Exhibitions take place in the largest cities across the world and in any and every industry you can imagine. It’s a buzzing event full of business professionals, enthusiasts and media all under one roof that promises the ultimate networking experience. There is so much potential success and ROI that comes along with attending an exhibition – for companies of all sizes.

Attending an exhibition is a big and exciting step into the world of business and should be evaluated and planned accurately to ensure optimum success. To help you understand the potential reward, here are some of the top benefits of attending an exhibition:

1. Puts a face to the company

Trade show environments offer a unique opportunity to network with a large number of warm prospects who operate in your industry. People who make the effort to attend an exhibition do so because they are actively looking to buy the right products for their needs. Instead of spending countless hours cold calling and exploring various marketing techniques, you are presented with the chance to communicate directly with people who are interesting in your offering.

The key is to be able to secure a sale after the exhibition, as generally few decision makers will purchase during the event unless there’s a real incentive. For this reason, it is crucial to follow up multiple times post show. As you have had the advantage of meeting face-to-face and you are someone they will know and recognise, they’ll be more likely to respond to you.

2. Scope out the competition

One of the key benefits of an exhibition is that you’re put centre stage in front of your target audience and many other industry professionals – including competitors. The trade show floor exposes the strategies and best offerings of all the top brands in the industry. Wander around the event and observe what your competition are doing and how effective their sales approach is.

Questions you should ask yourself:

  • How have they designed their stand to ensure interactivity with the visitors?
  • Are they targeting specific visitors or letting people come to them?
  • What is their sales pitch technique?
  • What is it about their stand that is attracting people to them?

This is a fantastic opportunity to find out what you want to know about your competition and industry leaders. Take a look at what they’re doing differently and see how you could adopt their strategy.

3. Increase your brand awareness

Brand awareness has the capacity to embed a brand into consumer lifestyles and purchase habits, it can mean people won’t think twice about becoming a customer – time and time again (HubSpot). Thus, it is a crucial contribution to the success of any initiative or small business.

Organically, it can take months to years of relentless marketing and sales calls for a business to grow and gain strong brand visibility in its marketplace. Exhibitions offer a quick and innovative solution, whereby any company can showcase their products and services in a professional environment, directly to the key decision makers in their industry.

Check out our quick tips on how to raise effective brand awareness:

  • Create eye-catching graphics that engage the audience.
  • Brand messaging must be clear and concise and your logo strategically placed around the stand.
  • Include your social media information so people are able to easily find you online.
  • Display your products around your stand so people remember exactly what it is you offer.

4. Expand your marketing database

Using games and competitions are one of those timeless ideas that will not only attract visitors to your stand but significantly increase your ROI. Hence, Interactive games can be a fun and interesting way to entice people to your stand and a clever way to collect contact details to increase your marketing database. So, even if you do not make a sale at the show, you have a potential sale later down the line through targeted email or SMS campaigns.

5. Learn more about your industry

Not only does the exhibition floor offer the opportunity to promote and sell your products, but they’re also usually filled with many educational sessions with industry professional speakers. So, these can help you learn more about your marketplace, business techniques to drive success and the latest technological industry developments. You’re able to network with these industry leaders and learn what drove their success, and be able to absorb their advice and past experiences to drive your own business path.

Are you thinking about attending an exhibition? If you have any further questions about the experience or looking for further tips on how to get the most out of your stand, get in touch today and speak to one of our friendly team members here!