SOME IMPORTANT POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE BOOKING AN EXHIBITION STALL AND PARTICIPATE IN AN EXHIBITION

Participating in an exhibition can lead to garnering a lot of new customers and reaffirm the loyalty of older clients, the downside to this is that the participation comes at a cost. It costs to rent exhibition space, getting an exhibition stall erected, traveling, boarding and lodging can also be fairly expensive. Further, preparations leading up to the exhibition can take a lot of time and you have to fit that into your busy day to day schedule. The upside of all this preparation and expense is that participating in the right exhibition can expand your client base manifold; more business means a healthier bottom line.

We have put together a list of questions with solutions, get these correct, then you will see that your participation in an exhibition can never go wrong. We will guide you on the best ways to get the most of your stall exhibition and how to get the most of every $ spent, making the experience a financial and business success.

If you want to rent or custom build an exhibition stall then contact Insta Exhibitions, one of India’s leading exhibition stand designers and constructors to give you a solution that suits your requirements best.

What do you hope to achieve by participating in an exhibition?

This should be the primary concern while planning to participate in an exhibition and spending money on an exhibition stall. The foremost reasons should be the major take always you expect by participating in an exhibition, such as the purpose behind the decision to participate, the goals to be reached by having an exhibition stall, etc.

• To increase sales?
• Connecting with prospective clients?
• Attracting investors?
• Exchanging ideas with key people from the industry?
• Reconnecting with older clients and understanding their requirements Better?

It is a good idea to think and process these factors beforehand, this will help you focus on your goals and drive you towards them while exhibiting.

Contact Insta Exhibitions, they can help you plan for your exhibitions better, based on their long years of experience in the exhibition space.

Can I present a paper on my product or services?

Several key exhibitions also organize conferences and seminars on the side, these meetings offer a great opportunity to exhibitors to talk and showcase their products to major players in the industry. For an exhibitor participating in these activities are normally free. These interactions also open avenues to connect with the audience and develop more business and collaborations.

Have a great sales pitch ready 

During an exhibition an exhibitor has a very small window of opportunity to attract a customer. Some factors can be used to the advantage by exhibitors to attract new clients to their exhibition stall. The exhibition stands builder should be very attractive; this ensures that the customer spends more than the usual time in that exhibition stall. The position of the exhibition stall in the exhibition hall is also an important factor. Above all having a great sales pitch to keep the customers engaged, and leading them to clinch deals is irreplaceable, a crisp sales pitch assuring customers of offering them the right solutions can keep customers interested in the products being exhibited and convince them to commit to a sale.

A good location in the exhibition hall can be a winner

It is always advisable to plan and book the exhibition space at the earliest. Early bookers have a choice of selecting prime locations in the exhibition, guaranteeing them of attracting maximum footfalls. A good location for an exhibition stall can be at the entrance, or at the junction of two busy aisles where visitors tend to stop for short time.

Insta Exhibitions, one of India’s leading exhibition stall solution provider can advise you on the perfect location to place your exhibition stall.

Keep the collaterals ready

In an exhibition, it is customary for exhibitors to give away brochures, leaflets or some other handouts, extolling the salient points of their products. Designing and printing these material take time, so it is always better to plan these actions well in advance. Planning will help in avoiding any last minute surprises and keep stress at bay.

Staffing the exhibition stall

Managing an exhibition stall single handedly can be a very stressful affair, and also deprives the exhibitor from engaging with a lot of potential clients, leading to loss of business. It is always a good move to put together a good team who can collaborate with each other and talk to clients independently. This assures the exhibitor of achieving the goals for participating in the exhibition.

Book your accommodation early

If traveling for an exhibition, it makes good sense to book an accommodation near the fair grounds. Staying near the fairgrounds saves a lot of time and money by cutting commuting; the extra time can be well spent attending to the exhibition stall. It is important to plan and book the accommodation well before the start of the exhibition as other exhibitors are also likely to book a similar accommodation. Putting this off to the last moment can mean paying a hefty premium or staying far away from the fairgrounds.

Well designed exhibition stall

In an exhibition there can be hundreds of exhibition stalls, all vying to get the attention of the visitors. In such a scenario, how can a particular exhibition stall stand out from the rest? It is fair to assume that visitors don’t just walk into any exhibition stall. An exhibition stall that is designed aesthetically, and carries a strong message, has a big edge over other exhibition stalls in attracting eyeballs and inviting footfalls.

