Planning for success - TRADE SHOWS, EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

Here is the Smart Tips on how to plan for the most important Event or the Trade show...

Appoint an exhibition co-ordinator
Put one person in charge of the project with overall responsibility for planning, budgeting, stand management etc – someone with authority who can see the project successfully through to its conclusion.

Appoint a reputable stand designer
Draw up a shortlist of suppliers and put the job out to tender. Insist on seeing a portfolio of each company’s work. Talk to previous clients and ensure they are capable of working on time and within budget.

Set measurable objectives
Set achievable targets against which to measure your success. If generating sales leads, for example, base your target around your potential audience, number of stand staff and total number of opening hours.

Read the manual!
Read your exhibitor’s manual carefully, as soon as you receive it, paying particular attention to stand rules and regulations, and noting the deadline dates for returning order forms. Late orders and last-minute changes may incur a surcharge.

Confirm your exhibits
Give your product managers plenty of warning, to ensure products are available and in a suitable condition for display. If exhibiting working equipment, remember to organise spares in case of breakdown.

Publicise your presence
Prepare your press release(s) and catalogue entry and submit them by the deadline date. Mail out invitations to your prospects, giving them an incentive to visit your stand. Event web sites offer many publicity opportunities - check out your options.

Check out stand packages
Many organisers offer ‘stand packages’ comprising space, modular stand/pipe and drape, furniture, lighting etc for an all-in price. Promotional packages are also commonly available. They are an excellent aid to budgeting and cost control, and can save much administrative time and effort.

Co-ordinate media activities
Maximise your promotional budget by coordinating your exhibition promotions with other media activities. Drop a flash on your trade adverts saying ‘see us on stand XXX’, include invitations in direct mail, and publicise your participation in customer newsletters and on your web site.

Prepare a detailed budget
Anticipate all likely items of expenditure before committing money, prepare a detailed budget breakdown, keep a close eye on expenditure, and a central record of all purchase orders and invoices.

Select and brief stand staff
Select staff early to ensure availability and allow adequate time for training. Draw up a duty roster and ensure all staff are fully briefed on the stand exhibits, their role, and the company’ objectives.

Devise an efficient system for handling enquiries
The way you capture and qualify visitor information at show will determine the speed and efficiency with which you can follow up leads. Devise an ‘enquiry form’ for use by stand staff on which vital visitor details can be quickly recorded (e.g. products of interest, purchasing authority, date of intended purchase etc).

Draw up a timetable of key tasks
Using the manual, and working backwards from the exhibition, draw up a timetable of key tasks, highlighting who is responsible, and deadline dates for completion. Copy it to all involved in the exhibition effort.

Establish clear lines of communication
Breakdown of communication is a major cause of problems at exhibitions. Make it clear to your suppliers and the organizer who their points of contacts are. Hold regular briefing sessions with the team to keep everyone up to date on developments.

Must-Have Trade Shows Components: Importance Of Exhibition Signs

If you're planning to be a part of an exhibit or a trade show, then you must have clever ideas on how you can make your booth stand out from among the others. Remember that your success at trade shows does not only depend on how great your product or presentation is, but also how large is the impact it created upon the public. You must be able to draw in people to your booth, so that they would fully understand and comprehend what your product is about.

Attracting people in your booth is not a very easy task, especially since you're competing with other companies for their attention. But as long as you have adequate materials and a good booth layout, you'll be able to catch the eye of the audience. One very important aspect that you need to consider then is your booth decoration.

One of the primary kinds of booth exhibit decoration that you can use are the exhibition signs. These are display items made from either plastic or paper materials, placed inside booths, aiming to generate attention from the public. Their purpose is to catch the eye of the exhibit guests with their text, colors and graphics. Exhibition signs are very important for any booth, since they can let the public know about your company and products at a glance.

Despite the modern advancements in booth design, exhibition signs are still the most widely used booth decoration materials today. These materials vary according to their use, their size, form and how they are displayed. The most common examples of these designs are the free-standing signs, the banners, streamers and the tabletop signs. Some of these decorations are simple and formal, but there are also some that are vibrantly-colored, and with different kinds of designs and graphics.

Exhibition signs can have different messages within them, but they usually contain three very important elements: the company name, the product name and the company logo. The company colors are also usually part of this display material.

Good Show versus Not a Good Show

You have decided to participate in exhibition for better business. You have also registered yourself as a participant, booked the stall and waiting anxiously to the big event.

It is enough?

No. not at all...

You have to prepare your self with good marketing and promotional materials to communicate and impress your target audience. Plan in advance about the kind of people you want to impress, how your stall is going to look, what messages will be displayed on the posters, what materials will be given as take aways, how do we do the followup etc.

Make the best out of the event with advance planning or else you can see the event just passing by without given you any mileage at all.

A good show can create a good image and brand value for your products, where as an ordinary show can devalue your products and your company.

Prepare your self to present yourself better than the rest...

Getting Ready for Exhibition

If you are planning to participate in exhibition, better talk to a professional agency. It helps you to plan and achieve the most out of the event. You can plan all your communications, collaterals and activities to meet the goals.

visit http://www.mediapulsetech.com/ to find out how you can get geared for the next event !!