Should we participate at the exhibition?
What do we need to participat eat the exhibition? For visitors - this is unique possibility to see and test novelties of the world markets. For journalists it is additional way of getting information and possibility to participate at different presentations and seminars which are irreplaceable parts of every exhibition.
What benefit does production company or selling company receive?
Participating at the exhibition you remind about yourself to mass media, publicity and to local authorities. Exhibition is a political event also. It's a place of concentration of potential customers, the best place to make marketing research. Presence of media provides acces to radio, TV, newspapers and magazines, sometimes even free of charge.
To decide whether to participate at the exhibition you need to answer the following questions. What strategic goals do you have?
How exhibition can help you to reach your goal?
What are exact ways of reaching strategic goals?
What resuld do you expect to get from participating at the exhibition?
If you know the answers and ready to spend time and money for participating your answer is "yes".
How to choose the right exhibition?
Usually there are more that one exhibitions of the same specific fiels held at one city. Budget issues will not allow you to participate in all of them. By the way it's not reasonable. Effect of participation depends on the level of exhibition. How to make right decision? There are several criterias of evaluation of exhibition that will help you to make right decision:
- reputation, authority, experience and equipment level of organizers;
- level of exhibition pavilions and open spaces;
- types of provided service;
- level of exhibitors (participants);
- level of marketing and advertising preparation of exhibitions (advertising at media, invitation tickets mailing to the audience);
- attendance of exhibitions;
- placement at the center of business and trade life of the region;
- reputation and attitude to exhibition from media, exhibitiors and visitors opinion;
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period of exhibition.
Choose a place
All exhibition centers have their own lanscape and construction features that influence on placement and perception of exposition. The best place for stand is on the way of visitors. This will provide maximum amount of visitors contacts with personnel and products of your company. We recommend to make decision and to start negotiation with exhibition center beforehand, until best places are booked by competitors. It's a right thing to do to visit and make photos of proposed by organisators place for your stand.
When conclude the agreement try to get information from organizers about your neighbours. To avoid contrasts it's better to be placed near equal on price and category exibitors.
Inside or outside?
As a rule, place inside the pavilion is much more expensive than open space. They are prestigious as they allow to present your products in a better way using additional lighting, exclusive materials at equipment and stand design, photo and video effects. The main advantage is that at the pavilion your stand is protected from weather conditions what is especially important during middleseason time.
Choice of inside or outside stand must be made not only according to budget and ampitions of exhibitors but also according to the presented products.
Organisation of exposition
At current competition every little mistake at stand organisation and work of personnel can lead to the loss of potential customer. This is particularly important at regional exhibitions where product of the same brand is presented by several exhibitors.
Choice of stand consrtuctor
Exhibition stand must solve two main tasks: be a good site for presented products and provide needed conditions for guests and personnel.
Service on projecting, mounting and design of exhibition stand is provided be many companies (sometimes it can be advertising agencies). It's good to have a tender. This is how you can compare level of different companies. You can also request company's portfolio with photos of implemented projects. This is how you may sure that you are choosing th eright company and also show your competence.
Project for exhibition stand
Positive result at design and construction depends not only from the company but also from correct target set by the exibitor. When you prepare technical brief for construction company please provide following information:
- plan of rent space;
- photo of space in pavilion or outside;
- list of exhibits (do not overload your stand as placement will be inconvenient for visitors);
- ideas about planning (quantity and function of places, place for water connection for kitchen if needed). We recommend to have two office rooms. One may be used for visitors, another for coffee-breaks for internal personnel. Ususally you will need storage for advertising and printing materials. All places should have lighting;
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brand (electronic form).
Project provided by constructor must correspond to technical brief: contain not only drafts of stand but also specification for using materials, clculation for mounting and dismounting. Be careful in the questions of safety and reliability of construction. Most of the companies use well-known constructions as Octanorm, Consta. Meroform, but quality of mounting work may vary. That may cause serious consequances including damage of constructions and exhibits, injuries of visitors and personnel.
Exposition perfomance
Success on exhibition is not only good-looking and professionaly constructed stand but also organised work of exposition.
