What makes a great show?

Plus a BONUS – one of my secret onsite tips

 

From an exhibitor’s perspective, this is a really interesting question and it’s one that will be different for every company.

 

You see, it depends on several factors – your perception; what you personally think is reasonable; the cost of the products/services you have; the margin, the normal turnover etc.

 

What happens, however, is that usually at an exhibition, you are going to be exposed to a far greater traffic flow of qualified audience than that of a normal sales opportunity (such as a retail outlet, sales on the road, a magazine ad and so on).

 

But can you compare yourself to other exhibitors? And, if you do, can you be sure they are telling you their real turnover?

 

I find it interesting how one exhibitor can set the tone for virtually everyone else. Time and time again I have heard an exhibitor say how well they are doing – better than the last show etc – and I witness stands around them that clearly do not trade the same way saying the same thing! And, of course, I have heard it vice versa too! What compels us to want to save face that much? Or is it my perception that’s wrong? Not all stands need to be busy to get the same return.

 

In a research study of a cross-section of exhibitors last year, we found more than 80% of exhibitors thought the economy affected their results and, in truth, to a degree it would have. The issue here is how happy are we to blame outside influences rather than the fact that, maybe, our product/service isn’t meeting the market’s needs?

 

In the same research, we asked whether, given their results, they would change their display next time (we asked this twice in different ways). And, amazingly, the same result appeared – which was two out of three would NOT change it.

 

But, if we want to have more good shows than bad, surely we need to review our options daily and look at what we actually can do to change the results to this outcome.

 

A good show will vary depending on the objectives first set and the nature of the event itself. Some will judge it on sales there and then; some on the orders taken and then, for most, it may be the database collected.

 

As a quick measurement, therefore, it comes down to the sales you make there and then, and the quality of the leads you connect with as future business. (This applies particularly to trade events but surprisingly, consumer shows are doing more and more business after an event as well.) To be truly effective, you need to qualify the prospect relatively quickly and, to do this, you need some ACTION! Or, at least, you need to review the Action Acronym, which gives you a great guide to success:

 

• Authority – are they a decision maker or do they have some influence over the decision?
• Cash – do they have the financial resources to invest in your product or service?
• Time – what is their purchase time frame?
• Identify – have you a system in place to collect their data and communicate with them in the future?
• Operational constraints – is there a reason they cannot deal with you?
• Need – do they have a need for your company’s product/service?

 

The most important thing is that you benchmark against your own original goals/objectives and don’t get drawn into a comparison between yours and your colleagues’ – as everyone has different goals and therefore, what ‘makes a good show’ will be different for each company.

 

Be prepared. Be across your goals/objectives. Be forward in your approach. Be creative when presenting and resolving issues. Be positive. Be a winner.

 

IN A NUT SHELL:

 

Tip: VELCRO. Have you had posters and work fall off the wall at an exhibition because the Velcro hasn’t held it up? In 99% of cases, it’s because of how the Velcro is used. You see, most people want to make it neat and run it horizontally across the top and bottom, but this is why it falls down! Velcro’s little hooks work by running vertically! Do a simple test and run a piece of Velcro horizontally across the wall and look at the depth of the surface area the other piece has to attach to. Then pull it in the middle and see what happens. Next, run the same piece vertically and pull it from the bottom – it’s almost impossible to pull it off. So, when you next hang signs, run it vertically and you will find they’re more likely to last the whole show through!