Selling At An Exhibition Show

[Tech4Homes]

Okay so I'm booking on a show for late June. Relevant to my industry and I will be show casing a specific set of products.

I'm obviously looking to be taking orders at the show, but the question is, will people really want to take items away with them there and then (i.e should I forecast and keep stock) or are people more likely to want the items shipped to them very quickly after the show?

Most of my items are of a reasonable size/weight. Personally I'd rather buy and have it sent to me than having to lug it around a show but others will be put off by paying and not receiving something there and then.

To those with show experience, do most people pay by card or will people expect to pay with cash?

As for tracking conversions, I'm looking to take orders at show (with 10% discount on everything), I'm going to be giving away a specific guide book and some form of giveaway, a 10% off discount code for the whole month of July and a free express shipping code for the rest of the year. I'll also have an iPad on hand to take email addresses, although may need to think of something to get people to want to give away their email address.

The show is aimed at people building/renovating houses, and my products are usually installed at the same time as the building/renovating. So most of my customers will [hopefully] be buying in preparation for their build/renovation so likely they won't need the items right there and then and can easily wait a couple days for delivery.

Thoughts?

 

[patientlady]

Hi Tech4homes
We show at various exhibitions through out the year. Some specific to the trade and some such as Ideal Home. As you are aware the stands are extremely expensive and my advice would be to get the sale on the day, and preferably them taking the goods with them. Do your products fit in a carrier bag?
We restock every evening and rely on the sales of the day to repay and try and cover the overhead! We offer a genuine show offer, In other words that offer is not given at any other time through the year apart from other exhibitions. We do not offer a discount but throw in something free if they buy today!
We also demonstrate the products...
Hope this helps p/l

 

[Tech4Homes]

Thanks patientlady, sounds like our shows will cross as Ideal Home is on my list of other shows to do if this works out.

Yes it's bloody expensive, I'm absolutely terrified that it won't even break even, but I think that's actually the exciting part. I've got a very small stand lined up but even that will require a lot of sales to break even hence the idea behind the website discount codes, so I can see if I get any transactions in the months following as a result of the show. Small stands brings stock problems, I guess we could fill the car/trailer up with stock and keep refilling it on the stand (only keep a few of each item on the stand)

I'm refraining from handing out fliers as they normally go in the bin, so I'm going to make a very basic 4 page "guide/brochure" to try and at least keep it in peoples possession longer.

I have picked out a few items that will be able to go in bags and will appeal to a lot of people, I'm hoping to pick enough items and sell enough to break even on those, as some of the other products are a bit more of a considered purchase. I could bring along a fair bit of stock of the larger items and keep a couple of each on the stand with more in the trailer.

 

[Tech4Homes]

I'm thinking about running a competition to get email addresses... i.e win a "product worth £400" just for handing over email. Does this sound a good way to capture emails for the people who aren't ready to make a purchase decision yet?

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

This is an interesting topic as I am just about to go to my first such event 'Farm Shop & Deli Show' at Birmingham NEC if anyone fancies a visit. My display is a tiny 2 x 1.5 mtrs. I wasn't going to sell on the day but was going to let people have tasters with the hope of gaining sales to stores, meeting distributors or maybe getting some contratct packing work out of it as I do that already. Maybe I should look at selling on the day also.

 

[Tech4Homes]

My stand is 2.5m x 1m so equally tiny.

I'm thinking of having two metal shelving units with products clearly displayed, some printed banners on the left and right sides of the shell scheme and a small stand type thing (like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Exhibitio...t=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item5b0d57df0b)

And some method of displaying one of the products, not sure how yet!! Maybe I need to forget the above pop up stand thing and make a small counter/display top.

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

How did you get on with the Show stand tech?

 

[Tech4Homes]

I'm booked so I did take the "leap"!

It's 28-29th June so I've not done it yet. I'm meeting a supplier next Tuesday and another one on Wednesday, both are supporting me (demo kit, graphics and sale or return stock)

I've got a rough layout design as it's such a small stand, I'm just finding it hard to pinpoint the right products to 1) have enough impulse sales potential on the day and 2) have a decent enough margin, no point selling things that only make me a tenner when the weekends costing £2k.

I think I'm going to mostly be pushing my main kitchen installation radio with the best margin, so graphics and demo kit will be geared to this, but we'll have a few of the other brand on the shelf to recommend (same type of product but different application, don't want to give people too much choice of the same type - or too much choice in general as its a small stand) and then we'll have some cheap (but good!! £99) portable DAB radios designed for kitchens which hopefully are at a cheaper price point to attract more impulse purchases.

Still lots to do and think about, I have the money up front for all of this so I'm not borrowing or relying on anyone else which makes it a bit easier, but obviously I don't want to lose/waste my money!

Have you done your event yet? If so how'd it go?

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

Not done mine yet it is 20 April for 3 days. My product isn't really a saleable item on the day with having no where to keep the stock etc. I think I am just going with the display and maybe small samples to take away for those people that seem serious. Still lots to do.

 

[patientlady]

Well done for taking that leap. Can I offer a suggestion. We just did another show last weekend down in Devon. Last year that same show was amazing, we were so looking forward to it, but this year a flop for us and everyone else there. Why? Because no one knew it was on! The organisers had by rumour run out of money for a loss making expo in the summer and had spent no money on ours for marketing, advertising, and social media. Big losses all round...
Please do not rely on the organisers to get bodies there, get on social media, Twitter whatever, and get people to your stand, offer whatever genuine show offer you have before the event. Hope this helps...

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

"I'm refraining from handing out fliers as they normally go in the bin, so I'm going to make a very basic 4 page "guide/brochure" to try and at least keep it in peoples possession longer."

A well designed leaflet will do better than a basic 4 pager!

It all about the messages and call to action!