Trade shows have been around since the Victorian era, and have proven themselves to be a viable way to increase business growth. By utilising the face-to-face nature of a trade show, exhibitors can foster a real human connection between representative and client, much like a salesman, as well as allowing first-hand demonstrations of a product or service.
That being said, entering a trade show can be expensive. You have to put together a budget and an expected ROI based on your objective, whether that be lead capture or brand visibility. According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), the average ROI for trade show exhibitors can range from 200% to 500%, depending on the industry, lead conversion rate and business size.
Here, Showplace has compiled a list of useful tips for first-time exhibitors that will lay the groundwork for a successful exhibition and ensure a better ROI.
When should you go to a trade show for your business?
Businesses should consider a trade show if the following is true:
- Clear goals – If you’ve reached a point in your business where you believe either enhancing your brand’s visibility or your lead generation is necessary for growth.
- Target audience – Trade shows differ by industry in both the industry professionals present, as well as your target audience. If you’re aware of a trade show with your target audience present, it’s effectively an arena filled with potential customers.
- Available resources – Your trade show experience depends on both your performance and your allocated budget. However, this budget has to be available to invest, and shouldn’t eat into your necessary business funding. Small businesses may have a tough time here, but many shows are scalable to accommodate.
- Competitive insights and industry trends – Going to a trade show is not only good to capture leads or heighten your brand, but also allows you to learn more about the competition and trajectory of the industry. This could be used to adapt your products or services as necessary.
Choosing the correct trade show
The best exhibition stand and promotional materials won’t be able to do anything for you if you don’t choose the right trade show to set up in. Targeted events can yield high levels of relevant, strong leads, as well as bring interest to your exhibition stand at much higher rates than generalised trade shows.
The following is a step-by-step guide to ensuring you choose the right trade show:
- Primary goal – What is your primary goal? This will dictate which trade shows you’ll want to set up. For example:
- Lead generation: Trade shows with high foot traffic and industry leaders present will be great opportunities for lead capture.
- Brand visibility – If you want your brand to stand out, it’s best to go with trade shows that are well publicised and have a media presence.
- Product launch – If you’re launching a new product, look for a trade show that is made with demonstrations in mind.
- Research shows – Visit websites such as EventsEye, 10Times or ExhibitorOnline to list reputable trade shows by industry.
- Audience/Exhibitor profiles – Look at the attendance and exhibitor data of previous trade shows, breaking down the attendees by job role, industry or other demographics.
- Assess event scale and logistics – Determine how big the trade show will be. Whilst bigger shows are typically preferred due to higher rates of ROI, smaller shows can be good for small business owners and deeper connections.
- Show reputation – Search for reviews or testimonials from past exhibitors and attendees. Feedback here is important, as it can indicate the levels of success for many businesses that invest here, as well as whether or not there are media partnerships or influencer endorsements, important for brand promotion.
Exhibition stand design
Even a first time exhibitor knows that one of the biggest factors of your success hinges on your exhibition stand, and its overall design.
- Eye catching and functional exhibition stand design – There are three main elements to an effective exhibition stand design:
- Visuals and lighting – Bright colours, sharp and high quality graphics can attract visitors from across the entire exhibition floor, and the lighting can highlight specific areas to create focal points for key products, offers, demonstration availability or other information.
- Interactive elements – Interaction creates engaging content for your audience’s senses, via touchscreens, product demos or hand-on areas. It’s proven that interactive content makes a booth memorable.
- Practical layout – Organise the space to have clear zones for product displays, seating arrangements, information desks etc. Making navigations immediately obvious and accessible makes it easier for visitors to enter.
- Clear messaging and consistent branding – All stand elements, from colour scheme to typography, must be consistent, and cohesive with brand identity.
- Colours – Colour schemes should consist of both a primary and secondary colour, as this will create a brand image. Ensure that your brand makes use of colour psychology, red provoking excitement and energy for example, to match associations via colour.
- Concise and impactful messaging – People’s attention spans are short, and other exhibitors are also vying for this attention, meaning it is essential to effectively captivate your audience. Those who can deliver their message in as few, but carefully considered, words as possible will have a huge advantage over competition.
- Key offers – Highlighting your USPs or offerings is a fantastic way to bring attention to those attending the trade show.
