What’s the Rule for Handing Out Literature?

If there was a rule for handing out literature, what would it be?

When in doubt hand out a brochure – that seems to be the approach many stand staffers take when they don’t know what to say.

Staff members who are unsure of what to do in the stand environment or feel uncomfortable talking to strangers, end up handing out literature or giveaway items just to keep occupied.  Literature acts as a barrier to conversations because the visitor just says ‘thanks’ and  they’ll look at it later!  Often these pricey pieces of promo are discarded at the first opportunity.  It is vital that people chosen to represent your business enjoy interacting with strangers and know what is expected of them while on the stand floor.

Are you Ignoring Visitors’ Needs?

Are you unintentionally ignoring the needs of the visitors to your stand?

We’ve just been at the Autumn Show and have some fabulous conversations with exhibitors. Some interactions were spot on and others unintentionally put us off.

Often staff members feel compelled to give the visitor as much information as possible.  They fail to ask about real needs and interest in the product they were providing.  They lack questioning skills and often miss important qualifying information.  Pre-show preparation and training is the key.

Going to a show like this is like being a child on Christmas morning. There are so many beautiful things to look at but not all were suitable for our client’s outlet.  Had the staff asked the right questions they could have left us to browse rather than keep trying to ‘sell’ what he didn’t want or need.  A key skill is to quickly identify who your buyers are and if that particular visitor isn’t a buyer just say, ‘it’s lovely to talk to you please enjoy looking at our products’ and move onto the next visitor.

Brilliant Autumn Fair at the NEC

Where can you buy the latest and most innovative products for the Christmas rush?

We’ve just spent the weekend indulging ourselves at the Autumn Fair International at the NEC. It’s the best show window to get your products in front of key decision makers in the run up to Christmas.  The show is attended by retail buyers that are serious about placing orders for Christmas and beyond. 82% of buyers have direct purchasing power and attended by everyone from the major multiples and department stores to the important independents.

You’ve Just Got To Do It

Just Do It!

What’s the first thing you think of when someone says HOOKER?

Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you thought of a position on the rugby field!

Like in rugby a Hooker in the exhibiting world is a very important role.  The Hooker can make the all the difference between a successful and a failed show.  As you know, exhibiting is a brilliant people-to-people medium where the quality of communication is critical. And, it’s your exhibition staff who are the real heroes and key to your exhibiting success – often that’s down to the role of the Hooker .  l.

In our experience exhibitors can spend more time on designing their stand than they do on preparing their staff.  There is nothing in an exhibit that can sell other than the people, everything in the exhibit, including the visual displays, samples or brochures are tools for the staff to use to engage, qualify, communicate and obtain a commitment from the visitor.

Now these people can perform their role much more effectively if you have fully trained Hookers.

Find out Why Exhibitors Need a Hooker here

Are you missing the biggest marketing opportunity there is?

Are you failing to collect email addresses?

We all network and meet business associates on almost every day of the working week. But what do you do with the contact details that you collect? If only one of those contacts were to become a client or a customer it could make a huge difference to your business.

Imagine if once a week you could ring every one of your customers and tell them what you have on special offer the next week, or about the new line of dri-fit sports clothing that’s just come in, or maybe you’re demonstrating a new product at your next exhibition that would make all the difference to their profitability.  How do you think that would impact your sales?  Well, that’s what email marketing is all about.

If you’re not collecting email addresses from interested visitors to your stand or to your business or even through your website, you are missing out on one of the biggest opportunities on the internet.  Visitors who voluntarily provide you with their email address are giving you express permission to market to them.  They are pre-qualified sales leads, and much more likely to buy from you than a random visitor who finds his/her way to your business through an internet search.

It makes sense then that you should be cultivating this relationship right from the start.  Even when your traffic is low, the most important thing you can do for the future of your business is to begin building a list.

If you need help with the automation system then contact the the superstars of social media and CRM systems.

All he had was a sample chair

We were set a task: how to display a single chair at an exhibition

Our carpenter client wanted to attend an exhibition to promote his new bespoke range of furniture. But, all he had was a sample chair.

We showed him this photo to demonstrate just how simple a stand could look to attract attention.

Your staff are the real HEROES!

Your exhibit staff are the key to your exhibiting success

Having a perfect stand is important, but more important to your success at the show will be your staff.

Give everyone a briefing session before the event.  Make sure they know:

• your objectives
• your target audience
• the message you want to get across
• how they’ll be contributing to the success of the show

They’ll also need to know how each one of them will have contributed (or not) to that success.

Don’t miss the FREE stuff

Read the exhibitor manual, getting as much information as you can is one of the keys to a successful exhibit.

Most event organisers will have a manual – read it – it sounds obvious but most organisers offer FREE PR support, a FREE profile on their website, FREE information in the event guide which is given to all visitors; even promotional things like website banners and email footers amongst other marketing opportunities for you.  By making the most of these additional freebies and providing news worthy information to the organisers you are already one step ahead of your competitors.

Come out, come out where ever you are

Who are your audience & where do you find them?

Failure to plan is planning to fail…….How often have you heard that said?  Well it’s true when it comes to exhibiting. Knowing where to find your audience is a key consideration when booking your exhibition stand.

Exhibitions are often audited, so if its high volume and high quality visitors you’re looking for check that the audit matches your list of ideal customers.  Try www.abc.org.uk or ask the sales team to provide a breakdown of the type of people who attend the event.