But, as we discussed in our latest Event Advice interview with Matt, making the most of your exhibition experience requires more than just setting up a booth—it’s all about strategic planning and execution.
Whether you’re a small business entering this space for the first time or an established player looking to sharpen your approach, here are the key takeaways from the chat to help make your exhibitions a roaring success.
Why Should Companies Exhibit?
Exhibiting isn’t just another marketing activity. It’s a way to connect directly with the right audience while showcasing your brand’s value and expertise. With the current challenging business landscape, exhibitions provide a golden opportunity to meet potential buyers face-to-face.
Here’s why exhibiting is critical for businesses today:
- Direct Access to Decision-Makers: A well-chosen exhibition gets you in front of people who are ready to explore relevant solutions.
- Revenue and Relationship Building: Exhibitions aren’t just about one-time meetings. With consistent post-event follow-up, these connections often convert into long-term revenue.
- Competitive Insight: Sharing the floor with competitors? Use it to your advantage. Create opportunities to position your offerings and make informed, data-driven business decisions.
The secret to succeeding at exhibitions, as Matt emphasised, is finding the right event—one where the attendees align with your target audience. Pair that with a solid plan, and you’re golden.
Strategic Tips for Smaller Businesses
If you’re thinking, “But we’re a small business; how do we break into exhibitions without blowing our budget?”—don’t worry! According to Matt, the size of your booth isn’t the most critical factor. Instead, focus on these essentials:
- Nail Your Message: Smaller booths benefit from crystal-clear messaging. What do you do? Highlight it upfront. Make it impossible for attendees to walk by without understanding your value.
- Do the Groundwork: Lay the foundation before the big day. Know who will attend, plan your outreach strategy, and create touchpoints that make people want to visit your booth.
- Leverage Social Media: Organic or paid campaigns can help create buzz ahead of the event. Mix it up—try teaser posts, sneak peeks of your booth design, or even personal invites to key prospects.
- Start Small and Grow: You don’t need the grandest booth to make an impact. Well-trained staff and effective branding can get you just as much attention as larger setups.
In this episode, Matt also shared how having a modular approach—clearly demonstrating what you offer right then and there—has been a game-changer for smaller booths.
Booth Design That Works
Ever heard the phrase “First impressions last”? Well, your booth is your first impression at an exhibition, so design it with purpose. The key is aligning your branding with your message. Here’s how you can approach booth design, regardless of your business size:
- Be Direct: For smaller or newer businesses, simplify your visuals. Ensure anyone passing by immediately knows what you do. Use bold images and concise text to create impact.
- For Established Brands: Larger booths offer more space for creative storytelling. This is your chance to strengthen your brand messaging through subtle but impactful elements like interactive features, live demos, or storytelling displays.
- Hardware & Real Demos: If you have physical products or tech solutions, show them off! CrowdComms, for instance, uses their booth space to highlight their registration and onsite badging solutions alongside their virtual platforms. Seeing is believing, after all.
Preparing Your Team for Exhibition Day
Your team is your secret weapon at exhibitions. Every member plays a distinct role in making that booth the liveliest and most engaging stop on the event floor. Here’s how to prepare them effectively:
- Define Roles: CrowdComms uses a mix of:
- Grabbers: People who approach attendees and engage them in conversation.
- Demo Experts: Those who can articulate your solution and demonstrate how it solves specific problems.
- Sweepers: Staff who ensure smooth logistics and offer support to keep the whole team energized.
- Train for Confidence: Equip your staff with the knowledge and skills to answer questions, demo your product, and articulate your brand’s value effortlessly.
- Create Pre-Event Clarity: Use a project management tool to organise who is responsible for setups, travel, and collateral, so everything runs seamlessly.
Matt shared a powerful mindset tip—don’t undersell your brand. Train your team to approach attendees with confidence. They’re there to offer solutions, not apologise for stopping people for a quick chat.
Sustain the Buzz Post-Event
Once the event wraps up, the real work begins. A well-thought-out post-event strategy ensures you develop meaningful relationships from the connections you make. CrowdComms shared their formula for post-event success:
- Tailored Follow-Up Emails: Don’t drop generic emails into your leads’ inboxes. Instead, reference specific conversations or challenges they mentioned. It shows that you were listening and you’re serious about helping them.
- CRM Processes: Tag attendees by persona so they receive personalised communication. This increases the chances of turning leads into pipeline-worthy prospects.
- Track Outcomes: From leads generated to eventual revenue, track every metric. What may seem like an expensive investment initially might actually prove its worth when you evaluate cumulative spending from clients over several years.
Pro Tips To Maximise Your Reach
Want to take things to the next level? Here are some extra tips Matt shared for exhibitors:
- Get Speaking Opportunities: Submit proposals to speak at the event. Speaking sessions boost your credibility and help bring more traffic to your booth afterward.
- Build Momentum Early: Use social media to generate excitement months ahead of time. Share your booth location, invite clients, and tease exclusive event offers or experiences.
- Lean on Your Team: Encourage broader participation across different team members during events. Not only does it highlight your company’s diversity and talent, but it also builds internal confidence.
The Final Word on Event Advice
Exhibitions are high-energy environments filled with potential. But the key to success is preparation—from why you exhibit to how you follow up. At CrowdComms, where one high-value lead could turn into a long-term partnership, every step of the strategy counts.
Whether you’re gearing up for your first trade show or you’ve been exhibiting for years, try these action-packed strategies from our Event Advice discussion to see just how far your exhibition game can go. And if you need expert event technology solutions, you know where to find us.
Good luck, and see you on the exhibition floor!
Watch the full video here
