If you ever considered attending an exhibition on the “other” side, as an exhibitor, here are a few tips that could help:

• Pick an exhibition where customers go
• Check how many people will attend and how many of them are your potential customers
• Plan and book early – you might get a discount
• Create a marketing strategy – what do you want each visitor of your stand to do?
  • Give you their contact details
  • Enter a competition
  • Sign up your newsletter
  • Have a chat
  • Take a brochure
  • Arrange a meeting etc.
• If you can, pick a stand that is in the corner , so that you can attract people coming from 4 aisles
• Have a professional company design your stand – it pays
• Make sure the stand is well visible from the distance and remember that sometimes, less is more
• Have enough staff in the stand present for the whole exhibition and plan for breaks
• Train your staff what to do beforehand
• Reserve some time after the exhibition to contact all visitors who gave you their contact details – within 2 days after the exhibition finishes

During the exhibition, it is crucial that you don’t spend too much time talking to individual prospects – instead have a well planned process in place which will enable you to talk to as many people as possible – while giving each of them a valuable feedback – either get them sign up for your free newsletter, ask for their contact details so that you can arrange a face-to-face meeting afterwards, or offer them to send a free your Tips Guide.

Always follow up with all the contacts within two days after the exhibition. Otherwise, the money you spent could be wasted.