During the halcyon days of the dot.com boom, predictions that doing business via the web would replace the need for conventional trade and consumer exhibitions were commonplace. After all, why pay for expensive stands, hotels, and endure the cost of taking staff away from their routine duties to run a stand when the desired marketing results could be achieved through the power of the Internet? A reality check reveals that the miracle marketing medium, though useful, has failed to deliver the marketers’ nirvana.
We all recognise that on-line marketing, like all media, has a place in the mix, but is (for all but a very few specialist businesses) just one way of getting your message across. What’s more, reports of the death of the exhibition industry have, as they say, been very much exaggerated.
Indeed there are those who would argue that the very nature of the rush to trade over the web, coupled with events like 9/11, the war with Iraq and, on a smaller scale, foot and mouth in the UK have all lead to perfect conditions for the growth of the exhibition industry.
Why so? Because exhibitions are about developing relationships, trust and loyalty to the people you do business with. Meeting the marketplace face-to-face enables us to size-up our potential business partners, assess their ability, and develop a dialogue leading to a mutually beneficial deal. If world events force us into our metaphorical (or indeed actual) bomb-shelters, then the need for real, personal dialogue becomes even greater.
Face-to-face dealings imply a level of trust between both parties. The exhibitor sets out his stall, so to speak, openly displaying his wares without the barrier of a website. What’s more visitors at an exhibition, since they have chosen to spend their time there, are in the exhibitor’s target market. Both parties know they are there because they want to do business, not because a ranking on a search-engine has sent them there.
Increasing competitiveness has pressured those who control marketing budgets to demonstrate the return achieved on marketing spend. Accountability is key as budgets switch from expensive TV branding campaigns to measurable media such as direct mail.
But where in this new marketing philosophy do exhibitions fit? The Association of Exhibition Organisers (the trade association for exhibition organisers) argues that exhibitions, whether trade or consumer, hold a unique position in the marketing mix, since they deliver all the key marketing objectives in one hit.
Ask marketers what they need from their marketing spend and most will list
> Brand awareness
> Delivery of product knowledge to potential purchasers
> A method of overcoming objections to purchase
> Market research for product development
> Sales or identification of sales leads
> Promotion of loyalty to the brand/product
> A method to launch a new product
> A means of generating positive media coverage
Where else can you demonstrate products, answer questions, overcome objections and build face-to-face relationships with your customers and prospects? Where else can your sales director get to meet ten of his key customers in one day?
Imagine the best clothes shop in the world, where every brand, all designer labels and every size, colour and shape is available to you. Well, a good exhibition, be it trade or consumer, is just like that in that it covers the whole range of the market that the visitor is interested in.
Exhibitions are unique in the marketing mix in being able to engage all five senses. Only exhibitions allow you to touch, taste, see, feel and hear the products and services on offer. Whether as an exhibitor you are looking to find new customers, develop existing customer relationships, demonstrate products or build awareness of your brand, it’s crucial to remember that the visitors will be receptive because they have chosen to come to the event; the buyer comes to you! It is exhibitions – and only exhibitions – that can deliver all of this and much more.
We have argued the case for using exhibitions. But how can exhibitors make the most of the medium?
For some businesses, exhibiting at a trade show can be seen as an expensive route to market. Even a relatively small shell scheme stand, say 3m x 3m will cost around EUR * 3,750 for a three-day exhibition plus another EUR * 1,500 to EUR * 3,700 in associated costs such as travel, accommodation, shipping exhibition materials, stand graphics etc. To smaller companies this can seem a large outlay for little exposure time, but it should be viewed in the context of the long-term return on your marketing investment. But, to maximise the return, exhibitors need to follow some practical rules.
Before the event
> Make sure you choose the right exhibition – check the visitor profile matches your customer profile.
> Avoid the ‘me too’ reasons for attending a show (i.e. just because your competitors are there) but, rather, make attendance part of your overall marketing strategy.
> Crucially, set objectives for your attendance at the event, be it sales, market research, demonstrations, account management, etc.
> Make sure your objectives are measurable, realistic and have a time frame. For example ‘Meet new sales leads’ is not a measurable objective, but ‘Meet a minimum of ten new sales leads that result in orders of EUR * XX being placed within three months of the show’ is an objective you can measure.
> Design and staff your stand to meet the objectives you have set. If you are planning to close deals on the stand, then make sure you have the right quality of properly trained staff with the ability and authority to negotiate with buyers.
> Make the most of pre-show PR and advertising. The show’s organiser can help you promote your business, provided you tell them what you are doing!
> Be aware of sponsorship opportunities – again your show organiser can help you raise your profile through sponsorship opportunities
> Arrange for the show website to be linked to your own, and display your stand details on your website.
> Let your existing customers and other visitors know you will be attending the show, and tell them what you are exhibiting.
> Train you stand staff (the AEO can assist here) so they know what is expected of them.
During the show
> Hold daily briefings with your stand staff so they understand the objectives of the day.
> Spend the optimum time you can with visitors. Make appointments with the right ones and politely filter away the wrong people.
> Speak positive body language – be welcoming, out-going and inviting.
> Classify all leads at the time you take them. You need to define for each lead the relative size of the company, the relative likelihood they have of buying from you and the long-term value of the business.
> Ask open questions of passing visitors such as: ‘What are you looking for at the show?’ Never ask ‘Can I help you?’ It may seem polite, but is guaranteed to end the conversation with ‘No thanks, I’m just looking.’
> Use the show Press office to promote your message and invite the Press to your stand.
> Keep the stand business focused. Don’t use it as a means to meet your friends in the industry.
And afterwards
> De-brief the team to understand what did and did not work.
> Measure your immediate results against your objectives.
> Track your leads and results over time to understand the real value of the business gained; this may be done over weeks, months and sometimes years.
> Follow up all contacts made at the show; it’s amazing how few companies do this.
> Send a mailing to all show visitors, whether or not they visited your stand. They may have missed you or not had time to visit your stand; that doesn’t mean they won’t buy your products. Many organisers provide a visitor-list free of charge for one mailing.
> If you have had a successful show because you have made the effort to get it right, book for next year!
As a general guide make sure your stand and the posters, products and literature on it make it clear exactly who you are and what you have to offer. You won’t have long to capture your visitors’ attention.
Finally, help is just a phone call or e-mail away. Many exhibitors are unaware of just how much assistance the organisers behind the show can provide. Use their services; after all they have plenty of experience!
> Austen Hawkins is AEC director at the Events Industry Alliance, which describes itself as the marketing arm for the exhibitions and events industry.
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