Exhibitions are the perfect opportunity for businesses all across the country to get together and showcase what they have to offer. It’s an extremely competitive event as you’re going to be surrounded by hundreds of other marketers in your niche, so it’s vital that you take the necessary steps to get noticed. Here are 8 tips to help you do just that.
1. Engage with Visitors Online
Engaging visitors at an exhibition is about so much more than employing staff to communicate on the stand, it’s also about what you’re doing online. Most businesses will have a strong online presence, so it’s vital that you utilise this to your advantage.
Promote the event across all of your social accounts and communicate with people who are planning to attend. Establishing a connection before you meet a person will make them much more likely to take a chance on your business. When the event has started, post live tweets and messages to try and attract an audience to your stand.
2. Avoid the Hard Sell
People will have the preconception that when you go to talk to them, you’ll be trying to sell them something. If you can get your staff to concentrate more on discussing how your product can help them, without using strong sales talk, you’ll help people let down their guard and listen more. This may not gain you sales immediately, but it will ease the path to one in the near future.
3. Make Your Stand Inviting
Your display stand is the first impression attendees have of your business. Create a stand that’s visually engaging to visitors from across the exhibition hall. Don’t get lost in the crowd, draw visitors over to you using a compelling stand. The most pivotal aspect of every stand is that it functions correctly. Find a supplier that can help you not only design it, but build it. An international brand such as Nimlok will be able to produce a quality, structured stand to serve you throughout the entire event.
4. Tell a Story
More often than not, people purchase with emotion rather than logic. If you can tell a story that captures the attention of your audience, you’ve increased your chances of getting their business greatly. People like to know you can relate to what they’re going through, what they need and what problems they need to have solved.
5. Experiment with Interactivity
There could be a hundred or more booths at some of the larger exhibitions, so, you need to showcase something that’s going to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Simply having leaflets to offer out and a member of staff for someone to talk to isn’t going to get you visible results. Set up an interactive piece of media, whether it’s a project video/tutorial or simply an activity for people to take part in. Passersby are going to be more inclined to stop at your stand if there’s something they can get involved in.
6. Follow Up
After the event closes, don’t wait too long to contact those you connected with. Send an email asking for feedback or simply a thank you to express your gratitude. They’re going to have spoken to a wide range of different people throughout the course of the day, so if you want to stay fresh in their minds, don’t shy away from speaking to them again.
Exhibitions are more about growing your business and gaining recognition than they are immediate sales. If you can go into the event with that in mind, you’ll have more of a chance of gaining attention and contacts that will in turn, lead to greater success in the future. So, follow these 6 tips and you’ll be well on your way to a worthwhile event.
