are easily recognisable as a member of your team. This could simply involve wherein distinctive company colours.

Don’t Cut Costs: If you commit to an exhibition the cost does not end with simply hiring the space. You must make your plot stand out. It needs to be vibrant and buzzing – nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. Try to engage all of the senses especially visually and aurally. Buy graphics, pop ups and try to use plasma screens to catch the eye of passersby. There is nothing worse than a plain white stand with a few pop up banners. Remember this small stand is your shop front, your business encompassed in a 3 x 2 area. Make it memorable. I have seen some awesome examples from replicas of Bars to a complete recreation of a pirate ship!

We hope this gives you a few ideas. If you leave with one piece of advice it would be not to cut corners and stand out.