It doesn’t matter what industry you belong to, business exhibitions are an invaluable part of the sales and marketing mix. These events provide an opportunity to connect with the industry leaders, customers and competitors who are shaping the future in your field. As the years go on, the standard has certainly elevated, and so you do not want to fall short in your business presentation. Today we are going to discuss how to prepare for a business exhibition and how you can make your presence known!
Professional presentation
What kind of message is the presentation of your brand sending to your customers and peers? How a brand presents itself is always going to go a long way in shaping public opinion, which is why you want to exude professionalism. Using Express Lanyards will not only inform your exhibition colleagues about who you are and what you do, but it makes your audience and customers trust your authority.
You also want to have great audio-visual components at your exhibition stand, as well as brochures and flyers. All of them should be professionally edited, you may refer to product or even wedding photo retouching services that guarantee high quality and fast turnaround. Rather than having physical brochures and flyers, have a QR code so that your audience can access this information on their device. This means they can peruse the information at their own leisure, and it saves them from lugging around lots of flyers that might end up in the bin.
Create a pre-exhibition buzz
Do your customers, clients, partners and competitors know that you are attending an upcoming business exhibition? If not, be sure to communicate to the masses well in advance so that they can plan to attend. If you are in an industry where a lot of your dealings are done by appointment, online or remote – giving your audience the notice to come in and meet you directly will be valued. It is also a great way to get your profile out there and show the industry that you are a key player, and confidence in your brand and what it can offer. You can do this through social media, email communications and even reaching out to your customers directly.
An exhibition offer
Have you considered an exhibition offer to entice customers and clients to act then and there? You might like to extend a discount for all who sign up for your product or service on that day, or perhaps you have a free product or service to offer customers. This is not only going to excite your audience, but it means that you are not lost on the day to your neighbouring exhibition stalls who have great offers. If there is an opportunity to communicate this offer to the exhibition organiser ahead of time, they may even be able to tease this out in the overall communication strategy. These sales, offers and discounts can often have a huge impact on the day.
If you do choose to have QR codes for your point of sale, then perhaps you can market some exclusive offers to the people who scanned the QR codes and viewed your materials on the day. This is a great way to continue the conversation with your audience after the exhibition is over.
Provide refreshments
It would be fair to say that most trade show attendees will spy on the stalls that have food and drink. After all – it can be a long day and sometimes the food at the venue is expensive or in limited supply. Reserve some space in your stall area to accommodate a refreshment area. All you need to provide is something that is easy to grab and go, and if you can swing it – something that reflects your brand in some way. If you operate in the healthcare space, then fruit and water would be a great idea. A wedding planning business might like to offer heart-shaped cookies, and a corporate company might offer a coffee station. Get creative and do not forget to chat with your customers and clients who stop by for the refreshments!
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We hope you are feeling excited about the upcoming business exhibition and have many ideas bubbling away on how you can actively engage your audience. Feedback forms are also a great way to gauge how you performed on the day, so be sure to collect some feedback to apply to your next trade show!
