Exhibiting at business shows

[dpcatkins1983]

Wanted to know if exhibiting at business shows are good way of getting new clients in for a small business.

They are a couple of them this year that I would like to exhibit at but I've never exhibit before so unsure if they going to turn into business deals.

Can people please let me know if they are great to exhibit and are they worth it do they get new clients coming on board?

 

[Faevilangel]

I don't exhibit but go to a few, I know of companies that do really well from them but you do need:

- interested staff, someone who speaks to people walking past and engages with them (even if it's just good morning)
- take away stuff - have leaflets, business cards and freebies (pens, notepads etc) to give away, it's a good thing to start a convo on (would you like a free pen?)
- offer - give away something e.g. 1 years free xx, or even a free bottle of bubbly when they give you their business card, you can then add them to an email list

 

[dpcatkins1983]

Thanks for that myself has been to a few and I've always wanted to do one before I even started up my business and now that I've got the chance I'm just hoping that they do turn into deals but like you said got have have interesting things

 

[Green Onion]

Exhibitions can be extremely good or a complete waste of money and it's down to your sales people on the stand. I've been involved in a lot in the medical device market and unfortunately a lot of sale people seem to struggle.

Have your high energy sales people there. People who aren't going to just sit on the stand but instead be up and engaging and closing for follow up. Have lead sheets on the stand so you can get contact info for follow up. Have a stand that is fun and will draw people in - Something simple like getting a PS3 with a tv and a competition for fastest lap time.

Leaflets are ok but personally when I'm at an exhibition looking around I prefer for companies to take my details and contact me after the event rather than having to carry around a load of leaflets.

Hope that helps and good luck with it, definitely give it a go to assess how it works for you, just focus on getting a return.

Tom

 

[NjT]

Generally trade shows can become expensive (cost of space, dressing your area, cost of staff there, hotel accommodation etc), having said that like others have mentioned here they can be a success for you.

However success starts along time before the show itself...

Don't just expect to rock up at the show and expect the exhibition organizers to have done all the work for you in regards to potential new clients - do plenty of self promotion to prospective clients before hand.

Get your sales people to follow this up and try and pin down specific appointments with times and dates to meet these people on your stand. (Perhaps consider offering an exhibition exclusive offer to wet their appetite to come along).

As others have said there is nothing more irksome than seeing lazy sales people sitting on a stand playing with their phones than up in the aisle engaging in people passing by, therefore carefully select who from your sales team will be there and make sure they all understand what their roles there are - even do some role play with them beforehand on how they would behave on a stand and how they would approach people in the aisles.

Make sure you've got someone tasked with soliciting any journalists that might be coming to the event. Contact these people before the event and see if they can stop by your stand - this should get you free editorial at the show and possibly afterwards.

Appoint a Stand Manager (this can just be one of your more sensible staff members) - you need someone who is responsible for all of your staff on the stand, ensure that they don't all bugger off to lunch together (at the busiest time) leaving the stand empty. The stand also needs to be kept professional, clean and tidy, and the Stand Manager also needs to ensure that valuables are managed properly and not left openly around either during or over night at the show).

If you're going to sell directly on your stand - have you got facilities in place to take card payments?

If you take business cards off of people on your stand, ensure each one is stapled to a call sheet and is completed there and then - don't wait till the end of the day - you'll just have a load of business cards and noone remembering what on earth was said to them, or what the next action was.

Don't bother with giveaways - all you'll get is free loaders filling their bags with them. If you can get your sales people up to scratch ready for the show, the show is right for you in regards to potential new business and you present your offerings well then you wont need to waste your money on giveaways.



And Finally... critically analyse the event perhaps a month or two afterwards against the prospects found at the show and what business is going to come from them. This way you'll know if the event is worth going to again next year.

Hope this helps.

Best regards Neil

 

[telemax]

Another choice you have is to forgo paying £5,000 for a stand and instead pay £20 for the car parking and a sandwich. Then take a day to approach as many stands as you can, introducing your business. You will end up with just as many leads.

