If there is one thing that every business wants to achieve, it is success. Business success is defined in many ways by many people but overall, success comes from a healthy bottom line within a visible and known business. How do you get your business known? Well, you put yourself on display for the whole public to see. You get out and you network with other professionals in the same industry and you make a point of showcasing. Business is all about pushing your brand, and what better way to do that than at an exhibition?
Once you’ve booked your place, you’ve got a lot of work to do. You don’t want to have a stall with a plain old desk and a poster to tell the world who you are, you need to add a little bit of razzle dazzle! You want people to want to come to you, view what you have to offer and watch the customers sign their names on the sign-up sheets for notifications about what you do.
It sounds like the simplest solution in the world for getting yourself out there and being visible. The only problem? Every other company in the room has the exact same goal, idea and agenda that you do. They want to be seen and considering you’re at the same exhibition, the chances are that you will be in the same industry, so you’ve got competitors to the left and even more to the right!
Standing out from the crowd at an exhibition where everyone is clamouring for the same attention is not an easy feat. So, you have to put yourself in the shoes of the customer and decide what you want from your exhibition stand from their point of view.
Not only does your display have to be unique with pop up banners covered in bright colours and amazing fonts, you need to add some sparkle. This can be in the form of entertainment, freebies and even flashing lights if that is what it takes. You want to make a stand – literally – and we’ve got a few short tips to tell you how to do that:
- Location is important. When you sign up for a spot at an exhibition, try and get yourself a good position in the room. You want to be close to the doors and the main aisle where people are walking to get into the exhibit, but you also need to consider the other businesses that will be close by to you.
- Put on a show with your staffing. You want the most enthusiastic, bright and bubbly staff possible to be manning your stand. Confidence is key, without badgering people. If you get the right staff on board to help you, you won’t have to panic about how many sign-ups you get! Passion, fun and laughter are attractive to customers – they want to associate with businesses who have fun. Remember that!
- Food and drink freebies are a great way to bring people in. It doesn’t matter whether you are a food brand, if you have free drinks that are chilled on offer, as well as boxes of sweets or pastries on offer, you can draw people in and chat over those.
- Display colours and slogans matter. You want to find that balance between too much literature and enough information for the public to know what it is you do. You can display your business name from anything – display boards, banners and decorative backdrops to name a few.
- Get interactive with your exhibition stand. If you want to go one further you need a little entertainment. People love technology, so interactive boards and Tweet walls are a great way to get live opinions posted for the exhibition guests to see. Don’t be put off by cost, either, as one small cost now could greatly benefit you later on.
- Run a contest. It’s not only a great way to grab data from people who want to know more about you and what you do, but it’s a way for people to explore what you can offer. a competition and doing a selfie with props for people who sign up for social media is a great way to gauge interest in your products.
Your business doesn’t have to be one that sits prettily in the background. Why be a wallflower when you can be a mighty oak! Get yourself to the front and exhibit your business in a way that works for you.
