When attending a trade show, exhibition or conference, you only have a matter of minutes to attract your potential buyers attention. So the decision as to which display stand to purchase is so important to your business, and to the success of your exhibition.
Ensuring that your exhibition presence creates an appealing and professional first impression is vital to your success. At SM1 Print Studio, we offer some simple guidelines to follow; and can also design and print everything you require, to maximise the effectiveness of your exhibition presence.
Essential requirements for the exhibition;
- Your copy of the event contract as provided by the exhibition venue. This should include practical information, such as details of power sockets, location of toilets, catering facilities and emergency exits.
- Master list of important phone numbers which might be necessary at the event – plus emergency contact numbers for all staff manning the exhibition stand.
- Your exhibition layout plan, to make setting up as easy as possible.
Your display materials and an inventory to complete upon arrival and before departure from the venue. - It is essential that all of your display materials have up to date graphics, current logos and absolutely no out-of-date content; such as expired special offers or information relating to dates or events which have passed.
- Consider updating your exhibition display materials with modern elements such as QR codes. By incorporating your QR code into your exhibition materials, you can effectively disseminate not only your contact details and URL links to potential customers, but also special offers, discount coupons and even Facebook and Twitter IDs.
- Spotlights and other lighting to maximise the impact of your displays. Don’t forget to take plenty of extension leads and batteries.
- Name badges for all staff manning the exhibition, including their job title where appropriate.
- A complete set of your company literature; leaflets, catalogues, brochures and business cards. Don’t forget to take an appropriate display case to attract visitors to browse.
- A basic stationery toolkit, containing essential items such as Velcro dots, Blu tack, pens and pencils, Sellotape, scissors, note pads, thumbtacks and a tape measure.
Supplementary equipment as required, such as:
- Flipcharts and pens.
- Laptops, laptop tables and security locks, to show corporate DVDs.
- A-frames for publicity posters.
- Flyers to distribute near the venue to attract visitors.
- Clipboards and pens for collecting contact details and/or for customer feedback forms.
- A large eye-catching box or fish bowl, in which people can place their business cards and/or customer feedback forms.
- A selection of appealing corporate gifts, such as pens, diaries and notepads for visitors to take away.
- A huge jar of sweets or a chocolate fountain always attracts people to an exhibition stand!
Considerations for staff manning the exhibition:
- It might be worth taking along some stylish chairs and/or bar stools for staff manning the stand to use, so that they can rest their aching legs.
- Provide refreshments for staff manning your exhibition stand. A good packed lunch, bottled water and a flask of tea/coffee goes a long way to maintain good staff morale at a busy exhibition.
- Where appropriate, individual staff members should have their own business cards to distribute to visitors to the stand.
- Consider whether corporate clothing might work for your exhibition presence – especially if the event is somewhere particularly hot or cold. For instance, a corporate T-shirt, polo shirt and/or fleece can look much smarter and more professional than staff members wearing their own clothing.
- Ensure everyone manning the exhibition stand wears comfortable footwear – and take along a First Aid kit with plenty of plasters just in case.
- Don’t forget to take plenty of body wipes with you. As well as being very handy for staff members to freshen up with, they are perfect for spot cleaning exhibition displays.
- Another essential is a packet of mints, to ensure everyone talking to potential customers has minty fresh breath!
- Upon your return back to base, don’t forget to go through all the customer feedback forms which were submitted on the day. As well as getting in touch with people who requested a call on their form. It’s a good idea to contact everyone who left their business card with you within a week of the event – so that you are still fresh in their memory.
Following these guidelines will help you take full advantage of your presence at exhibitions and trade shows. Good luck!