Show advice

[raspberrybloom]

Hi everyone,

I am after some advice.

We have booked some space at the Essential Beauty and Body Show in April. We have a 2mx1m corner shell scheme but I don’t really know what to do with it.

You see we normally attend craft and gift fairs where they give you a 6ft table and that’s it. But I really don’t think that will be sufficient for the show.

Has anyone any advice how to layout our stand?

We are also a little worried about stock. They are expecting 6000 visitor so we are planning to buy some jewellery in but it will compliment our range. I hope that will be ok.

We are thinking of getting some postcards printed to give out and possibly some giveaway but that might be a little too expensive.

We might run a competition to collect data.

Any advice on the lay out or attend a show in general would be fab.

Thanks, Louise

 

[Stephen Berry]

Here's something I said to someone with a similar enquiry a few days ago:

I am in a very different industry - so how much of my experience is relevant I do not know - that is for you to judge.
We became a little bit disenchanted with the usual round of lots of people sitting in their exhibition box - so we asked for a open space with electricity supply - and nothing else - we would 'bring our stand'. We brought MDF, paint and tools - then built a pirate ship - about 30 foot long - complete with sail, computers with diagnostics for people to try, coffee, - and we all dressed up - we had Peter Pan (me), Captain Hook plus a load of pirates etc. (the green tights were great - woops, should not have said that)
We were officially the busiest stand at Olympia that year - and when booking the space for the following year the stand next to us said to the organisers that they would be anywhere - as long as it was next to us!

Lessons - be different - stand out - don't just sit in a exhibition box. I like the idea (an earlier response) of demonstrating the jewelery making. Coffee, or some form of drink is a must (on our pirate ship we surreptitiously had rum - either neat or to add to coffee if requested - surely wine would be fine for the wedding market). Have music playing (we have a performing licence - check if it is needed for you). Card collection and champagne prize draw is fine - but there will be a few dozen others doing that. How can yours be radically different?
Seek to answer the question of why someone would choose to stop, sit and have a coffee with you than with someone else. Imagine that all your competitors are in the next few spaces (which doesn't happen - they'll be spaced out - but imagine it) - why should I sit with you?
For us it was 'these guys have something different - what is it?' - the pirate ship was great curiosity rouser.
Good luck

 

[An Oasis]

You need lots of very expensive plants

Failing that, how about taking piccies of the potential client wearing your product and then you can send copies on to them...

 

[.Spiralling.]

I also go to the smaller fairs, where you get s 6ft table, although most people change this somehow. I don't tend to be at craft fairs, but Mind, Body and Soul shows, and there are always add-ons to the stands etc, to create shape and interest.

At this sort of show you find that a lot of people want to try and take everything in. They may well come with a ficed budget for the day (and at our shows that often is to be spent on a medium or reader). However, they always take any literature that is either offered to them or is available on the stand, and many people take everything home to read through later.

I've just sorted myself out a leaflet for this year's shows. It's A4, folded down into 3, and gives a short synopsis of the meditations available, along with ordering details, contact details, and a paper order form. I'm hoping that those who don't buy on the day, but are interested, will take a leaflet and give it some more thought at home.

These needn't be expensive to produce and give out, and if it brings in more business, it will be well worth the cost!

I've booked for some of the bigger shows this year (mainly the parenting/child orientated fairs to target the toys and books), and I'm also wondering how to make the most of the opportunity.

I like the idea of taking photos of people wearing your jewellrey. If they don't buy there and then, having the photo at home will remind them how great they looked wearing it, and might persuade them to buy!

 

[toystoyou]

One big expensive mistake I made when I did a huge exhibition in London was instead of paying for a barcode scanner I decided to run a competition in order to collect people's details. It wasn't a big winner, we got hardly any business cards because everybody else was offering competitions.
For about £200 we could have rented one of those scanners (from the exhibition organisers) that scans visitor's badges and then saves their details. I would've then received a print-out of every single person who visited my site and was scanned.
I could've got contact details for thousands of visitors instead I ended up with only a few hundred business cards.
It might seem like another expense on top of taking the stand at the fair but I truly wish I'd spent the extra.
And I agree wholeheartedly with Stephen - be different, do something different that'll bring people to you and keep them there for a few mins or more if poss. Fairs are competition in a sardine jar if you can't be better or cheaper then be different and memorable.
Good luck.
Julie

 

[simonr]

I'm with the "do it" crowd! What you make is jewellery - so show it being made. For me, the best way would be to have your marketing people/person at the front, with the 'maker' at the back, hunched over, making it look mysterious, but with a camera feeding close up images of their work-table to a data projector which is shining on the wall of the space.

Beware - very powerful projector needed indeed!

Simon

 

[clairemackaness]

How about asking a furniture store to sponsor your stand and get some of those lovely glass cabinets to display your products in. It will make it look more like a little shop then rather than a stall.

Pull up printed banners are always good and a water cooler. People are always looking for a drink and the Essential Beauty shows are all about healthy living.

How about getting a local salon to give you a pamper day to raffle off if you collect details of people and give them a salon leaflet as well as your own card?

 

[amv1981]

I know I'm too late for this particular show of yours... But if you were going to have another one, I'd suggest you get a Display Cabinet for jewellery - I know from experience that they definitely pay for themselves, because you will sell way more jewellery if they are in a display cabinet than if the jewellery is just on a table.