How to be a show off – top 8 tips for exhibitors at #Power & #Electricity World Africa
Here are 8 top tips for exhibitors at Power & Electricity World Africa in 3 weeks.
The day has arrived. You’ve done the groundwork. Your goals are clear. Your people are trained.
The doors to the exhibition open and the visitors start streaming in….
- Arrive early – don’t get caught up with logistical issues when you should be networking.
- Brief your staff each day – the people on your stand make the difference between a good event and a great event. A highly motivated well informed team does more than any other factor to differentiate you from the other stands and make an impact on your market. Remind your stand staff of your goals and your key targets.
- Spend the optimum amount of time with visitors – find the right people and spend the right amount of time with them – you need to get that lead, appointment or meeting. make sure you’ve planned a system that suits your goals.
- Speak fluent body language – we’ve all seen them; the crossed-arms-and-frowns brigade, the newspaper readers, the quick lunch eaters with their backs to the aisle, the staff who are so busy chatting with each other they ignore the visitors on their stand. Try this. Divide the cost of your participation in the show with the number of minutes it’s open. Then remind your staff how much every minute is worth. Smiles, eye contact, open questions, it may be common sense but its not common practice!
- Focus on your targets – chances are, your key targets are a small subset of the total audience at the show. Decide who your key targets are and brief your team to focus on them. Set your goals accordingly (not just ‘100 leads’ but ‘75 production directors’ or ‘senior managers’).
- Earn media coverage – Invite key journalists to visit your stand – or visit theirs. Keep a good supply of bright, well presented literature in the shows media stand.
- Collect lead information – collecting business cards from the pre-screened prospects is easy. The best exhibitors don’t just measure the number of leads generated, they measure the quality as well. One lead classification system grades every lead this way, making sure the hottest leads get the attention first: A. Large order ready to buy, B. Small order ready to buy OR large order, longer time frame, C. Small order longer time frame, D. Send literature or add name to database, E. Other eg. press, salesman
- Keep it all business – lots of comfy furniture encourages people to drop in and stay on your stand. Do you really want that? Current customers might monopolise your time. Unless they’re your main reason for attending, try to set aside specific time for customers, ideally in a hospitality area. Networking and social contacts are part of the appeal of an exhibition, but you’ll want to keep it under control.
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