Exhibitions have been around for centuries, and while they have undergone many changes and developments, they remain one of the best places to go to meet prospective clients. But you can’t just put together an exhibition stand and start pulling in the leads – you need a comprehensive plan.
In this Showplace guide, we outline the planning process that is foundational to having a successful exhibition…
How to determine the objectives of your trade show event
Without an objective and goal, there is nothing to plan for, no metrics to meet, no measures to learn from and improve upon, and no direction or focus for your exhibition event. They are the heartbeat of your trade show appearance, and how well you achieve your goals raises skill, knowledge, practices and overall bar.
The four main objectives for those who set up an exhibition space are:
- Brand Awareness – Showcasing the brand’s identity and values to a broad audience to increase brand awareness, visibility, recognition, and sales throughout the brand’s lifetime.
- Lead Generation – Capturing potential client or customer information to create a pipeline for future sales or business opportunities. You need a separate follow-up strategy to maximise effectiveness.
- Sales – Driving direct purchases or securing orders during the event, to generate immediate revenue.
- Industry Positioning – Establishing the brand as a leader or innovator in the market, which may involve demonstrating expertise, networking with key players, or launching new products to reinforce authority.
It’s not uncommon to target several objectives at once, but understand that to do several effectively, you need to spread resources with efficiency – ensuring you do not dilute the impact of your other goals. We will get into how this is done specifically later.
How to determine your target audience
Every marketing plan includes a target audience, which you should know inside and out. Knowing those you’re targeting means you can incorporate ways to engage them through messaging and conduct in your event planning.
A trade show will be filled with all types of people, but they normally fit into three categories:
- B2B Decision Makers – Company leaders, managers, and procurement officers – these groups are interested in partnerships, insights and solutions that support business growth, and generally prioritise data-driven content, case studies and networking opportunities.
- B2C Customers – End consumers – looking for direct engagement with products or services, valuing demonstrations and engaging experiences.
- Industry professionals – peers, influencers and experts – numerous at networking events, trend insights and innovation updates, likely to be drawn by educational content, thought leadership panels or trend showcases.
The following list will be the best practices co-signed by experts in the trade show field:
- Surveys – Surveys are something often ignored by most people, true, but adding incentives such as prize draw entry, reservations for promotional items and discounts, can significantly increase engagement. Keep your questions brief and targeted, and use visuals or interactive formats to keep interest for longer.
- Focus groups – Focus groups can give in-depth insights into attendees’ expectations and preferences. By organising small, diverse groups of potential attendees, you can ask direct questions and get a feel for what they enjoy and seek based on their past exhibition experiences. It’s best to elect someone who has experience managing these groups, as there can be issues involving time spoken per attendee etc.
- Market analysis – Having someone analyse the trends of your industry, as well as the standards of your competition, allows you to gain great insights into demographic behaviours. Whether studying industry reports or competitor exhibitions, you will be able to identify patterns and better cater to these prospects. This is not only a rule for successful exhibition planning, but also a rule for successful business in general.
Budgeting in your exhibition planning
Budgeting and ROI are two aspects of your exhibition plan that have to be measured and respected, otherwise, you may find yourself in a worse position than you are in now.
The following are best practices concerning budget, though it’s best to use the business’s financial records :
- Estimate percentages – Break down the percentile costs by category, estimating based on industry standards, and adjust as needed to meet your goals:
- Stand design (30-40%) – Includes layout, custom graphics, lighting and furniture hire.
- Promotional materials (10-15%) – Includes banners, branded giveaways, and product samples.
- Marketing (15-20%) – Includes digital marketing, pr and press, and onsite promotions.
- Staffing (15-20%) – Includes travel and accommodations, training and preparation, and branded clothing.
- Exhibitor fees (15-20%) – Includes booth space and utilities, amenities and services.
- Researching supplier costs early – List the key vendors that interest you, such as stand builders, graphic designers, printing services etc. Do not skimp on quality, but go for value. Write down the prices.
- Prioritise funds based on objectives – With prices in mind, it’s time to allocate the budget based on your objectives. If brand visibility is your main goal, for example, then you should allocate the majority of your funding toward the exhibition stand.
