Updated: March 27, 2021

Sooner or later, in every company’s life comes the moment where they must break out of their shell, spread their wings and present their product at a trade fair. It doesn’t matter if you’re manufacturing wine caps or developing the next big mobile app, as chances are there will be an expo just for you, one filled to the brim with like-minded people. The benefits are numerous: plenty of exposure to clients, businesses deals done straight in the convention centre, learning from companies in your industry, presenting your products and services to a broader audience etc. Showcasing at an expo is an obvious choice, but it can also be rather scary, especially for first-time exhibitors. Thanks to our many years of experience in the trade fair field, we can give you a few pointers on how to properly prepare for the show, so everything will go smoothly.

Remember to Check Out the Current COVID Rules

Due to the unfortunate global situation, many expo organisers are forced to make changes in the way the fairs are held. Many shows have strict policies regarding the permitted number of participants and the layout of the booths. Before Rushing into action, check what is required from you as an exhibitor. It might be more budget-friendly to skip the current event to keep your team safe and your expenses low. If you decide to attend the chosen expo, remember to supply your staff with enough face masks and disinfectant - they will need them.

Another thing you should consider is the cancellation policy of both the expo and your travel bookings. You never know what can happen, and you don’t want to lose money or get into some kind of blacklist of unloyal customers. Research the rules regarding your flight and business accommodation. A good solution is to use a licenced service provider that will ensure the safety of your funds. Fair Point has developed a specialised COVID policy that regulates the way cancellations and refunds are handled during the pandemic. Search for similar information about your chosen service company, or just send us a query.

Promote Your Participation in Advance

You have taken the first and most important step – you officially signed up as an exhibitor at an expo! Usually, this happens between a year and 7-8 months before a trade fair takes place. You would be forgiven for assuming it is far too early to promote, as clients have short memories and no one will remember some event you will be at next year, right? Well, not exactly. While it is true that private clients don’t think that far ahead, business buyers arrange their visit roughly around the same time you do. They tend to buy tickets and arrange accommodations as early as possible. By promoting in advance, you are already placing yourself in the mind of any business that might want to work with you.

Ideally, you should have more than one marketing campaign (including social media, e-mail, etc.). The first, as mentioned, should be as soon as you confirm your participation. The second – about 2-3 months beforehand, to remind your potential clients and partners of last-minute bookings. Finally, the last one should take place a few days before the expo. It is not so much to attract new interest, but rather to remind those you reached in the previous campaigns that you will actually be there.

Budget, Budget, Budget!

Great, you have started your ad campaign! Now it is time to begin ordering stand materials, bring the whole company over, maybe a couple of dozen products just in case… And look at that, you have bankrupted yourself before you have even left. The very first thing, before you spend any money at all, is to set a realistic budget for your expo visit. That budget must include everything – materials, travel (both with a plane and city transport/rent a car), accommodation, food for your staff, paid ads, etc. It is hard to estimate how expensive a trade expo can be, since obviously exhibiting in the same town as the office will be far cheaper than flying to a foreign city. So do your research and try to determine the exact budget that you need. If it is too big, consider whether cutting costs will be of any use to you. Will you need to compromise on a stand or events, and if so, will the less impressive options be enough to garner interest and justify the cost of the full exhibit? Is there a cheaper event that you can attend with a similar theme? Will it be beneficial for you to participate in it? Sometimes the best option is to not attend at all and instead invest in other forms of marketing. Hopefully, it won't come to that, but you definitely need to consider the cost of attending vs the benefit it will bring you before you spend even a cent.

Find the Best Stand and Display Options

Once you have a clear budget, you can start planning what sort of display and booth to rent. There are many options when it comes to size and location depending on the expo, you wish to attend. If you are looking for a simple solution, a small inline stand or a pop-up display will be ideal for you. However, for those of you with a deep pocket and a large budget, we recommend getting a stunning island booth. Since it can get a bit confusing with so many types of displays and stands, you will need a simple guide to check what is what. Check out this valuable source explaining the difference between booth layouts, size and display configuration. It will help you find the ideal way to present your products or services at the upcoming trade fair.

Group Booking for Hotels Is Your Best Friend

When the average corporate traveller books hotels, they tend to just look up a place near the expo, pay whatever the front page says and then leave it at that. It works when a single business representative is visiting a trade fair. But if you’re exhibiting alongside half your company, that approach can eat up your budget just on the hotels. Instead, business accommodation companies offer group booking – a service which gives you a discount when you book several hotel rooms in one go. So if you want to exhibit with 5 people, getting two double and one single room will be far cheaper with a group booking than doing it the traditional way. You are getting the exact same services. All that’s different is the money you pay at the end. When you make a group booking through a business accommodation service provider, the company is likelier to negotiate a discount for you which the hotel wouldn’t be inclined to give otherwise.

Print Out as Many Marketing Materials as You Can – and Then Print More

The average guest will browse dozens, likely hundreds of different exhibits while they’re there. It is guaranteed they will NOT remember you – so you need to give them a memento. That could be a business card with your name and contact info, a brochure with your products/services (and maybe a unique promo code they can use for a discount), anything that will leave a mark to remind them they were interested in you. And while a physical trace works best, you can also settle for digital, especially if your budget for the expo is limited. For example, you could have a QR code printed on the side of your booth that leads to a PDF brochure and a discount code. You can even set the QR symbol to expire after a while so that only those present at the expo can view that particular brochure and take advantage of the code. Whatever approach you take, do your best to have as many ways to leave an impression on the guests as possible. In some cases, just one or two good deals are enough to justify the whole effort put in the fair, and you can’t afford to miss them because you didn’t print enough pamphlets.

Organise Your Team in Advance

If you don’t want to look like a disorganised group of people just browsing around, you need a solid game plan. Usually, when businesses attend expos, they send at least 2 to 4 people, so all fronts can be covered. Study the hall plan and the list of other attending brands. Decide your goals and assign people that will be responsible for each one. For example, two members of your team have to be present at your booth throughout the fair to take care of the visitors. One representative can go and check out the competitors’ products and presentations and attend important business meetings. It’s all about planning, and if you do it well, you will end up with more benefits than you have expected.

There’s a lot more that goes into exhibiting than what we outlined, but hopefully, we gave you some valuable advice regarding things you may not have thought about much! Now that you are armed with this insight, your next trade fair will be memorable and successful!