Recruiting and appearance of personnel
Company's representative who communicates with visitors (journalits, politicians, public figure) is a face of the company. The way this person looks is very important as it may form loyalty of the visitir towards your company, corporate culture and even your brand. You should pay special attention to appearance of personnel. Preferably consultants should be not older than 40. They should have good communication skills, be friendly and competent.
The most appropriate cloth for personnel (excluding technical staff) - dark-grey or dark-blue business-style suit. Men or women shirt with long sleeve must be light colors (white, blue, beige). Important that men wear tie (blue, bordo, black) and kerchief for women. All associates must wear corporate bage and enough quantity of business cards.
Personnel perfomance
Technical workers come to exposition an hour before beginning, consultants and managers - 30 minutes before the beginning. Every morning you should check the condition of your stand and products presented. If you find any drawbacks you should immediately inform consrtuction company, exhibition center representatives, top-managers of the company. By the beginning of the exhibition stand, equipment, products and personnel must be completely ready.
Top-manager should present at the stand during the day and coordinate the work process. Dinner time for every associate is scheduled at different time.
Advertising activities
To reach your strategic and tactical targets appropriate preparation must be done. It includes active advertising that can strengthen the effect from participation at the exhibition.
Activities held before the beginning of exhibition may include:
- direct mail of press-releases to regional media with information about exposition, events, services;
- mail with invitation to exhibition (to authorities, top-managers, decision-makers);
- information at the company's web-site.
Above mentioned events do not require budget spendings. But there can be more cost assuming ways of promotion:
There are a lot of events that can be hold during exhibition. The most common way is to have Presenting day of the company. It can influence your business partners, authorities and publicity.
Press conference
Press conference is a traditional method of transferring information to your target audience. First you need to define th elist of visitors, find appropriate hall. Usually exhibition centers already possess equiped halls. We recommend that you visit and check or get information about conditions of the hall - furniture, audio equipment. This will help you to avoid unpleasant situations. Inform journalists minimum 2 weeks before the event. The best argument to participate at the meeting for journalists is presence of top management. Try to find comfortable time so you are not holding your event at the same time with others - check the plan of events first. The most comfortable time for press conference is between 12 p.m. and 15 p.m. Continuity is about an hour. Don't forget about bages with names of presidium and water for speakers.
You should not leave journalists without a present. Good gift is an appropriately made press-folder where besides press releases may be a collection of product photos, printed or electronic, souveniers (notebooks, pens). The best time for give-away is the time of "internal accreditation". At conference hall entrance you should ask for business card and check if the person is on the list of invited journalists. At this moment you can present a press-folder, this can create a positive mood amond visitors. Prepare the needed amount of folders with a little surplus. There can be different situations. You shouldn't make anyone feel uncomfortable.
You should not leave your guests and journalists hungry. Productive cooperation of both parts should be awarded with good buffet. Organisation of this event should be done by professionals from good restaurant.
Printing and souveniers
Every visitor should have not only good impressions after the exhibition but also some products that can remind him about your company.
Besides regular printing materials, it's important to print leaflets and booklets that include descriotion of presented products. Also give small souveniers as keychains, badges, convenients plastic bags, stickers, baloons, pens, flags, so on.
Special promotion
This is the highest level of influence at the exhibition. The most simple and available way of driving attention toexposition is to recruit models as promoters.Good-looking girls meet visitors and provide consulting, if questions are specific they direct visitors to managers.
Advertising agency can choose candidates for promoters. But control is still needed. You can request porfolio to look at fotos and sort candidtes you don't like. During personal interview pay attention not only to appearance but also to communication skills of the candidate. Costumes and make up must be bright but not agressive. Before the start of the exhibition final instructions can be given.
A lot of exhibitors use shows to attract attention to their stand, attract VJs, DJs, musicians and dancers. To get the best effect it's better to hold contests, lotteries and artists shows at the most visited days and hours. Event organization service is provided by advertising agencies. You should control the organization of your event starting form scenario creation.
If you decide to have a show, special place at the stand should be defined, also you will need place for make-up and dressing room. It's reccommended to confirm with organizers and neighbours the noise and continuity of your show. Treat you collegues at the same way you want them to treat you.
Conclusion
Exhibition provides the possibility to visitor to make the right choice. This is why exhibitions are so popular and respectful and you need to get maximum effect out of them.
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