Making an Exhibition of Yourself

Exhibitions can be an excellent way of promoting your business and products, trade exhibitions and local shows are an important part of many small firms’ marketing efforts. At one leap you can be in a major selling arena alongside giants of your industry, however with floor space costing anything from £170 for a square metre, it’s important to identify your objectives and plan carefully in advance to make the most of your investment.

Recent research by Exhibition Surveys reported that, while only 6% of exhibition visitors gave ‘planning to buy’ as their reason for attending an exhibition, 66% said they ‘planned to buy’ as a result of what they had seen at the exhibition.  So it’s obvious that by exhibiting, companies can significantly influence potential buyers. Joyce Duncan, director of operations at Enterprise North East Trust advises companies to consider exhibitions as a marketing tool, but to think carefully about what they want to get out of exhibiting before shelling out for stand space and materials.

“For small companies, exhibitions can be one of the most expensive items in the marketing plan. Not only do you have to cover the cost of the stand space and the display materials,” says Joyce.  “But you also have to include the costs for stand staff and their expenses. The time away from desks and usual tasks also has to be taken into the equation. Exhibiting your company can be very costly.  Therefore, it’s very important that companies take time to plan and prepare before deciding to exhibit, to ensure they make the most of their investment.”

Joyce advises considering:

Set Objectives

As exhibiting can be very costly, companies have to ask themselves why they want to exhibit.   Some companies may exhibit because they always exhibit at a specific show, or to show they are in the marketplace, but this is not enough. Setting measurable objectives will establish the priorities of the show and give a focus for all those involved in the exhibition.  Objectives will also provide a basis from which to evaluate how the exhibition went, whether it increased your number of potential clients or generated X amount of sales leads.

Choose The Right Exhibition

To meet your objectives, it’s very important to choose the right type of exhibition. 

Business owners should ask themselves:

• Who else is likely to exhibit, is it appropriate for our product or service? 
• Who is likely to visit – potential customers, competitors, suppliers or disinterested parties? 
• How many visitors are expected – is it enough to make exhibiting worthwhile, or are the numbers increasing/decreasing year-by-year? 
• Why is the exhibition being organised? 
• Do organiser’s exhibition aims and objectives match mine? 

Taking these factors into account will provide a reasonable insight into the success or failure of the show.

Ask For Support

Many companies will base their decision to exhibit on their bottom line, for some companies the expense of exhibiting locally and overseas may be too costly.  It is worthwhile for companies to contact their council to find out if they can offer financial support for exhibiting.  Aberdeenshire Council offers a grant of up to £10,000 or 50% costs (whichever is lower) for companies exhibiting for the first time at a particular exhibition/trade show outwith the north east of Scotland.  This can cover the costs of renting, setting up and running a stand, allowing companies to exhibit overseas and target markets they may not have been able to without financial support. 

Choosing Your Stand

To attract visitors to your stand, choosing the right size and position of the stand is very important.  Size will ultimately depend on the budget, as will the size of the equipment you intend to display and the number of staff you have.  To identify the appropriate size and position for your stand, it can sometimes help to ask the organisers for advice, as they have probably organised many events and know the venue well.  If you are worried about going over budget for a larger space, ask about shared stand space – there may be organisations who are seeking partners for stand space. This may also lead to reduced costs for stand design.

Stands located on a corner or junction gain attention from more sides than a stand in a row.  Its also important to think carefully about how you will display your products/services – you may need more wall space or benefit from more open sides – this can make you stand more open and inviting, it can also make your stand appear bigger.  It’s important to start planning now, as the best spots will go quickly!

Let People Know You Are Exhibiting

Many large events will pre-promote their event to generate public interest and attract visitors.    If you have significant news to release during the exhibition, then the appropriate local, national and trade press should be contacted as soon as the initial booking is made.  Companies should also take full advantage of the exhibition press office. Compiling press packs and leaving company literature in the press office can make it easier for the press to find out where company stands are, relevant to their publication.  Most exhibitions will produce an official guide, profiling all companies exhibiting, by securing a piece of editorial in the publication this would make your company stand out from the rest.  Also check if there’s an online press office for the show.

Invite People To Your Stand

Sending out invitations or flyers to clients, potential clients, suppliers or the press detailing your company, the exhibition you are attending, the stand number and possibly a map of the location –will draw people to your stand.  Ensure the invitations are sent out in plenty of time, to allow people to free up the date in their diaries and respond to your invitation, where possible stipulate an RSVP date and make it easier to reply with a reply slip.

Follow Through

This is the part of exhibiting that most companies forget. As well as having a plan of what you aim to achieve at the exhibition – you must include the follow up. Exhibitors can offer to get in touch with visitors or send literature post event – but many simply don’t do it. Before you get to the exhibition, decide how you will follow up leads and who will be involved in this post exhibition activity.

“Enterprise business advisers have significant experience in helping companies to create marketing plans.  Our advisers can help businesses to decide if exhibiting is right for their target market,” continues Joyce Duncan. “Before committing to stand space, talking to an Enterprise adviser would be a worthwhile time investment.”

Enterprise business advisors provide business support and advice for more than 800 companies in north east Scotland each year. Contact Enterprise by calling 01467 672500 or visit www.enetrust.com.

Ends

For more information contact:
Laura Cox
Account Executive
Tricker PR
Telephone: 01224 646491
Email: lcox@ trickerpr.com