People book a ticket to an exhibition because they want to learn more about the industry, network with like-minded individuals and most importantly have a thoroughly enjoyable experience. So, it’s a given that any business looking to exhibit at an upcoming event certainly has its work cut out to meet these expectations.
After all, capturing the essence of what it is you do and translating that within an exhibition space is no easy feat. Not least when it comes to the amount of aspects that need to be checked off during the planning stages!
As an exhibition agency ourselves, we can take care of every aspect of organising your attendance at an exhibition or trade show. If you’d like us to get the ball rolling, then skip ahead to the end of this post to get in touch.
Alternatively, here is a comprehensive guide on what needs to be considered for any exhibitors looking to ensure their event attendance will be a success.
Outline The Deliverables For A Successful Exhibition
In order for your exhibition attendance to achieve a healthy ROI, it’s essential that at the start of the process you outline some goals. Think of it similar to writing a business plan, only with your exhibition in mind.
Every company will have different reasons for wanting to exhibit. However, points for consideration are creating brand awareness, introducing new products to the market, changing perceptions, achieving product sales along with capturing leads.
Specific numbers will need to be drawn up in relation to these goals, along with a plan of how you will achieve each aspect.
As an example, in order for a clothing brand to sell physical products, interactive elements such as a Magnwall could be incorporated into the stand. Likewise, the exhibition stand itself could be built as a retail offering that allowed products to be displayed, bought and sold within the space.
The same analogy needs to happen regardless of your industry or objectives, as your exhibition stand must generate more revenue than it costs to exhibit. So now is the time to get creative so that you’ll attract the maximum number of visitors to your stand to achieve the aims you set out.
Calculate A Budget
The last point leads us nicely onto the small matter of cost. As you can probably appreciate, the sheer size of exhibitions and the thousands of pairs of eyes they attract means a significant monetary investment is often required to attend as a business.
While the costs can be managed in terms of the stand you opt for (with modular stands being cheaper than custom made stands as an example), the budget will need to factor in the cost of the following:
- Plot hire
- Exhibition stand design
- Logistics
- Stand construction/dismantle/storage
- Audiovisual equipment hire
- Technology hire
- Furniture hire
- Insurance
- Required staff
- Marketing
- Food and drink
- Prize budget
- VIP Talent hire (if applicable)
While all of these aspects may feel overwhelming to have to think about, the reality is that your competitors will not only be doing the same but will be aiming to outshine you. So, rather than turning up with a lacklustre stand, it’s time to figure out what the budget can allow for so that you put your best foot forward as a business.
A great point to note here is that every penny spent on creating your exhibition is designed to paint the best picture of your business, and ultimately encourage conversions. Taking furniture hire as an example, as well as being a convenient place for your staff to recharge their batteries throughout the day, the likes of tables and chairs can also be used to discuss business deals.
Organise Venue Attendance
You know you want to attend a particular exhibition, but does the exhibition venue itself know? Plots need to be reserved as far in advance as possible to not only secure the best spot but to guarantee your attendance in the first place. In case you didn’t know, your competitors all want a place too!
Once your place has been confirmed, details about your plot will be sent over, which will outline any requirements you’ll need to fulfil. Study the details carefully, and ask questions at the first instance if any points need ironing out which will help avoid any nasty surprises on the day.
As an example, exhibitors are usually required to sort their own power arrangements, which requires hooking up to the mains, individual installations and safety testing for insurance purposes. Electrical installations and safety testing is something we offer as standard to any stands that require it, but if you decide to work without the help of an exhibition agency, this is one of the many aspects you’ll need to figure out long in advance.
Design An Exhibition Stand
The introduction of Microsoft Paint fooled a few too many people into thinking that graphic design was ‘easy’. In reality, your business reputation is at stake with every piece of marketing material you put out into the world, let alone an exhibition stand that will be seen by tens of thousands of people.
Exhibition stand design naturally happens to be one of our specialities here at Human Built. Our graphic designers work alongside our builders, logistics team, electricians and audiovisual engineers to create a stand that not only looks great from all angles but works like a dream too.
If you’re going it alone, it’s essential that those responsible know how to design your stand with an exhibition environment in mind, otherwise it could get lost in the crowd. This is just one of the reasons why paying a professional will repay your initial investment many times over, and the same is true for every service required to bring your exhibition stand to life.
