Are you an expo boss? Hard deadlines and a thousand and one things. Make arranging your next trade show more manageable. In this article we give you 5 big tips that will make your life a lot more enjoyable in the run-up to your next trade show!
Tip 1 – Make a detailed budget
Prepare a detailed, specified and flexible budget in advance. This takes some time, but ultimately makes the difference between running a flexible exhibition project versus a costly, stressful and marketing nightmare.
The “Trade Show Institute” offers a number of practical tips for budgeting:
- Assume that you spend at least 3 times as much as the rent for your stand space (this is a rule of thumb and can vary enormously)
- Make your budget flexible so that you do not get stuck unnecessarily in the run-up to the exhibition
- Make a specified budget so that you know exactly where your money is going.
- A perfect and specified budgeting is also a super good way to ensure that you are perfectly prepared and therefore have not forgotten anything.
Tip 2 – Know your target group
Trade shows attract a wide range of people, even if the trade show is focused on a specific industry. In the aisle you will find a wide variety of people such as, managers, sellers, buyers, marketers, entrepreneurs, freelancers, students and more. Therefore focus on those people who are interesting for you, namely your target group! With a well-targeted concept, you filter out the right people “naturally”. Only then can you achieve good results with your sales team.
Tip 3 – Choose a stand space that matches your goals
There are around 400 exhibitors at an average exhibition. Therefore choose a good strategic location! Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you want to speak to visitors immediately when they arrive at the fair? Or just after they have seen your competitors as well?
- How does routing work in the exhibition hall? You can learn a lot about the best place by visiting a trade show prior to your trade show in the same hall.
- Where are the large, interesting and leading companies on the stock exchange? They will attract many visitors!
- Is it smart for you to be close to your competition? If you offer a better deal that can be a very good idea!
Tip 4 – Prepare yourself for many practical questions!
Familiarize yourself well with the situation in advance. Where are the power points, how is the light coming in, do I need a water connection, how many set-up days are there, what about WiFi and how does it work with parking tickets and access badges?
And many more practical questions like this. Handy to know this sort of thing in advance to avoid last minute surprises! A good stand builder relieves you of this.
Tip 5 – Be realistic about the quality of the leads
If you have scored hundreds of leads, it is very tempting to immediately think that your trade show was a great success! But beware, many of the leads that you generate at a trade show may also have spoken to some of your competitors. So it is important to be realistic about their true value. In the weeks and months after the exhibition, during the follow-up, you know whether the exhibition was a success or not.
As you do more trade shows, these tips will change from conscious strategy to natural behavior!
Inspiration? View a number of realized projects of expospaces here!
