Of all the sales and marketing tools that are available to us today there are none more extraordinary or that offer more potential than the highly efficient and intense selling of trade shows. A good sales person in a well planned and organized exhibit at one of these shows can produce the equivalent of months of field work in only a few short days.
As an exhibitor in one of these shows we are uniquely equipped to stimulate the interest of the prospect in our product or service. After all, we are the host and as such control the environment. One of the ways in which we exercise this control is through the design of our exhibit. A well designed exhibit can help attract and qualify prospects, discourage non-prospects, encourage and support dialogue between exhibitor and the prospect and strengthen the sales person's presentation.
Squanders resources:
Many exhibitors make the mistake of assuming that their mere presence at a show is sufficient. Armed with their draped booth, a few products, some brochures and a salesperson or two, they wait to be inundated by a flood of prospects and orders. This approach, however well intentioned, is not only inefficient and squanders valuable resources, but it fails to take full advantage of the sales and marketing opportunities that trade shows present to us.
Business venture:
Exhibiting in a show today is a serious business venture. There is a lot of money involved and a lot to be accomplished for the investment. In order to maximize the return on this investment a growing number of exhibiting companies are turning to exhibit/display firms for professional guidance in learning how to effectively market their products and services at shows.
The impact of this more seasoned approach is readily apparent to anyone who visits a show today. Industry events that only a few years ago were primarily pipe and drape are now dominated by a variety of exhibitry including portables, structural systems, modular systems and custom exhibits. Aside from the obvious prestige the show and its organizers receive, these shows attain a new level of professionalism that attracts new exhibitors and attendees.
A good sales and marketing oriented display firm can contribute significantly to an exhibit's success. In cases where the exhibitor is unable to demonstrate or show
applications of their products or services within the physical constraints of the booth space, it can be pivotal. For these companies the primary vehicle for the communication of the product message is the actual display itself.
Exhibit design basics:
In planning the design of your Trade Show Exhibit there are three principal points to remember.
1) The exhibit should be a unified statement that is based on written measurable objectives.
The primary cause of poorly designed exhibits is a lack of such objectives. If an exhibit isn't designed to achieve specific goals the return on your trade show investment will probably be lower than it should be.
2) The exhibit should attract and qualify those visitors from within the general audience who are prospects for your products or services.
The attraction and qualification of prospects is the focus of most trade show
exhibits. Eye-catching headlines, photo blow-ups, or product demonstrations can be used to attract interest. Once this is accomplished these same attractions can
qualify the prospect by leading into the exhibit sales story.
3) The Exhibit should encourage and support dialogue between the exhibitor and the prospect.
A well designed exhibit will not replace or dominate the dialogue, but act as a sales aid that can be adapted to the prospects interest by the exhibitor's sales people.
Do's
• Select a good booth location. Avoid deadend aisles, fire hoses or columns in your booth and locations that place you next to the garbage compactor.
• Arrange the space to allow traffic to flow easily through the exhibit and its sales story.
• Keep it simple. Display products and services in an orderly logical sequence. • Build your exhibit around your product or service. This is where the prospect's
interest is focused.
• Show applications. Prospects want to know how products and services can be applied in their business.
• Keep center of copy panel at about 5' 6" level.
• Demonstrate your product. A good demonstration will give credibility to your product claims.
• Company identification should be visible from all angles.
• Use lighting to highlight products and graphics where appropriate.
• Materials should reflect the spirit of the exhibit. Wood creates a different ambience than polished aluminum.
• Highlight features and benefits. Don't leave it to the prospect's imagination. • Encourage audience participation. Involve all five senses of the prospect.
Don'ts
• Avoid cluttered confusing and disorganized exhibits. • Don't print your company or product name vertically. • Avoid excessive copy. No one will read it.
• Don't allow prospect's view of important exhibit elements to be blocked. • Avoid building a monument to yourself or your company.
What to tell your designer:
Regardless of what products or services are to be exhibited or what type of show is
involved, display houses will need to acquire specific information from exhibitors in order to ensure the design will achieve the desired results. A typical information request should include:
a clear, written statement of objectives
a description of the potential (target) audience a description of your industry and your markets a description of your company
a description of your products - their specifications, classifications, features and benefits
a description of your competition
a description of your competition's products, including specifications, etc.
a description of your marketing program and how trade and consumer shows fit into your marketing mix.
an analysis of your present exhibit's performance at the last show as revealed through staff and audience surveys.
pertinent show data including it's name, dates and location a list of show rules and regulations
floor plans and space location including any known peculiarities such as columns, low ceilings and aisles
a description of current use of themes and logos
how you intend to make sure of the space at the show listing the activities,
demonstrations, number of personnel, number of expected visitors, offices, product display, space for VIP's and so on
a description of any company idiosyncrasies a description of future plans for the exhibit
a mutually agreed to timetable the style of design preference a budget
Sophisticated approach:
The audiences who attend today's shows have become more sophisticated and business-like in their approach to the medium. They expect good design, graphics and educational materials. The competitive pressures at play today have raised the stakes to a level where exhibitors can no longer be indifferent about their approach to this three dimensional medium.
Robert George is Senior Vice-President of Lange Transportation & Storage Ltd. and a private, professional trade show management and marketing consultant to a wide range of associations, convention centres and corporations from small companies to members of the Fortune 500.
