Rules for the successful organization of participation in the exhibition
What does it mean to “prepare effectively in an exhibition”?
“There are many different ways for a company to make itself known,” PR people say. Mass events are suitable for this, for example, participation in a professional exhibition. The term “business exhibition” and the concept that is invested in it is considered one of the most important tools for effective business management. Therefore, experts say: high-quality preparation for the exhibition has a direct impact on the promotion of goods / services and profit growth in the short term.
Participation in the exhibition can serve several purposes.
- Make yourself known in the market. If the company is new, then for it the exhibition is a chance to tell about itself in front of a wide audience. Mass media are always present at the exhibitions, and the organizers of the exhibition also take care of the printing of materials and magazines in advance, in which the participating companies are indicated. And of course, at the end of the exhibition, the invited media sponsors will write material on this topic, and, possibly, your company will be mentioned. In the end, a carefully thought-out organization of participation in the exhibition, communication and exchange of experience with competitors can be an excellent information base for beginners and an important step towards improvement and success in the future!
- Image. Some large companies no longer actually have the right to refuse to participate in certain exhibitions, as the audience is waiting for their presence there. Not announcing your participation in a professional exhibition will be tantamount to acknowledging the fact that not everything is going smoothly in the company. Often this state of affairs applies to large banks. The second image reason is to demonstrate what was good in the current year, what the company managed to achieve over the past period. In addition, highly specialized exhibitions include a business part, where a representative of the company can speak for a fee. Therefore, maintaining a certain level of prestige of a “company with a history” is also considered an integral part for its successful development in the future!
- Get new partners, customers, customers. Some exhibitions allow you to conclude profitable contracts right on the spot, develop partnerships and increase the loyalty of existing customers. And, importantly, an effective result can be achieved in a very short time!
After the formation of the goals of participation in the exhibition, specific tasks and ways to achieve the goals set are determined. It is worth noting that goals must have a specific measurable value, otherwise participation and calculation of results will not make sense.
For example, collect 50 business cards of potential partners, get 3 mentions in the media, etc. A measurable and achievable goal in terms of quantity and time is an indicator of a correct understanding of the reason for one’s participation in the exhibition. This is how it will be possible to measure the effectiveness of participation, including in relation to the budget.
Proper organization of the exhibition: basic recommendations
And so, how to prepare for the exhibition correctly? What nuances to take into account and what resources (materials) to use? Also, what should be emphasized in order to solve the key issue for any company participating in the exhibition, namely: obtaining an effective result in achieving the stated goals?
As part of the preparation for participation in an exhibition event, as a rule, there are several main stages:
- First of all, you should decide on the choice of the exhibition, taking into account the direction of your business. The main question that this stage answers is: what benefit will participation in the exhibition bring to the company / firm, how much will the level of sales increase (and this is still the fundamental goal of each participant).
- Then a number of technical issues related to the preparation of the exhibition space will have to be resolved. Namely: the location of the future stand (selection of the most advantageous location in terms of attendance), development of a general concept, approval of the size of the stand used for the manufacture of materials, etc.
- In addition, one of the important positions is occupied by mandatory staff training / training of company employees participating in the event.
- The next stage is the coordinated work of all participants directly at the time of the exhibition, its detailed planning.
- And in the final – summing up, fast and correct processing of leads (potentially useful contacts).
Further, everything is subordinated to the desire to achieve the goals. Knowledge and skillful application of each of the listed stages will help not only to prove yourself from a profitable and memorable side, but will also have an impact on the implementation of projects (increasing the level of sales of goods/services) with which you came to the exhibition.
Among other things, high-quality preparation for the exhibition will set a high bar for other participants of the exhibition event, including competitors, “rivals”, potential customers, and this will raise your rating or strengthen the already existing positive image.
What do you need to know and apply to prepare for the exhibition?
In order to understand the question in more detail: how to arrange an exhibition efficiently and effectively, it is necessary to understand some of the nuances, not missing important subtleties and details in preparation.
