For Exhibitors

The fairs and expos offer a golden opportunity to benchmark, evaluate  a particular industry or a business-sector’s standing, compare prices, discover market novelties, try and test products, discuss applications.

Companies attend trade fairs for various reasons,  yet expo-related expectations may vary in different departments of the same company.  A product development department’s objectives may be different from those of the sales or marketing departments - thus  it is worth bringing all company’s units together, involving in the expo preparation phase. A meeting before a trade show is designed to outline and define the most important expo-related objectives and prioritise them accordingly.  The consecutive trade fair preparations are tailored around the priorities list.  If the company's goal is to find new customers and make them interested in the company’s products, a well-planned marketing campaign should precede the expo presentation.  If a company uses the expo to cultivate relationships with existing customers and partners, the pre-expo preparations should focus on sending invitations and thus give your customers an incentive to visit the company’s expo stand.

Early planning helps you avoid unexpected, last-minute expenses, e.g. when you discover the last moment that you need additional expo stand equipment. The costs estimate should include the expo space and booth construction costs, but not only. Employees’ business trip costs, expo stand catering and similar should be included.

If the exhibitor’s brand is well known and thus the exhibitor wants to show its new products, it worth putting the latest developments into the limelight.  Conversely - if a company prospers for new customers, the expo stand should attract attention, the eye-catching booth should be seen from a distance. What we put on display is equally important -   products assortment on show should in line with the expo visitors’ profile. Instead of standard products which are pretty similar to what the competitors showcase, it is worth showing something different, unique, fresh. This is designed to trigger guests’ interest and give a prod to start up a conversation.

Everyone prospers for new customers when at the expo. Thus sitting at your expo stand and waiting for the customer will certainly prove inefficient.  Expo organisers allocate large marketing budgets in order to make prospective customers come to the trade fair.  Still, this does not guarantee that expo guests will visit all exhibitors.  According to the German AUMA association, 80% of business-insiders plan their expo visit and schedule meetings before arriving at the expo  grounds.  There is a simple conclusion - if you want to increase the number of people calling into your expo stand during, you should invite them. Invitations to pay you a visit at the expo should be distributed beforehand.  Sending invitations to prospective customers is just part of the “before the expo” plan.  Expo herald should be an inherent and coherent part of the marketing communications well before the show starts -   communication elements offered by the expo organisers may also be used. This encompasses expo catalogue advertisement, mailings campaigns, website banners published on the event’s website, etc. How about grasping attention of prospective customers during the trade show?  The expo stand design which clearly communicates the company’s business line and encourages to strike up a conversation - this is s part of the success.  Additional advertisements displayed at the expo centre will only enhance the message.  Yet there is one more element of utmost importance - the expo stand employees ought to encourage people to come round and pay a visit. Eye contact and active encouragement - grasp attention of the passers-by.

Large-scale companies find it especially important - the trade fair presentation is prepared by a different team from the one that actually man the booth at the expo.  It is important for the expo stand staff to become familiar with the competition's offer so that they can refer and benchmark whilst talking to prospective customers.

A proper conversation is a dialogue.  Monologues in which you brag about the products’ benefits  will not translate into actual sales.  It is important to ask questions and listen to the visitors’ response. This is the right time to learn more about clients’ problems, their business goals.  It is important to wrap-up the discussion with a follow-up scheme. What are the steps to follow, who, when and how to contact the visitor – this needs to be specified.

This is a regular practice.  Think out of the box in order to get the clients’ attention. This contact and feedback should be offered earlier than a client expects or sent in an unusual form.

You should assess whether and to what extent the objectives have been achieved after the expo ends.  The assessment should include real participation costs and results expressed in the number and quality of contacts and leads. The number of people who were offered the chance to become familiar with the brand (based on the organizer's statistics regarding the number of visitors) should also be taken into consideration.  The report should also include information on the market and competition you have gained at the expo. Evaluation of trainings and other expo-related events is a part of the wrap-up