Aspects to consider are the configuration of the exhibition stand, branding, colour use, typography, imagery and overall messaging. If in doubt, remember the 3-second rule, i.e within the first 3 seconds of encountering your stand, visitors will form an impression of what they see. Let’s make sure the masses come flocking over in anticipation, rather than yawning and moving on.
Pre-Show Marketing
Grab those megaphones, because it’s time to advertise your attendance at the exhibition as soon as you know you’ll be attending, right up until the day of the show itself. Doing so will build momentum, allowing for the maximum exposure of your exhibition stand, rather than banking on people will discover you by chance.
Consider all of the ways in which you communicate with your customers, as each of these channels will need dedicated content in the run-up to the exhibition. For any physically printed materials, these will need to be designed, printed and distributed with much further notice versus updating your website or posting on social media.
Be sure to monitor the success of any digital campaigns, as some strategies are going to work better than others. If you’re planning a giveaway or have a VIP attending the stand, this could drum up incredible interest versus a generic announcement. So be sure to give your pre-show marketing everything you’ve got!
All social media content should inform people of the location of the exhibition, the date as well as your individual stand location.
Event Logistics
Once your stand has been made, you’ll require a way of transporting it to the exhibition venue. Exhibition stands are available in a wide variety of configurations, with some fitting in the back of a van and others requiring lorries to ferry them around.
It’s not just the physical movement of the items you need to consider here, as each fragment needs to not only arrive in one piece but to the correct location within the venue. If the logistics company doesn’t have experience within the exhibition sector, you could run into issues at any point within the journey, which is why exhibition logistics is an area that simply cannot be overlooked.
Pssssst: Sustainability is a huge ethos of Human Built. We’re aiming to have our entire fleet using electric vehicles by 2025. We’re also a partner of the exhibition sustainability company isla, meaning we look to reduce our carbon footprint within every aspect of the exhibition experiences we design and build for our clients. This of course, includes our exhibition logistics too!
Build Your Exhibition Stand
Hours spent playing Meccano as a kid is still no match for an expertly assembled exhibition stand. As well as adhering to health and safety regulations, it’s also essential that the stand looks the part, and is constructed in line with how it was designed.
It’s possible to have a made ready exhibition stand, which requires very little intervention from the user. Some exhibition stands can also be reconfigured to suit different environments, which can also be extremely convenient for those on a budget too.
That said, the majority of exhibition stands will require a professional installation, especially if lighting or audiovisual elements form part of the design. So if you’re not hiring professional exhibition agency services to do it for you, then you’ll need to figure that part out. Unless of course, you plan to guide your visitors around your stand via torch? Yep, we thought as much…
Team Strategy During The Exhibition
While your exhibition stand is designed to be the star of the show, it’s imperative that your team who will be manning the stand deliver on expectations, both in terms of your business objectives, along with what the public will be most receptive to.
Undoubtedly, identifying a strategy for how the day will plan out should be done in advance. No two exhibitors are going to adopt the same strategy, but here are some general tips you may find useful:
Do’s:
- Arrange to have a team breakfast and ideally some caffeine before the exhibition commences. Exhibitions require a tremendous amount of energy, so start the day off on the right foot!
- Nail your sales strategy. All of your competitors are also there to sell, so how can you approach things in a creative way that doesn’t seem pushy or obvious?
- Draw up a staff rota so that employees can remain fresh and engaged at all times. As a general rule, two hours should be the maximum time an employee works the floor before switching tasks or having a quick break.
- Give each person a clear responsibility so that they remain productive at all times.
- Print lanyards in advance and have any documentation needed to get into the venue to hand.
- Write your stand number on your card, so that prospects can easily return to you to follow up on any leads.
- Have an occasional check of the stand to make sure everything is looking neat and tidy, i.e no rubbish lying around or brochures out of place.
- Have a debrief at the end of the day to highlight the successes of the team and identify any areas that need sharpening up on.
Don’ts:
- Put any staff onto the exhibition floor without briefing them prior to the event. Ideally, have a team talk the week before to run through what will be required, following up on the morning of the first show so that everyone is clear.
- Have too many employees on the stand at once, as this can seem intimidating to the public. An exception would be a busy retail or food stand where heavy traffic is expected.
