If you are an exhibitor on a trade fair, there are 1001 things that need to be arranged; stand construction, the concept, the stand crew, brochures, trade show, catering, parking tickets, electricity, badges and much more. But how do you ensure that you also have a busy stand later on? With relevant visitors. Invite your relations!
Seven handy tips
What about sending invitations to relationships? What exactly should you do? And what exactly not? We have listed seven handy tips for sending invitations.
1 – Who are you inviting?
Who are you going to invite? A tradeshow is ideally suited to come into contact with your target group that you do not see that often. So is it wise to invite your good customers who already are regularly visited by your salesmen? Or invite those suspects and prospects that are on the most wanted list of your company and your account managers? That choice is up to you, but keep in mind that you must realize your result within the opening hours of the exhibition! So spend that trading time on new opportunities!
2 – What information do you share in the invitation?
Date, times, location, stand number, what is in it for them, why is it interesting and a registration option.
In particular, do not include all information in the invitation. This is also possible in the follow-up process.
Keep the first invitation simple: Which grant, what is in it, when, where and how do I register? So make it as simple as possible to register.
3 – Six weeks in advance
The best time to send the invitation is six weeks before the exhibition. Before that, possibly a “save the date”.
Too many people are unable to plan too far in advance, but too shortly before the event the agenda is usually fully booked.
The best time to send the invitation is six weeks before the exhibition. Many people are unable to plan to far ahead of time. Too soon for the event, the agenda is usually full again.
4 – Personal approach
Make the invitation personal. This certainly also includes a check and a double check of the mailing list. Spelling mistakes or writing in the wrong name is messy and disastrous for the number of registrations. Choose a video: how nice is it to be addressed briefly and personally in a video? With a good Call To Action this is very effective.
5 – Respond immediately
Respond quickly to responses. Both negative and positive. Both by mail and telephone and on social media. A “customer service” around the invitation process is a must.
Dare to respond via social media. Again, a video can do wonders to reverse a dissatisfied response.
6 – Handle reminders
Sending a reminder is very common. And effective! People often need multiple invitations. Make sure that you provide slightly more valuable information per reminder. Do not overload your potential guest with too many messages, because then it will backfire.
7 – Follow-up
Think about follow-up processes in advance. And make sure that a route is always followed per potential guest and that a person who receives a first reminder does not participate in the bulk of third reminders. In short, a customized follow-up process.
Inspiration? View a number of realized projects of expospaces here!