 

[amphis software]

another approach is to turn up for free and wear a t-shirt or other promotional clothes that clearly advertises your brand and walk around a lot.

Tom

 

[Green Onion]

Another choice you have is to forgo paying £5,000 for a stand and instead pay £20 for the car parking and a sandwich. Then take a day to approach as many stands as you can, introducing your business. You will end up with just as many leads.

I would be careful with this approach as the companies you're then approaching are there to sell not to be sold to. If I had paid 5k for a stand and someone came up wanting to sell to me while customers were around I would say I can't talk now. I would ask where their stand is and tell them I will come over later if I get a chance. If they said they didn't have one I wouldn't be impressed. Yeah they would leave with my name, potentially my contact details if they swipe a business card however definitely wouldn't call that a lead.

 

[telemax]

are there to sell not to be sold to..

On the contrary, I do it loads. Mostly, it's the best time to get the MD face to face without having to get through an army of gatekeepers, everyone is in a great mood, people are willing to give you the correct emails/contact names etc in the organisation and are in the frame of mind to network. If you're scared that you might offend someone slightly then you really shouldn't be in business in the first place.

 

[Green Onion]

On the contrary, I do it loads. Mostly, it's the best time to get the MD face to face without having to get through an army of gatekeepers, everyone is in a great mood, people are willing to give you the correct emails/contact names etc in the organisation and are in the frame of mind to network. If you're scared that you might offend someone slightly then you really shouldn't be in business in the first place.

Being aware your actions might offend someone and being scared about it are two very different things. If you take this approach while showing you respect the fact this potential customer has paid good money to be there and wants a return on that investment, then you'll do ok. I've done it before, it just requires a different approach.

Oh and if you pride yourself on a 'no fear of ever offending' approach, just stand 2 meters in front of a competitors stand and grab every customer that approaches.

 

[Vectis]

Another choice you have is to forgo paying £5,000 for a stand and instead pay £20 for the car parking and a sandwich. Then take a day to approach as many stands as you can, introducing your business. You will end up with just as many leads.

Sorry, I don't agree. If you've done any exhibitions, and paid out quite a lot of money for the stand etc, you'll know that the last thing you want is people coming up and trying to sell to you. I'm not saying you wont get any leads that way, but you will get a fair amount of resentment too.

Also, one of the keys to exhibiting is arranging as many meetings as possible with potential clients beforehand. Turning up unannounced and hoping to get a meeting with a key decision maker is pretty much a needle in a haystack job. Yes, you maybe able to pick up a business card, but you can get those details off the website.

To the OP, exhibiting is worth thinking about but you need to make sure it's the right sort of exhibition for you. And, as already said, you need to do a lot of work in advance to make the exhibition a success.

 

[telemax]

Being aware your actions might offend someone and being scared about it are two very different things. If you take this approach while showing you respect the fact this potential customer has paid good money to be there and wants a return on that investment, then you'll do ok. I've done it before, it just requires a different approach.

Oh and if you pride yourself on a 'no fear of ever offending' approach, just stand 2 meters in front of a competitors stand and grab every customer that approaches.

I understand your point of view but the OP asked if it was worth risking a large chunk of money on a stand .I came up with a suggestion that might achieve the same results for £20 and a day's work. That's what this forum is all about, providing sensible advice based on experience of what works.

Trade shows are all about networking, making connections, doing business and above all are open to members of the trade public. Until that changes I can't see anything wrong with using them to help make connections.

 

[amphis software]

the last thing you want is people coming up and trying to sell to you

yes, we have had problems with this in the past when people are queuing to ask us questions about our software and someone else is trying to sell us something at our stand. very annoying.

 

[telemax]

Sorry, I don't agree. If you've done any exhibitions, and paid out quite a lot of money for the stand etc, you'll know that the last thing you want is people coming up and trying to sell to you. I'm not saying you wont get any leads that way, but you will get a fair amount of resentment too.

Also, one of the keys to exhibiting is arranging as many meetings as possible with potential clients beforehand. Turning up unannounced and hoping to get a meeting with a key decision maker is pretty much a needle in a haystack job. Yes, you maybe able to pick up a business card, but you can get those details off the website.

