Examine and steer clear of the common mistakes made by exhibitors globally
Whether you are exhibiting for the 1st time or a seasoned participant at exhibitions, some pointers are critical and should be taken care of.
Exhibitions are not only a significant monetary investment but also take up a lot of time and effort. It takes a whole team to make a expo a grand success. Here are some key points that will elevate your participation strategy, expo stand, and are must-haves for every exhibition.
Avoid these commonly made mistakes by exhibitors
- Underselling your company with unhealthy graphics
Usually, corporations represent themselves at expos with a patchwork of a “ display.” Crumpled vinyl, faded prints, or low-quality media spoil the entire show of the convention booth design.
High resolution, light-weight media is ideal for printing. A less-than-professional look doesn’t provide your prospects confidence in you or your product and services. This sort of exhibition stall can send prospects running to the competition.
Putting an excessive amount of text on your display
You’ve got virtually seconds to induce someone’s attention as they scan the show floor. Nobody can stop reading loads of text.
Keep in mind that you just cannot tell your entire company story on your expo stand design. Make your communication crisp and balance it with good imagery.
- Not promoting your presence at expos
The show has started, you’ve got a creative booth design and you are all set to go. But, is your stand expo yet awaiting walk-ins? Why haven’t you got traffic returning to your expo stand? What have you done to market your presence at the show?
Let your prospects know your event appearances via an e-newsletter and social media. Set up the launch of a brand new product/service around the show to make a buzz.
Send invitations to those prospects that you just might not have connected with in the past. Make your show participation a part of your email signature and advertise to all your clients and stakeholders about your expo presence.
Not training your booth staff and discussing correct objectives
If you have seen that your exhibition stand staffs sit most of the time instead of interacting with prospects, then you need to train them to bring in the walk-ins.
Set the correct expectations before the show, do not assume that having skilled staff is enough. Understand if they are going to perceive the nuances of exhibition surroundings and make the most of it.
Train them with mock prospects on interaction, opening statements, product propositions, and more. If your exhibition stand booth is large, divide it into sections and designate particular people for every section so that you can maximize your footfalls.
- Not understanding the pulse of your prospects
Don’t be so excited to induce your message across and sell your product that you just miss out on necessary data concerning your client’s needs.
A customer-centric approach always works better than a product-centric one. Do not have a ‘one product fits all kind of strategy, try to customize to your client’s needs.
- Relying on a fishbowl to ring good leads
Having a fishbowl on your information counter filled with visiting cards does not qualify as valid leads. In exhibitions, the quality of the lead is more important than the mere quantity. Don’t keep the misconception of equating the number of business cards collected with expo success.
Random business cards won’t help you know the requirements and purpose of the prospect visiting your modular exhibition stand. Make notes behind cards detailing what the client needs and why did he or she seek out your booth.
Too many handouts, brochures, and marketing collateral
It’s hard to digest but most of the literature manuals given out at exhibitions end up in your prospect’s dustbin. Make the most use of technology for sharing your brochure.
Have QR codes on your table that the client can simply scan if he/she is interested to know more about your company and products. This will prevent the expense of shipping your literature and will be a measurable way to see how many people are genuine prospects. To make it even simpler have an iPad where the client or you can email the brochure after taking client consent.
- Insufficient planning for exhibition success
We don’t plan to fail, we fail to plan! For exhibitors who haven’t seen the results they were expecting, this could be one underlying reason.
If you don’t have a plan to handle the situation then you won’t be ready to gain ROI to justify future shows and every effort you’ve made. Discuss timelines together with your exhibition design company, get feedback from organizers, do your homework.
- Not informing your exhibit service partner
Certify that the service crews handling the provision of your exhibition stand booth know what’s happening with your booth. Get them a list of shows for the year so that your booth gets from the show dates to shipment planning to the advanced warehouse and. Discuss any distinctive things like products within the booth, monitors, height limitations, etc.
- Not following up prospective leads
All the efforts will be worth nothing if you don’t have a lead management system that allows you to capitalize and follow up on your leads on a timely basis.
Discuss next steps, quoting, future conferences, and supply any extra data they require. It’s delivery time guarantees and also the expectations that you have set at the show.
Mistakes are milestones to learning for success. So if some mistake does happen, learn from it to make the next show an even grander success.
If you need help planning and executing your next expo, get in touch with us.