- Engage with time wasters. At an exhibition, you will encounter various types of people that aren’t always there to do business. It’s your job to politely move the conversion on so that your time is used wisely.
- Store personal belongings on the stand. In some cases, a secure location may be built into the stand, but for any items of value leave these at the hotel or in a locker.
Post-Show Arrangements
Once the show is over, your stand is going to need dismantling and transporting to a secure location for storage. Smaller exhibition stands may fit snugly in a spare room in the office, but this may not be the case for large custom exhibition stands.
The storage environment must be suitable to store the stand without the risk of it being damaged or being subjected to adverse temperatures. In addition, strong sunlight can fade the ink on printed materials, so give the storage location some thought if you’re not using a professional exhibition agency such as ourselves who would take care of this for you.
Exhibition Reflections
When the exhibition is over a report should be compiled, reflecting on your attendance to see if your objectives were met.
Some questions that can form part of the report may include:
- What was the turnover of sales during the event?
- How many leads did the business achieve?
- What were the web and social media statistics like during the event?
- How many marketing materials did we give out?
- What were the results of any surveys you held during the event?
- How did the employees find the event, and what feedback do they have?
Now is a great time to be frank about the successes as well as areas for improvement, since when you exhibit again you’ll want to create the strongest possible offering as a business.
Exhibition Planning FAQs
It’s impossible to cover every aspect of organising an exhibition in a single post since there are so many facets to consider.
Here are some of the most common questions businesses ask in relation to exhibitions. If you don’t see your question answered, scroll to the end of this page to find our contact information and we’ll gladly fill in any blanks.
Why Should I Take Part In A Business Exhibition?
Exhibitions offer an invaluable opportunity for businesses to be exposed to a large number of prospects. As well as raising your reputation, exhibitions are one of the best ways to receive feedback about your company, products and services. Exhibitions are also great places to meet like-minded individuals, whether you are looking to attract investors or build a stronger business network.
They also give you the chance to meet your customers in the flesh which will help you to understand your audience demographics. You’ll also get to understand more about your market position in general, seen as many of your peers will also be in attendance.
How Much Does A Stand Cost At An Exhibition Or Trade Show?
The national average is around £300-£350 per square meter, meaning even a small stand is likely to cost in the region of £3,000. The true cost depends on the venue itself, the number of attendees as well as the plot type and size.
Managing costs is just one of the reasons why it pays to work with an exhibition agency such as ourselves, since as we mentioned at the start of this post, managing your exhibition ROI is going to be key to your success.
Startups and those who are new in town may want a small but mighty offering, and other brands may want to go all out with a custom exhibition stand that requires a large plot. Either way, having a watertight strategy with every other element we’ve discussed above in place will be essential, regardless of the plot size you choose or the venue you exhibit in.
Where Should I Exhibit?
A major mistake businesses make at exhibitions is not doing their research in regards to the type of exhibitors and visitors the event attracts. As an example, you wouldn’t expect to see a beauty company at an agricultural show, nor a window manufacturer at a travel show. It may sound obvious, but it’s essential that your target audience will be found at the show.
There are exhibition venues dotted around the UK, so if in doubt we can certainly advise which events and specific venues will work best for your company and overall objectives.
How Far In Advance Do I Need To Plan My Exhibition Attendance?
The simple answer here is as long as possible! The true time also depends on the type of stand you are looking to have built, with custom stands taking anywhere up to 6 months to design and build so that they’ll be ready in time.
If you are short on time, then made ready exhibition stands offer a quick and convenient solution without compromising on quality. But, if you can plan ahead anywhere up to a year in advance, you’ll give yourself and all those involved in planning and creating your exhibition the best opportunity to excel at every detail.
Exhibition Organisers UK
We’re only just scratching the surface when it comes to organising an exhibition event. As an exhibition agency based in the UK helping our clients create showstopping events across Europe, it’s fair to say we know a thing or two about every aspect of the exhibition process.
Human Built offers a complete range of exhibition services. We can provide all of the key points we’ve mentioned above such as exhibition stand design, project management, furniture hire, electrics, data registration services and much more.
We’re based in Birmingham, and we offer our services across the UK and beyond. So wherever you’re exhibiting and whatever you have in mind, let us show you what we can do.
Email us or give us a call on 07760 172326 for further information, and our friendly team will be in touch. You can also check us out on Facebook or Instagram where you can also view our work on display.
