Plan well to get maximum return on investment from your trade show booth. Exhibiting at a trade show is an expensive commitment. From the exhibition stand design and production, graphics, staff, travel, products, and marketing, there are a lot of costs involved. Exhibitors also have to invest time into arranging their team and preparing their stand. As an exhibitor, you want to ensure that you get more value for your investment, and you have put a lot of effort into making your exhibition stand count.
Getting more value from your exhibition stand is all about planning. The trade show booth should achieve your business goals and be easy for your visitors to understand. It also has to be the right environment for your staff and enable them to communicate with potential prospects about your products or services.
Understand what you want to achieve.
The first step to take is to understand what you want to achieve at the exhibition. Well, every exhibitor comes to the event with different objectives in mind. Some brands already have a good reputation in the whole world. All they want is to maintain their reputation, so they participate in the trade show. However, there are some startup brands that exhibit at the event to start a business. So, your objectives must be very clear before participating in the event. This will help your exhibition booth builder and contractor company to create a booth that supports your objectives.
Suppose your objectives are to do client meetings; then your exhibition booth construction company will use double-decker exhibition stands that will provide more space for product showcase and one-on-one meetings. However, if your aim is just to launch products, then modular exhibition stands are equally good.
Know which visitors you want to attract
Attracting visitors is not enough. It is because attracting the right visitors is important. So your exhibition stand should be planned in a manner that helps in attracting the right visitors. Visitors have different requirements depending upon the industry they belong to. Your exhibition stand should be such that when visitors look at it, they can easily connect with your brand.
Your exhibition stand should be easy to understand
When people come to the show floor, they have very little time to notice your brand. Your exhibition booth should be designed to make memorable brand impressions. It should have a branding message, product info, and be easily understandable by the audience. Good exhibition booth design does not mean overloading potential prospects with information. In fact, it is best if you provide the minimum information necessary for visitors to understand what your company does. Your graphics should be designed in a way that supports your marketing message and does not overwhelm your target prospects with information.
Use your exhibition stand space wisely.
Each element in your stand should have a purpose. If you hire an experienced exhibition stand construction company like Blueprint Exhibits, then they can create trade show booths that are designed as per your business objectives. They will consider your space and create a display stand accordingly. The most compelling products and messages should be placed strategically in order to attract the attention of your visitors.
Key selling points, your meeting area, and reception desk should also be visible from the main thoroughfare of your exhibition stand. You will also need to leave space to let your visitors move comfortably within your exhibition stand. Where possible, meeting areas should remain private in order to secure a confidential conversation with your prospects. Finally, good storage will be essential if you do not want your bags, boxes, brochures, products or other items on display to your visitors.
Create reasons for visitors to stop by your stand.
Your stand should always give visitors a reason to stop by and engage with your business. You could create a reason with a product demonstration, interactive presentation, or launch a new product. Your exhibition booth should have a meeting area where you can have conversations with your clients. Experienced exhibition booth-building companies generally add the latest technologies to exhibition stands. Touchscreens can help your audience explore products personally, and they will help communicate your marketing message to the audience.
Prepare your stand team.
Your stand design and graphics are important; however, nothing replaces the personal touch of your stand team. Your exhibition booth plays an important role in increasing your return on investment. Even your team should be ready to answer the questions of visitors. They should also communicate the branding message to them. Your team should explain to your visitors why your brand is best and how it can boost their business.
Get quality leads
New business opportunities are the reason why most companies exhibit at trade shows and exhibitions. It is therefore crucial to maximize the value of the leads that you secure at your trade show. Collecting business cards and names is not enough; your team should always record any relevant information that you learnt during your conversation. This will allow your sales team to follow up with prospects based on what they discussed at the stand.
Think beyond the appearance of your stand.
While the appearance of your exhibition stand is important, it should not be the only thing that you consider. In fact, it should always be possible to utilise the space within your stand. Your graphics may look beautiful; however, they should not compromise the functionality of your stand.
