Everything You Need To Do To Make Your Mark At A Trade Fair

Attending a trade fair is a big event for any business, especially a fairly new and up-and-coming one. It gives the company a chance to make its name and brand known within the industry. As well as being good for visibility, these fairs are a fantastic opportunity to do some networking and meet the other professionals who work in your sector. You never know who you might meet, and there is usually a good mix of both business owners and investors at trade fairs.
You just need to make sure that you make your mark at any fair so that everyone who you meet will remember your company’s name in a day or two. If they do remember you, they will be a lot more likely to get back in touch with you about some work opportunities.
Making your mark at a trade fair doesn’t have to be too difficult. In fact, if you follow these next few tips, you should find that you can make a huge success of it!
Don’t Go For The Obvious Trade Show
First of all, it’s a good strategy not to go for the most obvious trade show in your local area. Even though you might be keen to exhibit your company at the biggest show that is local to you, it could actually be better to go for one that is a little bit more offbeat. If the people who will be attending are ever so slightly different to your usual target market, you will be opening your company up to a whole different audience. And some of these people who are only just hearing about your business for the first time might be very interested in what you are doing. You just need to make sure that there are some similarities between them and your usual target market or else you might be trying to sell your business to people who are never going to be interested, no matter how hard you might pitch to them.
Get The Professionals To Design Your Stand For You
You will need to create a bright and original stand so that it attracts the attention of all who pass by. You can have a go at doing this yourself but it really needs to look professional. The better option is to hire a design team to create a fantastic stand for you. There are lots of companies who specialize in creating trade fair stands for businesses, so you might want to get in touch with them. Just make sure that it is bright enough to stand out from all the rest that will be there while still reflecting your company’s branding.
Build Up A Fuss Before The Big Day
It’s always good to create a little excitement in business. You can try to build this up on the day of the trade show, but you will find that it is more advantageous to start creating a buzz before you even get there. For a week or two before the show, you should start tweeting about it to make sure that all your followers will know that you will be attending. You might even want to email your existing clients to let them know about your plans to attend. Hopefully, word of mouth will soon spread and you will be the big business that everyone wants to see!
Put Your Branding On Everything
Make sure that your branding is on everything you take with you to the trade show. The more people see of it, the more it will stick in their minds. So, ensure at the very least that your brand’s colors are used in the overall design of your stand. Your company’s logo and branding should also be very clear on any freebies and merchandise that you give away to people who check out your stand. If you are giving out refreshments, be sure to add your logo to printed paper cups as well. You can never have too much brand showing at a trade fair!
Take A Team Of Employees With You
There is a lot to do at a trade fair. Sure, from the outside it looks like you will only have to schmooze the people who you introduce yourself to, but quite a few first-time business owners underestimate how much hard work that can be. It’s really worth taking a small team of employees with you. That way, you can take it in turns to be out with all the visitors to your stand. It also means that you won’t be the only point of contact for your business at the trade fair. Plus, you will always have someone to go and send out for coffees!
Have A Walk Around The Other Stands For Yourself
You might think that you will be better off sticking at your stand and meeting the people who come up to see you. However, it can also be beneficial to have a little wander around the rest of the fair yourself. You’ll see everyone else’s stands and might get some great inspiration for your own for the coming year. It will also give you the chance to make sure that you’ve met everyone at the fair, even the other business owners who are there with their stands.
Always Follow Up The Next Day
You will no doubt receive a lot of business cards at the trade fair. Even if someone doesn’t hand you their card, they might still expect you to get in touch with them. It’s really important that you try to remember to follow up with everyone who you do meet at the trade fair. After all, the majority of sales are made in the follow-up call or email so, as you can see, it will certainly be worth the extra time making sure you reach out to everyone else again.
Trade fairs are great ways for business owners to get out there and show off their company to its full potential. These tips will help you do just that!