We pay lots of money to be part of a busy 2 or 3 days, and yet many of us seem to think that all we need to do is just to pitch up at an event, and expect the business to come to us!
We wanted to share 10 top tips with you, taken from our Event Marketing Training Courses, that could give you an idea of what you can do to help the event work for YOU, and to deliver the return on your investment of time and money.
1. Make sure it’s the event for you.
Ask questions: Make sure you know who the audience is. What buying power do they have? Are your fellow exhibitors also potential business partners and customers?
2. READ THE MANUAL (we left the obvious out…)
Organisers do not write exhibitor manuals, out of sheer joy. They do it because they want to ensure that you know of ALL the opportunities available to take advantage of the day. It also includes important stuff like times, setting up, parking….
3. Advertising opportunities
If you are one of the lucky ones to have a spare few coins in your marketing kitty, why not ask your event organiser of any advertising or sponsorship opportunities available for you to get your brand seen, that little bit more. Most events have Guides and Programmes – so why not feature on the back page?
4. Go in with a plan
Get your team together and decide on what the objectives of exhibiting at the event are. It is absolutely crucial that you have the buy-in from the entire team.
5. Ensure your objectives are Measurable
You cannot manage what you can’t measure! Whether your intention is to increase your contact database, or grow your sales revenue by 10%. Whatever it is, set objectives that you can measure – therefore awarding yourself the easy chance to be able to identify whether this event worked for you, or not!
6. Understand your space.
When booking your stand, think about the space. Don’t take a space that is too big for you, and don’t take a space that is too small. Take something that suits your budget and decide on an event presence that will accurately echo your business message. Lay the stand size out on your boardroom carpet, with some masking tape. If you’re planning on having 4 people on the stand – make them stand in that space. Does it work? What furniture did you want to bring? What promotional material?
7. Use your noggin… and the 5 senses.
Exhibiting at events doesn’t always mean it has to break the bank! Get back to basics and think about the little things that attracts you to other exhibitions or people. Use the senses of smell, touch, taste, feel and sight to echo the message that you’re trying to convey. We all love a freshly baked something, and the sound of birdsong generally has us stopping for a smile… let your imagination go and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve!
8. Choose your team – WISELY.
We are all too often ready to rope in anyone and everyone who is willing to help. When it comes to exhibition presence – CHOOSE your team. Think about the person who is customer-facing… the one that stands on the edge of the stand and greets people walking by. Think about the person who has all the product-knowledge… they are NOT always the same person. Don’t get them mixed up either. This could determine the success or failure of your exhibition.
9. Ensure you have a follow-up plan
Don’t just leave it down to “We’ll sort it out when we get there”. Make sure you have a way to capture as much information as possible, from potential customers. Whether you take notebooks, or invest in high-tech scanners – make sure that information is captured, and most of all, that you follow up within a time period agreed by the team.
10. ENJOY the day.
Nothing worse than passing by an exhibition stand and the exhibitor is looking bored, unamused or just downright unfriendly. NEVER eat or drink on your stand, and definately no work! Cut all mobile phone and laptop usage and ban anything that will detract from the reason why you are there. Forget the office, and TALK. And…. most importantly… forget the office-talk. 🙂
There are many more top tips included in our course training sessions – so if you’re interested in knowing more – why not give us a ring!
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