When discussing your requirements with an exhibition stand contractor, always explain the requirements of your team. Talk about what products you want to display and how your team should engage with your stand visitors. That way, the designer will understand how your exhibition stand should be utilised rather than focusing only on its appearance. The same principles apply when considering a custom trade show booth. Customisation should focus on the needs of your business and your visitors rather than making your stand look nice.
Consider reusable stand elements.
If your company attends multiple exhibitions per year, it is crucial to consider the reusability of your stand elements. Some modular exhibition stands can be customised for multiple exhibitions.
A modular exhibition stand design can be essential if you attend exhibitions with different space requirements. Some modular elements can be reused across multiple exhibitions, whereas others can be adapted to fit different requirements. It will still be possible to develop brand-specific exhibition stands. However, it will be significantly cheaper to utilise some components across a number of your exhibitions. You can still discuss the requirements for a custom exhibition stand with your exhibition stand builder.
Consider reusing content from your stand.
Your investment in an exhibition stand does not have to be a one-time affair. You could get significant value from your investment by reusing content that you have created for your stand. It is always a good idea to get professional photography of your completed stand. You should also record any product demonstrations or activities that your team has engaged in at the stand. The content can be used in your digital marketing campaigns, on your social media accounts and website to continue generating value for your business.
Make installation part of your planning.
Once the components of your stand have been produced, they still need to be delivered to the exhibition venue and installed. Scheduling transportation, delivery, installation, electricity, graphics, furniture, lighting, and other requirements need to be considered as part of your planning.
After the exhibition, your job is not over. You have to follow up with the leads that you have generated in order to maximize the value of the leads that you have nurtured. It is therefore essential to contact these prospects while the conversation is still fresh in their minds. You should always refer to the conversation that you had at the stand and provide any additional information that the prospect requested. Qualifying leads will also help your sales team to follow up more efficiently, as they will know which leads to nurture and which leads to ignore.
Measure what you achieved at the exhibition.
After the exhibition has closed, it is a good idea to evaluate the outcomes of the event. Focus on your objectives and measure the outcomes in terms of leads, meetings, enquiries, sales opportunities, new customers, and other related metrics that you have identified. Always remember that visitor numbers are not as important as the quality of your conversations and the value that you delivered to your prospects. You should also consider the quality of conversations that your team has had at the exhibition.
These results will help you identify what worked well and what did not work so well for your next exhibition. You will be able to identify which products or services are of interest to your audience and the messages that your audience responded to.
Improve your experience at your next exhibition.
Every exhibition offers invaluable experience to exhibitors. Your team will learn which elements of the exhibition stand worked well and which areas did not work so well. You should always use that experience to improve your next stand.
You will also learn a lot from your visitors and the feedback that they have provided. Use that experience to inform your next exhibition by incorporating the areas that worked and improving the areas that did not work so well. You may also need to consider a different layout, different graphics, extra meeting space, and additional storage. The goal is not to reinvent the wheel at every exhibition but to improve on your previous exhibitions.
Get more value from your exhibition investment.
Getting more value from your exhibition investment is not about spending more money; it is about spending your money more wisely. Always understand your objectives and know which visitors you want to attract. Make sure that you create a stand that your visitors will be able to understand and that your team will have enough space to engage with your prospects.
You should also focus on attracting quality leads rather than simply increasing the quantity of leads. Your stand should continue to provide value long after the exhibition has ended by facilitating follow-up conversations with your prospects. Always measure the results of the exhibition in relation to your objectives and use that knowledge to improve your next exhibition. Reusing your exhibition content will also enable you to get more value from your investment.
Blueprint Exhibits is an exhibition stand building company that works with exhibitors and offers practical exhibition stands that achieve their business goals. From custom exhibition stand design to final installation, our team manages the important elements of your project. We also offer modular exhibition stand options and custom trade show booth solutions for companies exhibiting in Europe and worldwide.
