expo essentials - part 3 - the big day(s)

Expo Essentials: A Practical Guide To Preparing For Trade Exhibitions PART TWO

Part THREE: The Big Day

The stand is ready, the team are briefed and you have your best salesperson hat on.

Now it's time for you to face The Big Day

(Excerpted from Expo Essentials: A Practical Guide To Preparing For Trade Exhibitions, Chris van der Leer 2014)

The planning is done, the stand is erected, the staff are briefed, fed, motivated and dressed to thrill. The real work begins now. You will enjoy the experience if you go into it with the intention of having FUN! You will spend a day in vibrant surroundings promoting something that is passionate to you, so go into it with an upbeat, positive and happy attitude. Prepare yourself however: You will need to reach out and speak with strangers. Its tough, but you will not achieve success unless you extrovert yourself. This is your moment, make of it what you will.Firstly, go around and meet the neighbours. Ensure that your space is not encroaching on theirs and that they know who you are in case they need to have a chat. Explain to them what you do, offer to mind their stands if they need to nip off for a break. Remember, the point of your presence is to build your profile with all attendees, even your fellow exhibitors. See this as your warm up for the rest of your day to help get you into stride.We are not going to forensically discuss engagement techniques here, but suffice to say that smiling and looking customers in the eye will be essential. Listen first and talk when appropriate.

Smile. Look people in the eye when you talk to them. Speak with confidence. Invite conversation by asking questions.Care for the conversation, but close the sale or contact when appropriate. Collect details, be seen to be handing out enticing freebies, make and respond to advances. Maximise your time on the stand. Talk to everyone and, you guessed it SMILE!If you are asked a question which you dont know how to handle, get the persons details and promise to follow up with them with an answer. You now have a firm lead with a reason to continue engaging with them. If you are directly selling a product, focus on the closure. Your time is limited and therefore it is good practice to guide the conversation through familiar territory to the end result. Beware of time wasters, keep focused on your single, clear objective. Your sales technique will require confidence and practice we recommend that you read up on this and find your selling style.The Big Day (1)


Free hand outs will be a very attractive draw card to potential clients and we guarantee that they will give you an added edge when conversing with attendees. Use them wisely and your investment will be worth it. Put yourself in the mind of the expo attendee for a minute. Would you talk to the quiet person standing on their own, looking at their shoes and looking unconfident? Or would you respond better to the person who smiles, is interesting in what you have to say because they look you in the eye and offers you something free to take home?The Big Day (2)


Here are a few bullets which you might find useful on the day:Have a camera handy to record some of the customer interactions for your web site or Facebook page. Keep a look out for the representatives from the press, they will be the ones with the flashiest cameras and press cards. Free publicity is the best kind. In saying that, depending on the event, the taking of photographs or recording within the exhibit area may be prohibited without the permission of the company being recorded.Bring your cell phone changer.Bring spare batteries, if required.Keep a stash of press releases and media kits in your booth to hand out to any media who stop by.Program the event organisers and contractors contact numbers into your cell phone, just in case.Loudspeakers and carnival tactics will probably not be permitted, its probably best not to risk employing them, unless you are so inclined.We recommend that you get an early night beforehand and that you arrange dinner for the nights of the expo. You will be mentally and physically drained from all of your exertions, so look after yourself.Keep the message simple - avoid displaying every product you have to offer, but do have a few samples available if the opportunity arises.Have some cash on you, you never know when it is needed.Check in regularly with your team members.Stay the course: Do not leave early. Events tend to taper off in the late afternoon and it is tempting to pack up and head home. Many individuals arrive at events during the afternoons; there is nothing more off putting than seeing a stand being packed up prematurely. Bring extra deodorant. Just trust me on this one.Clean your space: When the expo is over leave your expo space in the same state as you found it, this is merely good trade show etiquette.Never leave cameras, laptops, camcorders, purses or other valuables unattended at any time.Ensure that you are your team have a hearty breakfast on the day. This is also an excellent time to do a catch-up with your team and to keep motivation levels up.

The Big Day (3)


Prospective customers need to connect their interaction with you with a follow up within a day or two of the expo. Its important to follow up with your leads immediately because they may forget you, their circumstances may change or someone else may close the sale.There is a wide range of ways that you can engage with your customers do some surfing to find out how to use this information to its maximum effect.The Follow Through


It is always good practice to host a constructive feedback session with your team members to learn from the experience. The purpose of lessons learned is to bring together any insights gained during the experience that can be usefully applied at future events. Lessons learned should draw on both positive experiences good ideas that improve efficiency or save money, and negative experiences lessons learned only after an undesirable outcome has already occurred.Have a discussion on what worked and what didnt work and ask from suggestions from all of your team members who contributed to the final outcome. Constructive feedback is worth its weight in gold and will help you to learn from the experience to make the next one much better all round.Here are some sample questions for a lessons learned session with your team.Could anything have worked better?Did we prepare enough? If no, what needed more work?Did we have enough time to set up the stand?What worked really well?What did our customers like the most about our attendance?Did we have enough staff?What can we do to encourage our customers to want to visit our stand?The lessons learned throughout this experience will be invaluable to the success of your next event..

Learning From The Experience


(Excerpted from Expo Essentials: A Practical Guide To Preparing For Trade Exhibitions, Chris van der Leer 2014)And so concludes this 3 part guide. I sincerely hope that that this publication has served to give you a clear insight to planning for and attending an expo. As you can see, you dont need to be a rocket scientist to make this work, nor do you need a corporate budget and a massive team of marketing stars to get on the ladder to success.Most of this is basic logic, with a dash of smarts, a pinch of guerrilla marketing, some common sense and lots of confidence.The amount of success you achieve will be directly proportional to the level of effort and planning that you input. If you prepare and plan efficiently you cannot fail.I welcome your correspondence and feedback on your experiences at the events that you attend.Good luck!And Thats A Wrap!

Copyright (c) 2012 by Chris van der LeerAll rights reserved.This publication is designed to provide authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.This publication expresses the authors views and opinions. The information contained in this work is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties. Neither the author, or their resellers, or distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused either directly or indirectly, by this publication.This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the author.First published 2013Dewey Decimal System Category: 659 Advertising & Public RelationsISBN (PDF)978-0-473-23497-3ISBN (iBook)978-0-473-23498-0ISBN (Softcover)978-0-473-23495-9ISBN (ePub)978-0-473-23496-6

expo essentials - part 3 - the big day(s)

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