Our Chief Executive, Graham Marley, knows a bit about exhibitions, having been involved with the highly successful Let’s Do Business brand since it started in 2002. The Hastings Expo in September will be the 30th under the brand – and unless you can prove it otherwise he is the only person to have attended them all.
So we asked Graham what makes a good exhibition stand?
‘Over the years I have seen a lot of well presented exhibition stands, but equally I have seen so many that are un-engaging with people sat at desks, looking glum and more recently on their phones. Though we rarely have complaints from our clients about the lack of interest from visitors, if you do it is nearly always from stand holders who have made no effort.
Exhibitions aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but if you are giving it a go here are my top tips:
1. Preparation.
As with anything in business, the better you prepare the more success you will have. You need to make sure your stand and marketing material are ready in good time, and are a good match to your audience. You need to think about the key messages you want to get over to visitors, and this has to be reflected in your stand. It is also best to have set yourself some targets – it may not be the number of sales on the day (although that is always a bonus), but it might be making contact with a number of new prospects.
2. Dare to be different.
The stands at our exhibitions that attract the most interest are generally a bit quirky, so perhaps have an interactive activity. In Eastbourne we had a ‘Spot the Ball’ Competition, and in the past we have had people with Wii Games, Bacon Rolls, a Roulette Table, Chocolate Locusts and a Harvey’s Bar – you can guess the most popular. But you don’t have to spend lots of money to make your stand different; you just need to use your imagination. Equally important however is what you do with the people who crowd round your stand – many use a business card drop and a bottle of wine to entice people to leave their details, that’s fine but you need to then follow up!
3. Stand, don’t sit.
I always find that someone sitting, especially behind a table, puts me off from approaching a stand. Generally it shows a lack of interest from the exhibitor. If you need a break get a colleague to cover you and find somewhere to sit (networking areas are good for this!).
4. Ask questions and listen.
When someone stops to talk it’s more important to listen than to talk. Find out what the person’s needs are and then see how you can help them (rather than just tell them what you think they need). Sometimes visitors will be more interested in selling what they do – accept that and listen politely and allow the relationship to develop and then you will have a better chance to sell your business.
5. Smile.
Unquestionably the key to a successful exhibition. It will attract people in to talk to you and sets a positive tone for any discussion.’
Let’s Do Business B2B Hastings Expo is on 29th September at the Hastings Centre.