Exhibitions are the ONLY opportunity where you will find the CORRECT prospects, in ONE place at ONE time for your industry.
Consider the amount of energy, time and money that could be exhausted trying to work towards the same outcome from your desk. It could take months, even years! A well executed exhibition could return the same result in days. This of course depends on your desired outcomes but you get the idea.
Action.
Firstly, create a plan (download our free one here), this will allow you to scratch down the basics and feather out from there, always a good idea to expand onto a white board or flip chart with sticky notes ion you want to. Break the plan into 3 distinct stages – The planning – The event itself – The following up. Or, pre, during and post event, if you prefer.
Secondly, know your customer. It sounds obvious but the people attending will be going to this particular event because they are interested in your industry or belong to your ‘tribe’ and are there to engage and be entertained. It’s why the above heading is so powerful. Also, they will have short memories, they will want instant info about you (see our previous article), they will soon get tired as the day progresses, and they will want to take ‘something’ away from their visit (this bit doesn’t have to cost money either).
Thoughts.
Face to face meetings produce more positive results too, they always have. We humans need real interaction and the ‘know, like and trust’, that produces the service/product and client relationship, can only be fully deployed in this way.
Therefore, if you plan to attract, retain, excite, save time, start that new relationship etc. you will make the most of this special opportunity. It is said that you might need about nine to eleven single touch points before a new prospect becomes a confident paying one, so a kind of ‘benign tenacity’ is required.
There are a few reasons why you may have found this article.
a). Maybe your business is just embarking into the world of exhibiting and you’re curious to find out how to avoid certain pitfalls and get the most value from the experience.
b). Maybe you’re already exhibiting within the shell scheme set ups and are looking to enhance the the overall presentation and kerb appeal for your business.
c). Maybe you’re a seasoned exhibitor or marketing manager that is simply looking for a “fresh brain” to borrow for more ideas on getting better ROI or ROO! (‘return on objectives’, because they’re not always financially based).
Whatever it may be, please read on, you may find some helpful ideas to build from.
Stage 1.
With the planning, think about the audience and how you will draw them in. Use known metrics if this is all about leads for sales, use story telling if this is about brand or relationship building. Consider the attraction, keep it simple and obvious. Here’s an example of a stand we built with just that in mind.
Stage 2.
On the day, ensure you have enough resources to maintain the presence, as it’s easy to fall behind at busy times and people will tire. Ensure you have a way of recording your leads/chats with people so you can remind yourself later – the old ways (pen and paper tear offs or other) are often the best still, even though you can enhance your data capture with a scanner.
Stage 3.
After the event has closed, you and your team will likely be a bit frazzled but, while the memory is recent, analyse and tidy up your data that was captured. You’ll be glad you did! Always follow up 3-5 days after the event and use little nuggets of info you may have captured on the day to ‘break the ice’ or jog their memory. After that, it will be a case of continued gentle follow ups and additions to your other marketing streams, like email etc.
A bit about me.
Working over 3 decades in any industry gives a person a wide perspective of all its proponent parts, its drivers, design, supply chain, buyers, followers and their behaviour. It also makes you finely tuned into its processes, tech and admin, to name a few things.
This accumulated experience creates an expert armed with the exact ‘insider’ knowledge, where they can add value with time-perfected processes that can be replicated and shaped to help others save time and money, plus remove waste and avoid stress.
My first exhibition was way back in 1989 at the NEC, so I have seen a lot in my time within this industry, and have distilled all this experience into the core of what Boxy is about. Our clients really benefit from the expertise and a sense of calm that we bring, and I hope this blog will have helped you, even in some small way, whatever stage you are at with your business promotion and exhibiting plans.
My name is Leigh, founder of Boxy, and if you are interested to hear more about how I can help you to make better informed decisions by shortening the way to success, then do book in a 30 minute call with me by clicking below.
There’s also this accompanying article for further reading.
Book a free session here