How to be successful at Industry Trade Shows

Choosing the right location at Industry Expo’s and networking events is one of the most important things to get right to enable businesses to be successful at attracting and engaging with potential customers. This guide will help by giving useful pointers to enable you to stay ahead of competitors.

Firstly it is often useful to visit the venue during another similar sized show to help distinguish where the main areas of footfall could during your show. It is also a good idea to take a note of areas which don’t get much traffic, and try to avoid these positions at all costs. Also at really large shows, visitors will simply not have enough time to visit all areas of the venue, due to the sheer size of the building so bear this in mind when choosing a location.

It is sometimes worth considering that busy areas of shows can often be found near the outskirts of venues, next to amenities such as toilets or food and drink stalls; however remember to estimate how busy a show may be as these areas often become too congested.

Many visitors avoid stands directly in front of the entrance as they are interested in getting to the “main” areas of the show, especially if they are short on time; in this case it is worth considering a corner stand as they can be more welcoming due to their openness.

As you would expect, visibility is key so try to book a position that can be seen easily such as facing down an aisle or at the bottom of staircases, avoid booking a position that is facing away from the main area of the show, no matter how much cheaper the position is, it is unlikely to bring in any new business.

A common misconception when booking positions is to choose a position that is some distance away from competitors, remember that you are likely to be competing for the same customers so by being close together is more likely to have a positive result for you. If there are no major competitors at the event then consider being near to a company that sells related products to your own, for example if you were an office furniture company contemplate placing yourself next to a computer provider or office stationary company for maximum results it could also lead to useful relationships with these organisations resulting in mutual benefits for all.

Finally if you are a large company that has a number of smaller operating divisions it could be useful to have a number of smaller stands to attract a specific customer segment, rather than have one large staff that attempts to be all things to all people.

Choosing the correct position for your trade show can be difficult, thankfully the Envisage exhibition stand design service can help, we offer an end-to-end service, from design to the building and placing of your exhibition stand.

For more information visit www.enviz.co.uk or call 01782 213444.

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