Trade Fair / Exhibition

[Topzone]

We want to organize an exhibition for retailers, with focus on ecommerce and mobile applications.

Any advice? Have you organized an exhibition before? Anybody wants to partner with us? Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[ethical PR]

I've organised events and exhibitions before, here are some thoughts off the top of my head.

1. Exhibitions are expensive and time consuming to manage
2. If you haven't done one before consider getting an event manager/s on board to help handle arrangements
3. Key to your success will be ensuring you have the right format that will engage your target market - what can you offer that will make retailers give up a half a day/day/few days of their time and sponsors pay to be part of your event?
4. You will need to put together a package for potential sponsors and exhibitors including marketing opportunities, exhibition space, dinners, media opportunities, advertising opportunities - a lead in time of 6 months - a year or more is not unusual depending on the scale of what you want to achieve
5. Venue, location and timing is key (check your event won't clash with something that is already established on the calendar of your target audiences).
6. Budget - do you have the money to underwrite the event if you don't bring in enough sponsors/advertisers? It would be very damaging to your reputation if you had to cancel the event if you can't secure enough sponsorship
7. Think about staffing requirements for event set up, on the day management and breakdown

Good luck

 

[Topzone]

Thank you so much for this feedback. I have taken your comments on board.

 

[Socio South West]

Looking at your specific idea, your intended exhibitors would appear to be online businesses and applications... of whom most naturally invest their marketing budget in internet and mobile based marketing, and are not geared to physical appearances, so your first problem is to get them to stretch their marketing further.
The problem then multiplies itself - because there is so much information online, why take time out from operating hours to visit a show which has products that can be sourced 24/7 online?

Shows are excellent ways of bringing customers and suppliers together, but in this case I think you need to look at a broader product range to increase the appeal of the event to exhibitors and visitors alike.
If you develop a seminar/speaker programme focused on the ecommerce and mobile applications line, and incorporate that into a wider event I think you will not only stand a much better chance of success, but also persuade some of the bigger names in the sectors you want to concentrate on to take space.

EthicalPR's points are all very relevant, the right venue and the right dates being high on the list.

 

[The Byre]

I've organised events and exhibitions before, here are some thoughts off the top of my head.

1. Exhibitions are expensive and time consuming to manage
2. If you haven't done one before consider getting an event manager/s on board to help handle arrangements
3. Key to your success will be ensuring you have the right format that will engage your target market - what can you offer that will make retailers give up a half a day/day/few days of their time and sponsors pay to be part of your event?
4. You will need to put together a package for potential sponsors and exhibitors including marketing opportunities, exhibition space, dinners, media opportunities, advertising opportunities - a lead in time of 6 months - a year or more is not unusual depending on the scale of what you want to achieve
5. Venue, location and timing is key (check your event won't clash with something that is already established on the calendar of your target audiences).
6. Budget - do you have the money to underwrite the event if you don't bring in enough sponsors/advertisers? It would be very damaging to your reputation if you had to cancel the event if you can't secure enough sponsorship
7. Think about staffing requirements for event set up, on the day management and breakdown

Good luck

That lot!

If you have never done one before, get someone on board who has (successfully!) Trade Fairs is not a game for novices and requires deep industry connections, such as buddies with leading exhibitors, links to leading trade publications, etc., to make it happen. And as the Ethical One said, lots of money to underwrite the whole thing.