This informal CPD article 'Three simple rules when it comes to your Exhibiting Strategy' was provided by Expo Stars Interactive, who are audience engagement experts supporting exhibitors worldwide to generate better qualified leads from tradeshows and events.
Exhibiting can often feel like a minefield. Why are we exhibiting? What is going to help us generate more sales leads? Are we going to achieve our objectives?
We’ve been in the exhibition game since 2007 and we’ve seen our fair share of exhibitions falling flat, due to poor strategy. In this article, we’ll share with you three rules that will ensure you go into your next exhibition prepared and ready to boost your ROI.
Rule 1: Why are you exhibiting?
The age-old question. At this stage, you need to be asking yourself important questions such as:
- Do I want to generate more leads for my business?
- Am I looking to raise awareness for a new product or service?
- My local exhibition centre is offering half-price rates, so it’ll be silly for me not to do it, wouldn't it?
Let’s talk about some of the areas you should be thinking of.
Location and cost
We’re living through difficult times and businesses will be looking to cut and save wherever they can.
But, when we look back over past economic downturns, those few companies who are willing to spend have seen accelerated growth. We aren’t saying you should keep on spending your current budget but stopping spending altogether can be dangerous, even during challenging times.
Your target audience
As always, your target audience should always be high on your priority list. You wouldn’t go on holiday without knowing where you’re going so why would exhibiting differ? When businesses have approached us in the past due to negligent exhibiting, we ask them these questions.
- Did you choose the right exhibition?
- Why should attendees approach your stand?
- Do you know your audience’s wants and needs?
- What are your audience’s wants and needs? By finding out more about your target audience, you tailor your approach to suit them, elevating their exhibition experience in the process.
Rule 2: What are your top objectives?
To select the most effective trade show, firstly, be clear on the reason why you are exhibiting. A report from CEIR found 99 objectives for having an exhibition presence, most falling into two broad categories: sales and communications. Sales objectives help boost business revenue and could include:
- Generating new business leads
- Using an exhibition as a venue to conduct sales meetings
- Promoting products and services on the day
Communications objectives are aligned with marketing, such as:
- Using an exhibition as a platform to launch a new product
- Raising brand awareness
- Strengthening relationships with existing customers
For good practice, read through this section again, and think deeply about whether your objectives are sale or communication related.
Rule 3: Is this the ideal show for you?
Picking the right show for your business is key to your strategy when you want to maximise your ROI. Once the purpose of your exhibition is confirmed and you have your target goals and measures in place, you can then narrow down options, depending on specific criteria, such as budget, location, date, number and demographics of attendees, reputation, booth space availability, and marketing opportunities.
When you have a shortlist, ask yourself the following questions:
- Does this show deliver our ideal business prospects?
- Does it reach a large volume of our target audience?
- Will it offer excellent trade show lead generation?
- Will it enable us to meet the goals we’ve set for each of our objectives?
By following this formula to forecast a profitable trade show, you’ll guarantee the success of every new exhibition. These rules are a selection handpicked by some of our experts and your exhibition journey shouldn’t stop there.
Ready, set, exhibit
We hope this article was helpful. For more information from Expo Stars Interactive, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively, you can go to the CPD Industry Hubs for more articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.
