There’s a lot of value in attending trade shows, and there’s even more value in exhibiting at trade shows. They’re a terrific way to build interest in your brand, and you never quite know what it could lead to. Of course, you can’t expect to just turn up at a trade show, exhibit a stand, and then expect all the benefits to roll in. In order for that to happen, you’ll need to do all the things that help to push a company towards trade show success. In this blog, we’ll take a look at five essential tips that’ll nudge you in the right direction.
Plan Early
It takes time to put together a trade show that’ll yield results. You should know well in advance of the trade show that you want to exhibit at, so don’t leave the planning to the last minute. It’s important to be creative when you’re putting together a stand — you won’t get interest if it’s not an interesting stand — and you’ll need time for the idea to develop before you proceed to the plan of action. Think three to six months in advance.
Get Your Team Involved
Your team of staff will be important to the success of the trade show. You can hire external trade show experts, but in truth, no one knows your brand like your staff! So be sure to make them part of the development process. You’ll find that if they’re involved, they bring a lot more energy and enthusiasm to the project compared to if they’re just told that they’re going. Also, it’s best not to force anyone to get involved. You’ll want people who are naturally enthusiastic about helping out since they’ll be the ones who deliver the best on the big day.
Create a Great Stand
You’re not going to be the only company exhibiting at the trade show. As such, you’ll need to ensure that you stand out from the crowd. And that’ll come down to the quality of your stand. You’ll need a great but not overly complicated design and some aluminium extrusion so you can get the stand assembled quickly and easily. From there, it’s all about making the stand visually appealing. The colours should, of course, be in line with the colours of your company branding.
Make it Engaging
No one’s going to spend time at your stand if you’re just delivering a monologue about your business. They’ll only stick around to hear what you have to say if it’s engaging and interesting. Whatever your company does, there’ll be a way to deliver the information in an engaging way. Could you use games? Or give away freebies? It’s all about making a big impression.
Set Goals
Finally, be sure to set yourself goals for the trade show, so you can measure the success once you’re back in the office. You may want to get email addresses, make sales, or simply build connections in the industry. Whatever it is, make sure you’re measuring the effectiveness.