Your mere presence at the trade show is not enough. The key to success is comprehensive pre-event planning, which forms the basis for a smooth implementation. It is also important, not to forget post-event follow-up and monitoring, because otherwise it is impossible to know whether your goals have been met. Information obtained through your follow-up will have a central role when you begin to plan for your next trade show.
Planning
Planning starts with thinking about what products and services your company wants to present at the trade fair. The next step is to define your target group, after which it is time to choose the best exhibition for reaching your selected target group. If you are not sure which show is right for your company, we can help!
When you have decided on the right place for you, it is time to set some measurable objectives.
- How many new contacts do you plan on making per day?
- How many cool, warm and hot leads?
- What competitive or industry insight do you hope to obtain?
- How many meetings will you set up?
Concrete goals will help you plan what is needed and create an action plan during the event.
At the planning phase it is important to also think about the overall company image that will be communicated at the fair. A stand which is designed and constructed sloppily speaks volumes about the company’s reliability. An elegant and innovative stand attracts more potential customers and will likely appear in many a photo taken by people at the event. We can help you stand out from the crowd, aligned with your company vision and brand.
Implementation
If planning has been done carefully, the implementation will go effortlessly. At the final stages, take extra care to keep to the timetable, as this will ensure you get everything together in time.
Think about who would be the best representatives at your stand: remember that the best option is not necessarily the person who knows most about the product, but the one who is most likely to make the customer fall in love with it. Whoever is manning the booth needs to have the clear objectives from your planning stage and actively working to achieve them.
Follow-up
After the fair, it is advisable to look back carefully on what was achieved. Then follow up on the leads so that your time and money invested in the participation will not be in vain. Add your new contacts to your CRM-CRS , LinkedIn and try to be in contact with as many as possible, as soon as possible!
Visitors receive so much information during an exhibition that may not remember much about the sales pitches afterwards. Therefore, a prompt, personalized follow-up is the best way to make sales.
Did you reach your targeted objectives? Now is the time to find out. Did you talk to as many people as you meant to? Did you get as many new leads as you had planned? If you were significantly behind your goals, think about what went wrong and what you could do differently next time.
Our implementation division provides a range of solutions, based on your budget, to ensure sustainable change and continuous improvement is achieved in your business.
Feel free to contact us.
Manager’s Office
Marketing Team