Have you recently launched a new company that needs to win big contracts to progress? Would you like to promote your business in a way that have been proven to produce good results? Then it might be sensible to hire a stand a relevant trade shows this year. On this page, you will find lots of fantastic information about what you need to do to create the best outcomes. Often, we find it’s the smaller details that make all the difference. While this is not a complete guide, the points made should stand you in good stead for the future.
When all’s said and done, failing to take our advice on board could mean you never impress new clients or make a name for yourself in the industry. Don’t worry too much if you don’t have any experience in planning events of that nature. We’ll try to keep everything as simple as possible.
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Choose the right events
There is no point hiring a stand at a trade show that is not relevant to your industry. So, you need to spend a lot of time researching the most suitable events online before creating a shortlist. From that list, you should choose one or two trade shows on which you can focus. Spreading yourself too thin is never a wise move, and you must give yourself enough time to prepare. If the most lucrative event for your business is only a couple of weeks away, it might be wise to find an alternative and leave it until next year. Planning for trade shows can take months if you want the optimum results.
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Visit the venue
Presuming you are not familiar with the venues holding suitable trade shows, it might be sensible to visit them in advance. Either that or you could use Google Maps to get an idea of the layout. Ideally, you want to select trade shows that are very popular, and that attract business owners from all over the world. We are living in times of globalisation, and so it is important that all company bosses make an effort to trade overseas.
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Train your staff
The staff members you take along to trade shows need all the right knowledge and information to represent your company. You want to gain as much attention as possible during the day, and so it is vital you have people on hand to answer any questions posed by attendees. Your team will need to understand what you hope to achieve from the exhibition. They will also need to know what information you wish to promote about your company. Under no circumstances should you take anyone who is less than enthusiastic about their job. Only the team members with the best social skills should be allowed to man your stand.
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Purchase exhibition stands
Your stand at the exhibition should be as attractive and interesting as possible. That means it is vital that you invest in some banners and other items featuring graphics. You won’t have to look far online to find reputable exhibition stand designers who know how to create the perfect items. Just let them know about the event, and give them a small amount of information about your business. If you have any standard branding elements like fonts or colour schemes, you should also mention that during the design stage. Most specialists will send an image of their creation for your approval before printing and finishing the promotional stand. Ideally, you want to ensure you are the most vibrant and alluring company at the event.
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Print marketing materials
People who choose to attend the trade show will not have enough time to speak with every business owner at length. That means you need some well-printed marketing materials to hand out to passers by. Small business marketing is not a simple subject, and so it makes sense to spend a long time working on the designs. You need to ensure that all leaflets, flyers, and posters contain only the most accurate and relevant information. People are not willing to spend hours reading lengthy passages of text. Make things easier for them by including images that help to tell your story. Indeed, you could even pay for the creation of an infographic and print that if you feel it would help.
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Have contracts ready
It is entirely possible that someone who visits the trade show might be interested in signing contracts with your company quickly. You should avoid finalising any deals during the event because you have too many other things about which you need to think. However, having contracts ready is crucial if you want to arrange an important meeting during the evening time. In most circumstances, the trade show you attend is not going to be close to your home. That means you will have to book an overnight stay in a local hotel. You can use the bar space in that establishment to hold any additional meetings with potential clients.
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Give something away for free
Most folks love getting something for nothing. At a recent SEO conference in Brighton, we saw that a top creative content marketing company spent time handing out sweets. We thought that was a fantastic idea because the gift is relatively cheap to purchase, and everyone loves confectionery. That is just one example of what you could do to ensure more people remember your business after leaving the trade show. You could also organise competitive games to make things more interesting. Perhaps it is time you invested in a computer driving simulator with a steering wheel?
However you choose to progress with planning your next trade show, we hope things go according to plan. The key to success is making your area of the venue stand out from the crowd. You need to attract as many people as possible if you don’t want to miss out on any important opportunities. Whatever your business does to make a profit, there is always room for progression and growth. Let us know if you need any more advice, and we’ll be happy to publish another post. See you back here tomorrow!
Featured image credit: ShutterStock / Photographer
