Attending a trade show or business conference is a fantastic way to showcase your business. Too few business owners actually give this proper thought, they assume that if they pitch up with a banner and give out lots of business cards their business will automatically boom! This is not the case and if you plan to do this at Women’s Business Conference & Awards you may leave disappointed. The last thing we want is for you to leave feeling like you wasted your hard-earned money – we want you to get a fantastic return on your investment and have a great time whilst building your business effectively.
Top tips for getting all that you can from your exhibitor stand at Women’s Business Conference Tweet This!
Bring a Helper
First and foremost, don’t try to do it alone. You are likely to have more than one visitor to your stand at any one time so it’s a good idea to have one or more helpers with you. Helpers are also great to give you a much-needed break from time to time, even if it’s just to go to the loo, it’s not ideal to leave your stand unattended. You may even enjoy a break from your stand to attend a talk or speed networking, so ensure that you are free to do so. Finally, it is a good idea to take time to visit your fellow exhibitors and to mingle in general away from your stand.
Dress Appropriately
Clothing can be a fantastic way to get noticed, your work attire should clearly reflect your brand personality and complement your marketing message so that even when you are away from your stand you are quickly recognisable. Apart from looking great you also need to be able to stand up and walk around for long periods of time. Exhibitors who sit at their stands are much less approachable than those who are standing and engaging with passers-by. So if you want to get all you can from the conference make sure that your shoes and clothing can hold you up all day.
Have Great Giveaways
Some people will only visit your stand for the free chocolates! If you have great giveaways you will attract people, even if for the wrong reasons at first. However, useful giveaways will get your brand into many offices or homes and keep you memorable for much longer. Think carefully about your giveaways and plan according to what you would like to achieve with them. If you are giving away something edible they are likely to eat it at your stand or walk away with it – plan what you will do in this case. A branded notebook and pen will likely be used in a handbag or at a desk, so think about the message that you want them to see every time they use the notebook and pen. For great merchandise ideas see our partner page.
Keep it Simple
A busy or cluttered stand will only leave people confused or with the impression that you are quite messy. If in doubt, less is more! Keep it simple, clutter-free and with a clear message. If you have banners ensure that they can be seen from afar and are attractive so that people are drawn over to your stand. Prepare your stand beforehand and see it from a visitor’s perspective. What do they see from afar? What do they see close up? What message is your stand sending out? What will make them stay and linger for a chat? If you are busy and can’t chat for any reason, is there something that they can take away with contact details on so that they can get in touch later? At the Women’s Business Club we always have roses with tags to give away at our stands. The roses are always a hit amongst men and women and the tags have a clear message and contact details on them.
Run a Competition or Quiz
Create some fun at your stand and make it irresistible for people to give their contact details to you. Raffles and competitions are always a hit – people won’t mind popping a business card in a bowl to win just about anything. But do you really want hundreds of business cards to process when you get back to the office? Why not create something that will instantly qualify your leads making them do the work for you. Be creative, come up with ideas, games, quizzes or anything that will encourage the visitors to your stand to give you more detailed information.
Offer a Place to Sit
This may not always be possible but if it is possible then definitely offer a place for people to sit. If your stand offers a place to sit and others don’t you are more likely to get people visiting with you and chatting for longer giving you the opportunity to find out more about them but also giving them more time to hear about you.
Maintain Eye Contact
Finally, and probably the most important thing, is to be fully present with the visitors to your stand. When you are with them be with them! Wandering eyes can be extremely off-putting and gives the person you are talking to the impression that you are distracted or not interested in what they have to say. Maintain good eye contact and really listen to what they have to say to you. Treat each person like they really matter so that when they leave your stand they have left feeling really good. That will create more of an impression than anything else mentioned above.
Top tips for getting all that you can from your exhibitor stand at Women’s Business Conference Tweet This!