Sometimes, we need to miss something to truly appreciate its value. And, after the pandemic forced us to sit through years of remote trade shows, isolated in our home offices and living rooms, watching low-res Zoom broadcasts of talks and Powerpoint presentations, no one should ever underestimate the power of a live trade show again.
If all you’re looking for is a succinct answer to the question ‘Are exhibitions worth it?’, then you can take this as a resounding yes. If you’re happy with that answer, then we recommend looking up our Event Energiser Package to learn more about how our team of exhibition and media experts can turbocharge your expo experience.
However, if you’d like to know more about why a trip to a trade show is worth it, whether you’re just visiting or looking to exhibit, then keep reading.
Why visit exhibitions?
In a word: Inspiration. As useful as it can be to be able to stream talks and events live from anywhere in the world, there really is no substitute for being there live and in person. It’s no surprise that a study by Freeman showed that just 1% of people prefer virtual events over other options – the COVID-enforced absence of live exhibitions has made all our hearts grow fonder of them. That’s why the exhibitions industry has bounced back incredibly strongly post-pandemic.
Even if you don’t meet a new supplier or make any purchases while you’re at an event, you’ll leave the show with an expanded network and a whole host of new ideas that you can use to improve your day-to-day business operations. That’s the sort of thing that money can’t buy.
But we think it’s when you’re exhibiting that shows really come alive. There’s never been a better time to be an exhibitor at a trade show. These are challenging times for businesses across the world in almost every sector, and key decision-makers are looking high and low for a solution that can turn those challenges into opportunities.
Not only that, but as trade shows continue on their upward trajectory, they attract increasingly influential attendees – often people who have the authority to make purchasing decisions. Using Packaging Innovations & Empack as an example, the top three job functions of attendees to that show are product development, CEOs and management, and procurement. And let’s not forget the media – journalists love trade shows, as they gather all their stories and sources under one roof. Over 80% of journalists attend trade shows to cover stories, while over three-quarters go to network and meet new sources.
How to make your trade show booth a success
The work towards building a successful event starts before the event begins. This will help you take advantage of the many opportunities an event creates, while also avoiding some of the pitfalls that can jeopardise those opportunities.
To do this, it’s important to set clear goals and expectations about what you want from the event. Are you going to promote a new innovation, to attract leads, or raise awareness of your brand? Do you have a particular KPI you want to hit, such as booking in meetings? Or are you simply attending to protect your share of voice in a competitive market?
Not only that, but you should decide how you’re going to keep track of those goals. Some exhibitions offer their own solutions (for a fee, of course), such as scanners that automatically add a visitor’s data into a CRM system when you scan their pass. It could be that you have your own process already set up, but it’s important to make sure it’s fit for purpose as it will prove crucial when you try to follow up from the event to nurture your leads.
You can use this planning process to identify key details about the attendees of the event. Most events will have lists of exhibitors and major attendees that can either be viewed on the event website or by request from the organiser. Knowing whether you will be exposed to a new or established audience will help you set realistic goals – and it will help you tailor your messaging before the event opens its doors.
Targeted messaging is crucial to building media buzz about what you’re showing off. Ideally, the event should be just one element – albeit an important on – in a wider dedicated campaign that also features press releases, thought leadership articles placed in key publications, and paid or organic social media posting. This should mean many of the attendees who walk past your stand will already recognise you, and they’ll be more receptive to your message. Equally importantly, if your offering isn’t relevant to them or their business, you won’t have to waste time introducing yourself to leads who were never going to convert anyway. Most events only last for a couple of days at the most, so it’s important that your team is using that time effectively on the stand.
You can then start putting together your stand in a way that best highlights your people, products, or services. There are countless ways to do this, whether you use signs, banners, standees, furniture, or the structure of the stand itself. The best approach can vary depending on the size and location of your stand – not to mention your budget and brand identity – but generally, you should avoid trying to overstuff your booth with your full portfolio of products and services. Pick out a few key products or services that will be most relevant to the audience at the show and focus on them. Your stand will likely be just one of hundreds at the show, and you want to make it as memorable as possible for your audience with a focused, highly tailored product offering. You can always cross-sell other elements of your portfolio after the show as you build relationships with your leads.
Energise your exhibitions
Keeping all of these plates spinning together is a skill in itself. To make sure your exhibition has the biggest impact possible, it’s always useful to have some expert help on hand.
That’s where we come in. We’ve used our expertise to develop the Event Energiser Package to help you with all of this – and more! With our help, you can maximise ROI through clear goals, performance tracking, strategically developed content, pre- and post-event media outreach, engagement with key industry players, and stand booking and design.
Most importantly, our detailed reporting system gives you all the insights you need to evaluate your performance and keep the momentum going so your next event will be even better. It isn’t the end of the story when the event closes – it’s just another step in a journey of continuous improvement.
Best of all, you can get the total package with no contract and no monthly fees, guaranteeing total flexibility without a long-term commitment (unless you decide you want one, that is).
We’re so committed to transparency and flexibility that we offer our Exhibition ROI Calculator tool free of charge, so you can decide whether it’s right for your business straight away.
Forget cutting through the noise. With the Think B2B Exhibition Energiser Package, you’re the one making the noise.