- Contingency fund – Reserve 10 – 15% of the total budget for unexpected costs.
PUTTING ON AN
EXHIBITION?
What place does location research have in your exhibition plans?
Many exhibitions and trade shows take place across the country, and you therefore have a wide choice of where to attend. Tailor your selection of choices directly to what you’ve found during the previous section to ensure proper alignment. For example, if you’re targeting tech professionals, choose a venue that is within or close to tech hubs or business districts.
Continuing with best practices for crafting a successful exhibition plan, consider the following:
- High-traffic location – An exhibition hall that has high attendance means high visibility. Although a bustling exhibition event isn’t imperative for a successful exhibition trade show performance, it’s undeniable that more visibility increases the potential of the outcome.
- Proximity to travel links – Venues that are close to major transportation hubs make it accessible for both domestic and international visitors, with the latter especially benefiting from hotels and lodging facilities.
- Venue amenities – The venue’s availability of things such as food and beverages, as well as rest areas and parking facilities, are huge pluses. This is because they have been linked to higher levels of attendee retaining. Furthermore, rest areas often provide networking opportunities for various brands and people, becoming a hot zone.
- Space configuration – The venue should accommodate the expected number of attendees and exhibitors with plenty of space to move. Flexible floor plans are also a bonus for organisers, as it allows them more versatility in presentation. Power supplies for lighting, and audiovisual and exhibitor equipment are a must, and reliable Wi-Fi is essential for live demonstrations.
Choosing the correct exhibition space
An ideal exhibition space is one where you have maximum visibility, accessibility and potential for engagement. To choose the best spot:
- Register early—Registering early gives you various benefits, the most valuable of which is being able to snatch up the best exhibition stand locations before they’re booked by others. You can also take advantage of the discounted rates to free up your budget, and early commitment means your exhibition planning process is elongated, allowing for more time to polish up the finer details.
- Evaluate venue layout – The maximum attendee flow happens to be near the main entrance, central isles or popular attractions within the venue. Be visible from multiple directions, not just one, to maximise chances of attracting passing visitors.
- Proximity to other exhibitors – Being adjacent to exhibitors that are offering complementary products or services may attract similar audiences, leading to enhanced networking opportunities. Whether or not you want to set up near direct competitors is up to you, however. It’s a double-edged sword depending on your confidence and brand recognition, as you may win or lose attendees depending on your performance.
Stand design and visual concept.
Now we’re at the exhibition stand design, the platform from which you’ll launch a successful trade show exhibition. The two main goals for your exhibition stand are to attract attention and convey your brand messaging, done in the following ways:
- Strong visual concept – Compelling visuals catch the eyes of attendees and draw them in, especially if they stand out from the competition. Ensure each section of your exhibition stand design is part of the bigger exhibition theme, as a cohesive design sticks with attendees more. It’s also important to keep this strong conceptualisation throughout the exhibition, ensuring they can recall or recognise your brand elsewhere.
- Key elements of stand design – Your brand messaging must be clear, and concise. Not only are people’s attention spans lower than normal these days, but you have competition that they’ll also be looking at.
- Positioning – Position taglines, digital marketing assets and press releases prominently in your space to tell your story at a glance.
- Interactive features – Direct interaction increases engagement, as you’re devoting more of your senses to an activity. Having product demos, virtual tours and touchscreens that showcase your service or product is a great way to cater to multiple people.
- Lighting – Lighting is a powerful tool, able to draw attention toward or away from design elements.
- Layout and navigation – Plan open and accessible layouts that will allow attendees to move between divided spaces. Ensure each area has its own intended use, such as for conversation, demonstration and product display.
- Integrate branding elements – Choose a primary and secondary colour, and stick with it across all of your design elements. Consistency is key in brand recognition. Furthermore, your staff should have branded clothing to show uniformity. Beware, however, that some venues have rules on certain logos and signage that may cause last-minute issues, so consult with the arena or the exhibitor manual for guidance.
Conclusion
With this, you should have the vast majority of areas covered. Everything else is specific to your goals, industry and methods. Showplace is a veteran of exhibition stand design, and we can help align your stand with your careful planning process. Contact us for more information.
