Preparing the ground before the show.

Exhibitions offer a great chance to make contact with hundreds of people in a short space of time, so spend some time planning before the show, so you can reap the rewards afterwards.

What is your most important goal?

The more specific and measurable your goals the better. 

Are you aiming:

- to generate sales?
- target specific sectors?
- raise your profile generally?
- launch a new product?
- distribute samples?

Plan your stand

What's on your stand should tie in your goals for the show, but also think about:

- Who's going to staff your stand?
- How many people do you need throughout the day?
- Do you need staff with specific product or technical knowledge?
- Do you need decision-makers?

Make your stand a fun & engaging experience

Tell people that you're at the show and why they should come to your stand

A smiling face can work wonders!

And thinking back to your stand layout...

Sofas and armchairs can make a stand feel homely and look attractive but can often lead to a few people monopolising your time.  Is this really what you want, particularly if they're existing clients.

Balancing the social side of an exhibition with achieveing those sales / leads targets is important.

To reap the maximum benefit from the show, make sure you:

- Chat with you team about what worked and what didn't
- Measure your success against your goals prior to the show
- Work your way through the leads generated and allocate the appropriate follow up.

"Every exhibitor to your stand should receive some sort of follow up after the show - whether it's an email, phone call or appointment" 

- Remember to track the leads generated on the day.  Look at them after a month, 3 months and 6 months after the exhibition.

"So many exhibitors generate business 6+ months after a show.  Don't assume that because you haven't sold something within a week of the show, it's not been a success. "