EXHIBITING AT EXPO - Any Tips?

[SimonR@Gravity]

Hiya,

Does anyone have experience of exhibiting at an Expo?
We are a new business (4 months in) - and a new poster on the forum.
Its our first business venture and we are considering having a stand at a local Expo.

Has anyone got any advice or tips?
All feedback greatly appreciated.

 

[businessfunding]

Hiya,

Does anyone have experience of exhibiting at an Expo?
We are a new business (4 months in) - and a new poster on the forum.
Its our first business venture and we are considering having a stand at a local Expo.

Has anyone got any advice or tips?
All feedback greatly appreciated.

Have a draw on to your stand.
Be attentive to prospects.
Take details.
FOLLOW UP!

 

[Jeff FV]

Comfy shoes, comfy shoes and another pair of comfy shoes!

It was doing a trade show that really helped to catapult us to bigger things - its a somewhat daunting, but very important step.

Here's a couple of links to our blog, ponting to a series of posts about a couple of shows we did, Harrogate was our 1st, Top Drawer our next. I won't bore you with a load of other links, but if you want to see more about our recent shows you can visit July 2011 and January 2012 on our blog for more.

Find out the set up of your stand, find a piece of space (in a unit, garage, spare room, whatever) and mark out the stand dimensions. Then see how you will fill it. People will initially only glance at your stand, so make it visually appealing and obvious what you do.

If you can, go to a few similar shows first as a 'punter' to see what works and what doesn't.

Goodd luck and enjoy!

Jeff

links:

Harrogate Home and Gift

Top Drawer

(you might want to scroll to the bottom of those pages and work upwards - that way you'll be reading in chronological order)

 

[emmylou74]

Hi Jeff,

Your blog postings are great! Would it be alright to send you a pm about a question I have?

 

[JElder]

If you are on a budget, get at least one big banner printed - they are not that expensive, and make sure it is really clear what you do - a good tagline helps.

Have at least 2 people on the stand, and ensure they are available - if they are engrossed in conversation with each other, visitors are less likely to approach or interrupt.

Don't for get the other attendees. On the quiet periods, do a quick tour and introduce yourself. There are often social events for attendees at some point.

Try to get involved in the social media for the event, and have some searches running form mentions of it so you can say you are attending.

After the event, follow up on all the leads fast, even if it's just a 'hello, thanks for visiting'.

 

[InPrintImaging]

When booking, ask if you can have a stand directly opposit the entrance, otherwise you may get shunted to the back corner and people may miss you.

 

[Jeff FV]

Hi Jeff,

Your blog postings are great! Would it be alright to send you a pm about a question I have?

No problem - I look forward to your question.

Jeff

 

[SimonR@Gravity]

Thank you very much for taking the time to write your thoughts and ideas.
Sorry for the slow reply - trying to balance doing the work we have with the need to do more marketing!

We are in the process of getting a banner and brochures made up and will attend as punters first.

And follow ups and comfy shoes are now foremost in our planning.

Thank you once again

 

[Moneyman]

1. say what you do. Have at least one poster with a list of bullet points. Often good contacts can be nervous of seeming stupid and if a person who has no knowlege of your industry cannot tell exactly what you do. They wont come and speak.
2. Print out customer sheets. with name space for emails and notes. you will be frazzled by the day end and your memory will be shot. once you get the customer details then stick on a couple of notes..."fat sweaty guy who said he deals with ireland..." "used to work for xyz company" that sort of thing. memory joggers.
3. take food and drink in small quick portions (nobody wants to visit a stand where some guy is slurping noodles)...
4. it is very knackering. wear comfey shoes and get high stools to sit on. Low chairs and a table seem off putting.
5. Try to have a rota where one member of staff wanders off with loads of cards to other stands and tries to get people to visit your stand
6. follow up.

 

[Simon-M]

There was a guy advertising those roll up banners for a good price last week. In the offers section. They were cheap.

 

[Davek0974]

Hi
we used to do shows at the NEC in Birmingham, it's hard work

Comfy shoes,

Headache pills just in case,

Smart clothing,

Don't eat anything with garlic in it,

Be open - even when not busy, don't stand around with arms folded in front of you, it puts out a "don't bother me" image,

Don't make a promise you cant fulfill,

Follow up all leads and contacts