Successful marketing at a trade show or exhibition stand does not just happen – it takes a lot of careful planning to hit the right note and attract new customers from the prospective crowds that wander past your stand.
1 – Decide on Your Objectives
Your first step in planning for success is to decide on your goals and objectives – what you want your business to achieve by holding the exhibition stand at the trade show. You also need to decide on the strategy to achieve those goals and the measurements of success.
A trade show is not only about lead generation. You could aim to enhance brand recognition, product visibility, promote new or future products as well as existing products, gain insights about your competitors, make key industry contacts, and learn about industry trends.
2 – Create a Stand Design and Plan
Your exhibition stand is the focal point of your trade show marketing. Whether you use a modular exhibition stand, or a custom exhibition booth, you need to design your exhibition stand to enable staff operating the stand to meet your goals.
Draw a plan or map of the stand, including where lighting, banners, signs, graphics, display booths, exhibition furniture, and pop up displays will go. Plan for your promotional products and the space needed to collect those all important contact details of potential sales leads. A professional exhibition contractor can ensure your exhibition booth design meets your business needs.
3 – Ensure Staff Know What to Do
Training your staff can make the difference between trade show success and failure. Two days before the trade show, gather the staff together for a final review of the exhibition plan and your business objectives. This is a good time to encourage staff to dress appropriately, and to ensure staff members know how to talk to prospective customers to generate effective sales leads.
Ensure the individuals involved know exactly what you need to accomplish, where additional promotional items will be stored, and the schedules of who is staffing the exhibition stand when. Allow staff some time to leave the stand to have breaks, and to circulate among the trade show itself – checking out the competition and making customer and industry contacts.
4 – Confirm Exhibition Hire Equipment and Location
Confirm with your exhibition hire company what exhibition furniture and conference equipment, where, and when the company is delivering. Ensure you know when to return the hired exhibition equipment and furniture. Make sure the signs and graphics are ready and the banner stands, pop up displays, and display stands will be available on the day of the trade show.
5 – Prepare Follow-up Marketing Strategy and Materials
Since you need to follow up quickly with the potential customers and sales leads generated at the trade show, it is better to prepare your follow up marketing strategy and all the materials you need before the trade show. You can ensure you have enough printed brochures for your post-trade show marketing campaign.
6 – Bring EVERYTHING You Need
Finally, make a list of everything you could need at the trade show and tick off the items as they are packed. Include:
• Business cards;
• Meeting calendar / PDA (in case you can make appointments with prospective customers at the show);
• Pens, pencils, notebooks;
• Brochures; and
• Promotional products and giveaways.
Careful planning before the trade show will ensure better marketing success during and after the trade show.
Tags: exhibition success
