As a new business owner, one of the best ways to get your name out into the industry is to attend a trade show. Yes, there is a lot to plan for it, but it will be worth the time and effort. Trust us on this, if you want to get your company’s name out there, attending a trade show is a must.
While attending a trade show is crucial for getting your businesses name out there, it can be stressful. There is a lot to plan and prepare for attending a trade show, including ensuring that your exhibition stand stands out from the crowd.
To help you prepare for your first trade exhibition, here are our top tips:
Choose the type of show you attend carefully
Get a stand at a trade show can be pricey, so make sure you choose the show you attend carefully. Look for a trade show that is most likely to attract the type of customers and businesses that you want to interact with.
For instance, if you run an LED lighting company, attend a trade show that has lots of energy efficiency companies in attendance. That way, you will get your company name out there and will also be able to look for potential companies to create a trade link with.
Create a plan to follow
Once you have chosen the perfect trade show to attend, the next step is to create a plan to follow. This should include everything that you need to do leading up to the show, as well as who should be doing each task.
This will make it easier for you to ensure that everything is done on time and that everyone is doing their jobs. Creating a plan is important, as it allows you to ensure that everything is kept on top of, leading up to the event.
Have a budget in place
Make sure that before doing anything else, that you have a budget in place for the show. You don’t want to blow your whole budget on one event, so having a budget is crucial.
As well as having an overall budget, you should also know how much you have to spend on each area of the event. For instance, you should know how much you have to spend on designing a stand and how much you have to spend on marketing.
Hire a design company for your exhibition stand
Don’t make the mistake of attempting to design your exhibition stand yourself. Your exhibition stand is your main marketing tool, so it’s crucial that it stands out from the other stands. It might be a little pricey to have your stand designed for you, but it’s worth the cost, as it will help to get your company name out there.
Just make sure to choose a designer carefully – do lots of research to ensure that you opt for the best stand design company. If you are struggling to find a good design company, visit www.finessegroup.com – they have amazing ideas.
Think about incentives
As well as having an amazing exhibition stand that stands out from the crowd, you also need an incentive. Often, people swarm to stools with incentives, so having an incentive is crucial. Things like offering money off vouchers and discounts are important, but as are having edible incentives.
It might sound odd, but the stalls with free cupcakes or sweets, are always the ones that are busy. Get in touch with a local bakery and ask whether they could design some specialist cupcakes or cookies for your stand. Perhaps you could ask for them to add your logo to them in rice paper?
When it comes to preparing for an industry exhibition, there is lots to think about. As long as you are well prepared and stay organized, the event should go without a hitch.
