Business shows such as conventions and exhibitions days are a brilliant opportunity to spread brand awareness to both the general public and other industries.
Of course, no matter where you’re exhibiting, there’s likely to be a wealth of competition also on show, potentially stealing some of your limelight.
To ensure you shine brighter than anyone else and hopefully see some extra business as a result, here are five top tips to succeed at a business show.
Stand Out Handouts
There are two reasons businesses choose to use handouts, to give passers-by their business details (on things like business cards), or to create a buzz with novelty items that will create a sense of intrigue around the business show.
Both of these approaches are fine, but you need to decide which one works best for your image. If you are a PR agency, handing out branded boxes of popcorn could be a great idea, but not so much if you run an orthodontics clinic.
You need to decide what is right for you, and if your business falls somewhere in the middle of these polarized examples.
Appropriate Employee Image
No matter your industry, your image is vital in portraying what you do. To do so you need to find a form of uniform which is instantly recognizable and is approachable to customers.
Bespoke uniform Logo embroiderers, Megri Digitizing told us that: “Uniforms have to be in line with your industry. For example, you’d expect accountants to wear suits, not bright pink promotional t-shirts.”
“However, if you are a catering company, printing a load of promo t-shirts for your staff to wear while handing out free cakes and chatting to people all around the business show will have a great effect.”
If you want any advice on what to avoid, see this post from AOL.
Eye Catching Stand
Along with the image of your staff comes the image of your business stand. There could be hundreds on show at any given business show, so you need to make sure you don’t fade into the background.
Aside of a promotional backdrop (which should be the bare minimum), consider your industry and your strengths.
If you are a catering business, line up some testers or eye-catching presentations. If you are a film production company, you should have screens showing previous work and perhaps some of your top equipment on show too.
Positive Communication
Probably the thing people struggle with the most is manning their stand and speaking to attendees. It can go wrong in two ways, you can appear too eager and pushy, or you can be too laid back and not realize when someone is, in fact, interested.
In short, you just have to be alert and positive. If people begin to look around your stand, it is ok to assume they might want to chat with you, so feel free to approach. Most importantly be positive, and polite, and be ready to answer any amount of questions.
If this doesn’t happen straight away, the worst thing is to be pushy. Instead of chasing people who walk within a 15-yard radius of your stand with a brochure, take it easy, do everything else right and it will eventually pay off.
Great Work Portfolio
As mentioned earlier, having only the best examples of your previous work on show will help boost your chances of attracting business.
Way before people actually speak to you personally, they will make their decision to approach you based on how your stand looks.
If you have a very dull slideshow on a loop up on a monitor screen, people will stroll by. If you have exciting graphics or inventive videos, you will turn heads, and people will want a second look.
While all of these tips don’t apply to every industry, at least a couple will apply to yours. Business shows are a fantastic opportunity to network and show off your business to new clients and markets, so give them the best shot you can.