Exhibitions can be a fantastic method of raising awareness for your brand or service. You have a captive audience to sell yourself to, and get noticed! Otherwise it’s just a waste of time, money and resources. A successful exhibition requires maximum effort and a clear branding message, you need to set yourself aside from the rest. It also takes lots of preparation, a last-minute job will not suffice and you’ll just look like an amateur not to mention unprofessional! You need to understand what will draw passers-by to your stand and how you can try and convert these people into potential sales and new customers.
Deliver A Clear Message
Exhibitions are becoming increasingly popular amongst both B2B and B2C environments, this means there’s some tough competition out there. The last thing you want to do is blend into the crowd and blend in. You need to deliver a strong, solid message to your audience, and it’s all about your branding!
So how do you get this right?
It’s all about consistency. Every message you push out there needs to be consistent as does all elements of your branding. This entails everything from your logo to any marketing collateral and signage that you might be using. You need a solid flow, even down to the font and colour scheme. Think of your exhibition as your shop front, what will catch people’s eye? Whatever your goal may be, the bottom line is you need to be catching the eye of passers-by. Promotional materials such as banners, flags and bunting are a really effective way of promoting your brand name and message. You can also look into a custom designed exhibition stand for your company. It’s an extra expense but you’re sure to reap the rewards by getting the edge over your competitors with a professional and slick stand design.
Knowledgeable Staff
Your staff are an extension on your branding, they’re the face of your company and should also encompass your brand message and ethos. You can have all the fancy marketing materials in the world, but if your staff aren’t best representing your company, will you be making sales? The answer is no, probably not. You need to ensure that a sufficient amount of time is taken to train and mentor staff that will presenting your company at exhibitions. They’re going to be the first point of physical contact for your visitors, so not only do they need to be able to present information they need to show a good level of enthusiasm. The exhibition won’t be worth its while, cost and time if your staff are miserable! You should also look into the dress code for your event, is it formal? Are staff expected to dress in a certain way? You want to be presentable and professional!
Less Risk!
If you’re planning to attend an outdoor exhibition then there’s always going to be a certain element of risk with the weather. Unfortunately no one can predict the weather and it really is just a matter of luck…or not so lucky! It’s important that elements like this are considered so that you can try your best to prevent them! For example, what about invest in a marquee to keep your stand sheltered from any potential downpours? Not only will it draw people in from the rain it will also keep your staff nice and dry!
Don’t forget, whilst an exhibition is about selling yourself, there might also be good opportunities to interact with likeminded individuals and network! You never know what connections you could make.