Part 3 (The End) of ‘The Journey of a Beginner Exhibitor’
by Startacus Admin
As part 1 and part 2 of the Journey of an Exhibitor suggested, most companies will, at some point be involved in an exhibition. Exhibitions provide a great platform to meet potential buyers and promote your company and when you invest time, money and resources it is important it is a success, so the team from the www.smartbusinessshow.com return with part 3 of their epic trilogy... to doing just that!
Read part 1 and part 2 here if you like!
And so, on to part 3...
The End...
Build Up and Break Down
Show Time
The days running up to the show are known as ‘Build Up’. Here your organiser will be in contact providing you with details containing how long you have to 
build your stand. This is where all the graphics, designs and services you have ordered for your stand will start coming together. The organisers will also provide times in which you may enter the halls to vacate your stand, for smaller shows, build up may last roughly two days, but for larger shows it may take weeks. Likewise when the show ends the organiser will inform you how long you have to dismantle (break down) everything. Keep in mind that organisers can be very strict on these times as they are in contract with the venue, so respect their show rules.
Stand Manning Tips
Staff make the difference
‘You shouldn’t judge a book by the cover’, but people tend to. Visitors (Potential customers) will judge you on first glance, weather it is the presentation style of your stand or your staff members. By this stage you will have your graphic stand looking good, but are your staff living up to the same billing? Are yourstaff trained properly? Do they know to look interested instead of talking or staring at the floor? Are they aware of how their body language makes them look and are they smiling and using an open posture. Are they briefed on the customers they will be interacting with? Can they answer all possible questions they are likely to be asked and do they understand your objectives? All questions that both you and your staff know will make the difference.
Follow Up
Your Leads
Once you have captured quality leads you MUST follow them up. A survey by AEO revealed that seventy-five percent of exhibitors admitted to not following up their leads effectively. When you do follow up your leads, monitor these results and compare these with your objectives to calculate your return on investment.
Wash Up
Post Event Analysis
Now that the event is over, ask yourself some questions: Did we hit our objectives? What strategies worked and what turned out badly? From this can we do anything better and more effectively next time? Was the stand size adequate? Involve your staff that was on the stand with you on this. If you had a positive outcome from the show, for next year book early and start planning the next one from a stronger base.
This guide was brought to you by www.smartbusinessshow.com
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Published on: 14th December 2013
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