Insta Exhibitions, one of India’s foremost exhibition stall designing company, with a long record of designing award winning exhibition stalls can help design and build an eye catching exhibition stall.

Customized clothing

Exhibitors wearing specially designed customized uniforms in the exhibition stall are a unique way to attract the attention of visitors. This appealing approach can ensure that visitors will step into the exhibition stand and interact with the exhibitors. Preparations for such customized uniforms must be made well in advance, as creating such unique designs can take time.

Connecting with existing clients

Convincing and selling to existing clients is a much easier experience, as these clients are familiar to the products on offer and have already used them to their satisfaction. Selling newly introduced products or services to this client base usually ends with success. It is always a good idea to keep in touch with these faithful clients, especially during an exhibition. Inviting existing clients to visit the exhibition stall and extending them hospitality usually leads to further business. A personalized invitation card can be sent to these clients to ensure their attendance. Plying them with individualized giveaways goes a long way in retaining their loyalty and often leads to a long lasting relationship.

Keep sending out that newsletter

Keeping existing and potential clients informed about activities is a good way to keep your company in their mind. Sending specially designed newsletters, informing them about your impending participation in an exhibition and reminding them to visit the exhibition stall will help them plan their visit. Some clients may even send you a request for a particular problem or solution that they would like to discuss at the exhibition stall.

Building contacts

An exhibition is the perfect place to meet old contacts and make new ones. Every participant in an exhibition is busy, so making a list of people you want to meet based on your priorities well before the start of an exhibition makes sense. It also helps if prior appointments are made, most of the participants at an exhibition are gathered there to interact with each other and build business relationships, and they will usually keep a prior appointment. This way you can manage your time better and work out new business and collaborations.

Put together a shopping list

The devil is in the details, while having a well designed exhibition stall puts you in an immediate advantage, there are many little things which if ignored can make exhibiting a stressful affair. It is good to compile a shopping list of small but important consumables so that you are not left with a major problem later in the exhibition hall. Keeping an adequate supply of paper, pens, other stationary and housekeeping items helps. This way you can concentrate on your clients without thinking about where to get that pair of scissors when you need it.

Convincing a new client

People dislike a pushy sales person. It works to your advantage if a client is subtly pointed towards closing a business deal with the perception that they have made the choice themselves. Preparing beforehand on a convincing strategy, on how to convert new clients who visit your exhibition stall, usually leads to enhanced sales.

Body language

As per research, 70% of our communication is through non verbal interaction. People make unconscious decisions on whether they like a particular stance or not, these decisions are made in fractions of a second. This astonishing result can be worked to ones advantage while servicing clients in an exhibition stall. Putting up a friendly stance, giving a welcoming smile, shaking hands firmly can all be practiced and put to use, thus creating a positive impression in the mind of a visitor.

Showcasing the product

The product is the king of the exhibition stall. All the effort of exhibiting is aimed towards showcasing the product on display. Building an innovative, interactive and interesting display area for the product goes a long way towards creating a buzz around it. A live demonstration of the products helps giving a customer  a closer look at the product, thus helping them to make up their mind to purchase it.

Make use of the social media

Social media plays a pivotal role in today’s world, creating a buzz in Social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Uploading demo films of your products on YouTube can create the right buzz before and during the exhibition. These social media tools can help garner interest in your products to be displayed in your exhibition stall and help in getting more footfalls.

Winding down and following up

The points mentioned above should make it easier for you to participate in an exhibition, but regular follow ups with people you met in the exhibition stall is a must to guarantee success. After an exhibition you must spend time evaluating on the positives and negatives, so that your next exhibition is an even greater success. Here are a few tips on how you can evaluate your participation.

• Was that my best opening line? Could it have been better?
• What was the honest feedback of visitors about the products or services?
• How did the demonstrations go, could they have been staged better?
• How good the exhibition stall fabrication was done, how can it be improved for the next exhibition?
• What was the competition’s exhibition stalls like, how were their products displayed? What was their product range; can our products be improved to beat the competition?

These pointers will help you to make a success out of your participation and encourage you to keep improving.