- Promotional materials – Brochures and flyers are the most common materials for potential customers, and business cards for networking. Consider giveaways, such as pens, USB drives, tote bags etc, but ensure that they are practical and likely to be kept by those attending – because the goal is to keep your brand in the mind of the wider audience.
Prepare your team
Preparing your team for the event is another essential part of your exhibition experience. After all, the staff will be responsible for the following:
- Communication of key messages – Your key messages and USPs should be woven into your staff’s speech. For example, if your company is offering eco-friendly packaging solutions, your staff must be able to deliver information regarding environmental benefits and cost savings effectively.
- Engaging visitors – Train staff to initiate conversations like a salesman. They should begin with open-ended questions that are designed to detail their needs and pain points. For example, if you’re pushing a product that is a different take on remote working, you can ask “What’s your biggest roadblock to communicating productively whilst remote working?”.
- Addressing questions confidently – Your staff should be trained to understand the product or service in and out. This is because sometimes customers with specific needs will pop up and ask specialised questions. The inability to answer these questions may turn them off. In this situation, it’s best to be honest.
- Role-playing – Have a more experienced exhibitor mentor your staff and set up simulations that will judge and give feedback on performance. This is useful because there are most definitely common roadblocks that exhibitors will come up against but not know how to handle, such as a high-interest customer expressing budget concerns.
Body language and dress code
Two huge salesman tactics hinge not only on how you dress, but on exhibiting positive body language. For example:
- Dress professionally – This doesn’t necessarily mean dress in a suit or tie, but have an attire that is aligned with your brand’s image. This means, if possible, to incorporate the colour scheme in the attire.
- Body language – There’s a lot to say about body language. Train staff to maintain an open posture, facing the aisle with arms relaxed at their sides, signalling approachability. Maintain eye contact and offer a friendly smile to appear welcoming and attentive.
- Enthusiasm – Enthusiasm is infectious and energetic, so make sure you hire staff with these traits. They should be acting as if there’s no other place they’d rather be than there, to showcase the product/service.
Pre-event marketing
Part of the pre-planning of your exhibition attendance is to create buzz about your product, service or even your presence. There are several avenues by which you can market your appearance to ensure that people know of you beforehand, and increase the chance of recognition.
Social Media
Social media is the main source of news for many, many people – so much so that it rivals and threatens the existence of mainstream media.
- Countdown/Teasers – Beginning a countdown to your event is a clever way to not only show that some people are interested, but to ensure nobody forgets in a very organic manner.
- Event hashtags – Hashtags are categorical and likely to increase your visibility among attendees. Furthermore, it allows you to connect with others participating in, or following the event.
- Interactive posts – Create polls, Q&A sessions or live videos that relate to your participation, such as a behind-the-scenes tour, or a teaser for one of the interactive elements that will be at your booth.
- Collaboration – Partnering with influencers or notable people in the industry can put a lot of eyes on your product or service.
Email campaigning
Email marketing is an older style of salesmanship, but it’s still relevant for higher-interest customers.
- Personalised invitations – Send invitations to existing customers and prospects that you have listed, and personalise the invitations to them.
- Key offerings – Closer to the events, reveal more about what you’ll be revealing or how your booth will look. By highlighting your features bit by bit, you will answer the unasked question “Why should I be attending this trade show?”
- Incentives – Offer incentives. We recommend doing so a day before the event, as this may be the final push to get them to show up to the booth. Incentives that are offered late generate more impact than otherwise.
LinkedIn is a place where other exhibitors and industry professionals will be:
- Announcements – Post an announcement about your trade show, tagging the event’s page and related hashtags. Encourage contacts to comment and engage with your content by asking questions, or even giving a mini-poll to interesting questions. For example, “Would you rather X, Y, or Z”, encouraging follow-up clarification in the comment section.
- Direct outreach – Research and connect with industry professionals who have RSVP’d for the event. Personalised messages work well here, and asking them to visit the booth can result in conversation and even a chance to snap a photo for Instagram.
- Participate in event-related groups – Many current and future trade shows have dedicated LinkedIn or forum groups. Participate actively in these groups in an organic way that prompts engagement with you.
Conclusion
We hope this list of tips aimed at those who are considering their first time exhibiting has helped. There are a lot of best practices not listed here to go through, as there are many small alterations you can make to your trade show presence more effectively.
Take a look at our site blogs for more dedicated to this topic, or check out our range of high-quality, attractive exhibition stands that will spotlight your booth amongst other exhibitors and competition!
