Current Location: Home » Knowledge » Exhibition » Text

How to make business exhibitions work for you

Zoom  Zoome in   Source:Donut  Views:178
Core Tip:People buy from people and in the digital world we now live in, exhibitions provide businesses with a unique marketing advantage — the opportunity to meet, connect and build rapport with prospects and customers. Here's how to make the most of exhibit

People buy from people and in the digital world we now live in, exhibitions provide businesses with a unique marketing advantage — the opportunity to meet, connect and build rapport with prospects and customers. Here's how to make the most of exhibitions


Exhibitions can be seen as a big investment, particularly by small businesses, but by investing in the short term, you can reap the benefits in the long term, turning the leads collected at an exhibition into loyal customers.


To get the most out of your investment, it’s important to pick the right exhibitions and conferences. By researching thoroughly, you can establish whether the event will match your marketing objectives and reach your target audience. The conference programme needs to have a strong seminar and speaker line-up to draw visitors to the event. In addition, the marketing budget dedicated to the event should be focused on delivering maximum visitors through the door and ensure these visitors are decision-makers. Ask the event organiser how they market the event and how they maximise visitor numbers.


Build relationships


Exhibitions, conferences and trade shows are the perfect platform for meeting key people in your industry — giving you the opportunity to market your business face to face. Talk to as many people as possible, take time to learn about their business and remember to take their business card. You’ll need it after the event. Don’t forget, the event can also be used as a live research session. Ask people opinions of your brand, products, sales pitch and marketing material. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn from a couple of day's face-to-face marketing.


Exhibition planning


Preparation is vital for success and will maximise opportunities, giving you better value for money. The more thought and planning you put in before the exhibition, the more likely you are to succeed at the event. Follow the exhibitor manual carefully when you receive it and ensure you organise everything you need on your stand (such as lighting and electricity). Set objectives for the event and put a plan in place as early as possible. This should include all deadlines for getting the stand designed and the information you need to submit to the organiser.


Marketing messages


Make sure all your marketing messages are prepared in advance of the event. Your messaging should be consistent across your stand, company literature and press material. This will ensure you’re communicating clearly to your customers and prospects about who you are and what your business is about. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need an “elevator pitch”. This pitch should say everything a visitor needs to know about your business and unique selling points in less than 30 seconds, the time it takes to travel a few floors in an elevator.


Maximise your exhibition presence


Maximise your presence at an event by combining it with other marketing techniques. Use direct mail, e-newsletters and PR to raise your profile ahead of the event. Check the event website to find out who the media partners are. These publications will normally run features and articles about the event.


Contact the journalists and let them know what you can offer attendees to the show. You’ll need to prepare press packs, as most exhibitions have a press office for journalists attending. Putting your background information, latest news and customer case studies in a press pack is an effective way of getting in front of journalists.


Post-event follow-ups


Remember, the event doesn’t end when you’ve left the venue. In fact, in most cases this is when the important work starts. Make sure you follow up with all the leads you’ve generated and the people you’ve spoken to. Most events offer data scanners, which means keeping track of who visited your stand is easy and hassle free. The data is then provided to your business in a spreadsheet after the event. This makes the follow up process much more efficient and ensures you have data for everyone you met, even if you didn’t get their business card or details.


You need to keep your business at the front of your prospects' minds by staying in touch after the event. This increases the chance of converting your leads into sales. Send personal emails to people, rather than a group note to everyone you met, invite them to respond and to stay in touch with you. Many sales can be completed at the event or soon after. However, some take months or even years to come in. Staying in touch on a regular basis helps maximise your long-term return from the event.


With the right preparation, exhibitions provide an excellent platform for building brand awareness and generating sales leads. It’s important to build a pipeline of new business opportunities all the time and to keep your current customers happy. Attending an event, conference or exhibition offers your business the chance to connect with both customers and prospects.

 

If you believe that this information is a violation of your legitimate rights and interests, please send the relevant qualification certificate and your rights to info@worldinout.com, Worldinout staff will reply as soon as possible! The purpose of this network is to convey more information, does not mean that the network is in favor of its views and its authenticity. Such as reproduced this site information, please specify the source.

 
[ KnowledgeSearch ]  [ Add to Favorites ]  [ Tell a friend ]  [ Print ]  [ Send report ]  [ Close the window ]

 

 
Recommended Graphic
Recommend Knowledge
Click Ranking
 
HomeSite | About us | Contact Us | Agreement | Copyright | Sitemap | Spread | Guestbook | RSS Feed