Top Tips For Exhibiting Your Small Business

With exhibition season looming, many small businesses are looking to exhibit with little to know knowledge. Below I have compiled a list of tips for making sure your stand shines and you build those connections.

Does it look the part?

Does your stand  stand out from others? What makes people want to approach you? 

Make sure your stand is branded in your company colors, if possible with your logo too. Make sure your stand looks clean and consistent, and shows what your company does. People are more likely to come over for a chat if they know what your business does, rather than feeling silly for asking.

Prepare engaging questions

Before hand, prepare 5 different engaging questions – other than “can I help you?” – to open the door to conversation.

Product demonstrations

Don’t just leave your product on the counter and expect it to sell itself. Demonstrate your product in the most awesome way possible.

Less is more!

Do your signs have lots of writing on? Scrap them! people won’t stand there and read the whole sign but instead skim read. Make sure you stress the benefits of your product or service in big, clear lettering.

Ban mobiles!

Don’t use your mobile phone on the stand unless it is to take pictures or write down a lead’s phone number. If you are sitting on your phone you look unapproachable and rude.

Bring the right people for the job

There’s nothing worse than bringing an employee or friend that will just sit there and not even try to interact with prospects. Make sure the person you choose is outgoing and chatty, and knows the business well. This helps make everything run much smoother as you will not have to keep checking they’re doing things right and they won’t need to keep coming to you for answers.

Try to schedule a keynote

Is this exhibition offering keynotes to exhibitors? If you’re confident enough, take it up. Even if only 10 people turn up, that’s still ten people who want to listen to you in depth, and 10 new connections you can make.

Set objectives

What is it you want to achieve from exhibiting?

Write down your objectives and make them SMART, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time. Work out how you plan to achieve these goals and set an action plan for you and your employees, ie collect 30 business cards from relevant people.

Market your stand

Have you told people you will be attending? 

Tell everybody in advance, and on the day, where you will be going and join in on the events hashtags. Let other people know where to find you, exhibitions can be confusing places to navigate.

Never leave your stand unmanned

Make sure you keep somebody on your stand at all times. Even if it seems quiet, one person may want to speak to your company and if you’re not there they will go to your competitor.

Move around!

You’re not glued to your booth, get out there and meet people in the aisles. Get chatting to prospects, your competitors, anyone! If they’re interested, you can always direct them to your stand.

Use your friends!

If your friends are attending the exhibition, ask them to start around your stall and act interested. This draws the attention of other attendees

Appeal to the senses – Sight, Touch, Hearing, Smell, Taste

Whether this is offering some kind of food (after ll, everybody loves food) or letting the attendees test out the product, it is a surefire way to get people to your stand. People love to do things, and by doing something with your product they are more likely to remember it.

Always follow up with prospects

Every business card you were given, make sure you contact them. A lot of businesses think their prospects will contact them, you are wrong. Try to follow up the next day, or the same day if you can whilst your business is still fresh in their minds.