Member Article

Do You Use Exhibitions To The Best Potential?

As the summer is creeping upon us, the number of trade shows, business exhibitions and events start to increase. These corporate calendar dates are often viewed as a frivolous, ‘day out of the office’ activity, but when the due amount of care and attention is taken they can be a proactive way of gaining qualified leads.

With footfall numbers falling into 100’s and even 1000’s, you are in a perfect position to create a lasting impression, build the foundations of a solid relationship and harness the potential to give your business the edge over competitors.

Obviously there will be an avalanche of businesses all there with the same intention, so find below some areas that will aid you your quest to secure ROI from business events.

Before The Event

Unfortunately statistics from these shows and exhibitions aren’t evaluated consistently, but it was reported that in 2010, the exhibitions industry generate in excess of £10 Billion. 81% of attendees have buying authority, so how do you engage with them?

It’s worth asking the event organisers if it is possible for you to get a list of attendees in order to connect to using social media platforms. In this instance, using LinkedIn to look at their positions, business they are within and career history is useful, while Twitter gives a far more personal insight. Undertaking a little research can work well for a number of ways, it allows you to effectively plan your day at the exhibition, highlighting key people you would like to get some face time with. It also allows you to strike up meaningful conversations with these individuals, and while they may not end up as customers they have the potential to become great brand advocates.

Be Creative with Your Space

The 6ft trestle table, white table cloth and 2 plastic chairs are beyond outdated. The only impression they are likely to make on those attending is that you are new to this, you haven’t taken the time to effectively plan your stand or you just aren’t an exciting, innovative business.

Using legacy furniture can inhibit any engagement because it causes a barrier and limits assertiveness. 51% of trade show exhibitors said they truly value the face to face meetings that they conduct at these events – it’s important to make your space contusive to these potential activities.

The space that you occupy will say a lot about your company. Take the time to plan the stand, playing with colour, lighting and sound. Incorporating brand colours is a must and it conveys a message of consistency.

Rather than a pile of glossy leaflets that will end up in a desk draw or a bin, opt for interactive, digital presentations on hand held devices (also great for data capture!) Case studies are always captivating and underlines a business’s purpose.

Sometimes the fleeting engagements can go turn into a more lengthy discussion! If you do decide to opt for a seating area, choosing a modern yet relaxed style can be the key to securing a client’s trust and prevent them from feeling any pressure.

What’s your Story?

While a brand logo goes a long way in terms of recognition, 2016 is the year of transparency and its almost expected for a business to have a story to support their branding.

Using your brand story, from start to present day, you can appeal to delegates on a deeper level and move away from any shameless self-promotion and create a long lasting, emotional connection. This theory seems to be strongly supported in the business world –

“Building a powerful brand story is the most effective way to distinguish yourself from the crowd. It creates a strong core for your business and gives your audience something tangible to relate to“ – David Vallance, Digital Impact

“Having a strong brand story is an effective way of communicating who you really are that will help you connect with your audience. It enables you to move beyond the logo, to position your brand in an engaging manner and is a valuable opportunity to explain the motivation behind your company and product.“ – Carla Bradman,Paramount Properties

You aren’t just a provider of a certain service or retailer of a certain product, you are an organisation with challenges and successes. That humanises your businesses. A good brand story means so much more to consumers than cheap prices and showy graphics.

You are vying for attention at these events, not necessarily against your competitors but against other exhibitors – so proving that you are worthy of attendees time is essential.

Think how you can quickly communicate the following –

  • Who you are
  • Why did you start the company?
  • What is the company’s purpose and vision?
  • What are the company’s value and how are these lived?

You have a small window to pique their interest and trust – embrace it.

Take Aways

Things not to order to take to your trade show or exhibition; a branded stress ball, nail file, cardboard coaster. These items will be tossed among many others and eventually tossed out because they are low impact.

Aim to choose items of value and use; I would argue that branded pens are still acceptable, especially high quality ones – I know a businessman that gives out expensive branded Japanese pens instead of business cards. Other items that prove successful are battery packs for smart phones, moleskin notebooks and USB sticks.

“Although technology has moved forward, we haven’t seen a drop in demand for USB sticks. The changes that have happened have surrounded the memory capacity and the requirement for USB that offer more storage. The rise of android smartphones that feature standard micro USB ports means they are still very much relevant. There is still a rising popularity for secure, customised USB sticks, we have worked with a number of large household names that use them for internal and promotional purposes.“ – Richard LeCount, USBMakers

If the event coincides with a new service or product, using it to secure interest by giving a small number away in exchange for a written testimonial will also provide you with all important evergreen web content at a later date.

A solid follow up strategy will be the pinnacle point at whether ROI can be achieved. It’s important that the entire team are fully engaged to ensure sales and marketing efforts are aligned within the strategy.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rebecca Moore .

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