To the OP, exhibiting is worth thinking about but you need to make sure it's the right sort of exhibition for you. And, as already said, you need to do a lot of work in advance to make the exhibition a success.

As I said, I've been doing it for years and never had any resentment, I have however gained a lot of business that way. If it's a case of a startup risking everything they have on a stand or risking causing offence to someone and only spending £20 I think that constitutes good business sense .

 

[telemax]

yes, we have had problems with this in the past when people are queuing to ask us questions about our software and someone else is trying to sell us something at our stand. very annoying.

That is indeed why if someone is going to do that they would avoid stands when they are crowded. Perhaps towards the end of the day or right at the beginning .

 

[Red Wood]

I think the key is if you chose to exhibit, exhibiting at the right event is crucial. For example, a mining company with a stall at a design exhibition won’t do so well... you get the picture.

 

[Excel Expert]

There are a number of factors that would dictate if exhibiting is for you or not.

The first and most obvious of all is will your target audience by attending?

Can you make your stand look great? If all your budget is spent on the stand leaving you with only enough money for A3 photocopied posters, then I would avoid it. How many stands have you seen like that and how much business were they doing?

Are your sales guys willing and able to drag people on to the stand? I've seen so many stands where people stand behind desks, sit in a corner or just look like they dont want to be disturbed. These stands are always empty.

Can you put great promotional material together? A4 photocopies are just not going to cut it.

A half hearted stand will not work and as a result it will leave a bitter taste in your mouth, which in turn will mean you will never try exhibiting again.

It is almost like you have to plan in reverse i.e. work out how to put a great stand/event together before looking for a stand to book.

The worst offenders for this seems to be local councils and government bodies whose main function is to help businesses.

 

[ShamusRichard]

Exhibiting is one of the most efficient, effective and successful marketing activities available to you. Having a presence at The Business Show will give you exposure to an audience of over 25,000 aspiring, developing and expanding companies and the opportunity to sell your products and services to these highly targeted visitors on a face to face basis.

REASONS TO EXHIBIT
1) CASH SALES
The Business Show puts you in front of the largest number of small/medium sized business. The event is inundated with decision makers who attend the show to buy products and services.

2) SALES APPOINTMENTS
The event is an unrivalled opportunity for you to make an outstanding personal impression with your hottest new prospects and confirm an appointment in their diaries while they are with you.

3) LEADS FOR THE SALES TEAM
The exhibition is a fantastic format for gathering a host of quality leads for the sales team, but the face to face nature of the conversation allows you to qualify the leads in detail and know exactly who to call first when you're back in the office.

If you need even more reasons why it would be a good idea to exhibit…

• Exhibiting to this audience works - 78% of our exhibitors from the November show rebooked straight after the event
• Gain exposure for your products and services - The event is a unique opportunity to meet thousands of highly targeted potential customers who need your products and services, but you will also be included on our website in the months leading up to the event and our glossy show guide which is sent in the post to all of our registered visitors
• Market research - you can gain a clear idea of exactly how your target audience will react to new ideas and your current products in a live environment
• Network with your peers, formulate partnerships, discuss ideas and you will be invited to our exhibitor party
• Use the opportunity for new launches in a high profile environment

 

[Rickenvisage]

If you choose to exhibit at a show then it's imperative to monitor the success of it for future reference. Making sure you follow up leads, and try and gain as much feedback from visitors as possible. It doesn't end after the show and I've found that a lot of people don't considerate it as much as they should.

 

[Adam.Vause]

I will be attending our local business expo this year. It's quite a bit of money to invest in pop-up banners, marketing material and paying for the stand but hopefully it will pay off. As they say speculate to accumulate.

I know some of my clients have tried it and come away without nothing and see it as a waste of money but again I think you need to engage with your potential customers and entice them.

 

[GeorgeM]

The advice from Neil earlier is critical - its about preparation beforehand, and following up afterwards. Yet few exhibitors ever do either.

If your expecting to attend exhibitions, and close new business that day, you are likely to be disappointed - but as a prospect building tool for follow-up, then yes.