Wow what an amazing Hutt Valley Business Expo hosted last month. There was such a great turn out, with so many great opportunities for businesses to sell their services and build new connections and leads.
Did you have a stand this year? If not, did you consider it? Expos, conference and trade shows are not for everyone, so how do you know you will get a worthwhile outcome for your investment?
You start by deciding your goals and expectations for exhibiting before you decide to invest. So what do you need to consider before taking the next step? Below we list some key factors to think about:
Exhibition planning – Preparation is vital for success and for maximising opportunities, giving you better value for money. The more thought and planning you put in before the exhibition, the more likely you are to succeed at the event. Make sure to have giveaways, special offers and an inviting stand or display.
Be seen at the right exhibitions – Exhibitions can be seen as a large investment, particularly by small and medium-sized businesses, but by investing in the short term, you can reap the benefits in the long term, turning the leads collected at an exhibition into loyal customers and clients. Just make sure you choose one that will benefit your business and brings you the clientele you require.
Build relationships – Exhibitions, conferences and trade shows are the perfect platform for meeting people in your industry; it also gives you the opportunity to market your business face to face. Talk to as many people as possible, take time to learn about their business and remember to take their business cards.
Marketing messages – Make sure all your marketing messages are prepared in advance of the event. Your messaging should be consistent across your stand, company brochures and giveaways. You also need to ensure you have a clear, practiced pitch so you can show your potential future clients just how knowledgeable you are.
To put it simply: with the right preparation, exhibitions can provide you with an excellent platform for building brand awareness and generating sales leads. It’s important to build a pipeline of new business opportunities all the time and to keep your current customers happy.
GoFi8ure loves being involved with expo’s especially the Hutt Valley Business Expo, and we love to market ourselves as much as we can. We hope you found these tips useful.