Design and decoration of the location (site)
The design of the site should be thought out by the person (team) who is responsible for organizing and participating in the exhibition. Why? Because the layout should be convenient, understandable and meet the objectives of participation. And only then, having indicated the location of zones, elements and participants, having measured the passability, you can give the project to designers.
Remember that the big picture consists of little things. Much depends on the intermediate goals and tasks assigned to them. For example, if the goal is chosen so that as many visitors as possible enter your location, then it is worth taking a site closer to the entrance, where the maximum flow of people is concentrated.
One of the design lifehacks is not to highlight half of your stand with color, not to zone it with barriers so that people can freely pass through your stand. It is better to do this so that visitors do not see the boundaries, go to the site without hesitation, look at, examine and communicate with the team.
Before proceeding to the review of materials for participation in the exhibition, you need to take care of the maximum possible informing the potential target audience about the upcoming event. Those. join the advertising campaign of the entire exhibition event; place several ads, articles, thematic publications in the media, etc.
Materials required for participation in the exhibition
A review of the materials that will be needed at the exhibition requires special attention.
And so, what do the materials that you need include:
- High quality exhibits.
- A bright, memorable stand with an “idea” that attracts the attention of visitors. It is necessary to think in advance who will install the stand: the team that was engaged in its manufacture or the staff / employees who are directly involved in the exhibition. Because, often, the installation of the stand requires preliminary instruction.
- Printing products:
- It is necessary to pre-print and send out invitations (3-4 months before the event) to partners and regular customers, indicating all the important information (where, when and for what purpose the exhibition will be held, the benefits of your participation in it). Approximately 1.5-2 weeks before the scheduled event, you need to be reminded of the upcoming event with your participation. This will profitably increase the flow of attendance at the exhibition for you.
- Print promotional items (leaflets, brochures, flyers, booklets, catalogs) on time and in the required quantity. Here it is worth noting that it is a good idea to find out in advance the location of the nearest printing house, its opening hours and how much the minimum circulation of printing services is in case you urgently need to replenish stocks of printed materials. It is not recommended to print promotional materials in excess, because in the future, most likely, they will not be useful to you and will become a waste of money.
- In addition, do not forget to prepare badges and business cards for feedback. It is important to enter all contact information without errors!
- Prepare in advance memorable souvenirs with the company/product logo, corporate gifts for partners and regular customers, which will make and consolidate a good impression, as well as arouse additional interest in the company/product/service. All this is part of the advertising campaign, besides, people love to receive nice little things as a gift!
A separate item should be allocated the cost of transportation costs, i.e. transportation of all exhibits and materials to the exhibition center.
The role of the human factor
A creatively designed stand, good location, high-quality glossy brochures and flyers will not “stretch” the situation on their own without careful and professional preparation of the team that will work during the presentation at the exhibition.
The preparation of the team and the number of participants also depend on the purpose and area of the selected booth. If the budget allows you to take a larger area, then use a large team. It is not recommended to put one person on the stand. Team members, depending on the skills, inclinations, can play different roles. Someone who has more information than others on a subject, product, service, can be a consultant. An easy-to-communicate person – to attract and lure with conversations to the site. Often they take a beautiful girl, a showman, who, by her actions or appearance, attracts the interest of the public to the stand.
Some industrial exhibitions will require the participation of a director or deputy director in it. If the goal is to conclude agreements, contracts, then you need to take care of a calm and quiet area at your stand for this purpose. And the presence of an authorized person.
There is such a role for a team member – an attractor. This is the person who draws attention to the company. He can be both on the spot and walk around the entire exhibition space.The simplest is a pretty girl who hands out business cards or invitation flyers. There is a similarity with the work of a promoter.
Summing up: fixation on what has been achieved
The work of the participants does not end with the last day of the exhibition. If contacts were received, then they should be processed within a week, and it is advisable to write words of gratitude to those who left their coordinates. In the wake of publishing materials in the media, you can advertise participation well, create materials for articles on the site, in social networks.
Participation in the exhibition should not be spontaneous. Company / product / service presentation – should be a well-thought-out and well-executed project, then it will really benefit and benefit the company.
Internet marketing expert. Head of marketing agency MAVR.
Business degree “Master of Business Administration” (MBA).