Participating in trade shows represents a significant investment.
While it is not easy to recoup these expenses quickly, the real benefits of trade shows are measured over the long term, as a trade show can receive tens of thousands of potential customers. Therefore, it is important to prepare your participation carefully.
To do so, you must take into account: the before, during and after the show.
After having participated in hundreds of trade shows, here are our tips for a successful trade show and for making your presence profitable:
1) Organize your reservation in advance
The location of the stand is part of the visibility strategy. If you want to benefit from a strategically placed booth, you have to start booking as soon as the ticketing system opens months before the big day. If you do it early enough, you can benefit from early bird offers. Choose stands located near areas that generate a lot of traffic: close to the entrances, near the catering and conference areas, close to the leading competitors in order to be part of the flow of people heading to the stand of a leading competitor (and not in the immediate vicinity).
2) Notify your employees
Make sure your employees and managers are aware of the dates of the show so they can better coordinate the absence of certain employees.
Do not hesitate to set up a collaborative agenda in order to have an annual vision of the trade shows planned.
3) Notify your customers of your presence
Inform your customers of your presence at the show and your booth number (number and aisle) as well as the days of presence
Communicate the same information on social networks
4) Design an attractive and efficient booth
Get the technical guide of the exhibition which will allow you to know the dimensions of the stand and all that concerns the instructions of the stand (distances to be respected, safety instructions ...)
The visual aspect of the stand is essential. It must reflect your company's image, represent your values and respect your budget, but above all, it must be a differentiating factor.
For this reason, we advise you to call on experts in order to obtain advice that will allow you to stand out from your competitors by proposing a differentiating and attractive stand for the visitors. In recent years, technology has found its place in trade shows and it is almost mandatory to integrate it into your stand.
5) Find a way to guarantee a constant flow of visitors
Sales people are essential for this step but they can be accompanied by technological tools to attract and captivate visitors while informing them in an interactive way in order to increase their time on the stand.
6) Create differentiating, ethical and responsible communication supports
The communication supports are divided into two groups. The traditional supports that visitors can take away like goodies, brochures, samples. But the era of disposable, useless and mass distributed goodies is over.
The communication supports must be useful, ecologically and locally made.
There are also more innovative visual supports, customizable, reusable and manufactured in short circuit, which will mark the visitors and will make the buzz within the show. Among them you can find interactive consoles and tables, holograms, videos, animated films and virtual reality etc...
7) Take advantage of the post-show period
Once the show is over, it's time to thank the prospects you met through an email or a post on social networks. In addition, don't forget to confirm the appointments made during the show. You can also do a satisfaction survey among your collaborators that will help improve your next participation in a trade show.
8) It's time to prepare for the next show. Back to step 1
It's up to you now!!!
sources:
- Swile
- Absolute event
- La gazette des salons
- Technology Based Magic ‘ expertise and expérience
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