I think we’d all agree that online marketing tools, such as social media, are powerful tools to generate business. However, traditional marketing tools have numerous benefits too and should not be dismissed by companies!

Having a presence at an exhibition and having your own bespoke exhibition stand could be the best marketing move you do this year! Don’t take our word for it, let’s look at just a few reasons why your business should exhibit:

1. Create a lasting impression

Trade shows are used to showcase a wide variety of products or services to a large number of attendees and businesses. They offer a great opportunity to engage and interact with each other.

Therefore, it goes without saying, that a well-designed exhibition stand can draw attention to a large audience! Add a few branded items, a contest opportunity and sales collateral to your stand and you’ve got the recipe for a well-rounded exhibition stand experience that leaves an impression with prospective customers for months to come.

TOP TIP: Having a contest or prize draw has a dual purpose – it will increase engagement and also capture contact information for follow-up.

2. Incredible tool for face-to-face marketing events

People find it harder to avoid you when you’re stood in front of them! When it comes to influencing decisions or grabbing somebody’s attention nothing can compete with face-to-face interaction. Exhibitions provide opportunities to engage with current customers and attendees. Being in front of someone, whether you’re marketing a service or selling a new product, can help close a deal much quicker than using email campaigns or telesales.

TOP TIP: If you have someone in your team who is natural at making people engage or who is great at building relationships, they need to be part of the sales team on your stand. The cost of bringing them to your event could pay for itself within just hours of the show opening.

3. Increase Brand Awareness

Exhibitions are a great way to shout about your brand and stand out from the crowd. They are a powerful platform to make your brand memorable. In fact, there is no better opportunity to give your brand a sizeable boost than a trade show!

How? By having the best design stand design possible. An effective stand design is a valuable tool plus having your newest products or latest developments on display will give you the opportunity to establish your brand as an industry leader.

TOP TIP: Design an exhibition stand that will attract the right sort of attention as it only takes a single exhibition to fast-forward your brand to an established industry leader. If you want some help, Exhibit Group are forward-thinking sought-after suppliers for bespoke stand designs. Contact us today!

4. Great lead generation

Lead generation is one of the biggest benefits of attending an exhibition especially at bigger shows which have massive followings and attendance. Every attendee at the exhibition is a potential lead that you could capture.  With so many ways to capture a visitor’s information, from devices such as zappers, iPad Apps, business cards and more, exhibitions are a great way to grow your contact list and gain some fresh leads for your sales pipeline.

TOP TIP: Contact information is a great way to remain on people’s radar for months after the event as you can send general follow-ups (e.g. email campaigns or phone calls) to keep your brand fresh in people’s minds.

5. Cost Effective networking and advertising

Exhibitions may seem very expensive but if done properly can be a really effective marketing tool. The potential that a trade show offers your business can far exceed the investment as the cost to convert a prospect into a sale is often much lower than another alternative such as a magazine advert.

TOP TIP: When designing your stand think about what aspects you can reuse to make the cost cheaper next time.

6. Levelling out the Marketing Field

This benefit excites us, as it doesn’t matter what size business you are you’ve all got a fighting chance to make sales. From a locally owned SME business to a multinational corporation, everyone has access to the same attendees. All businesses will pay for a space, build an exhibition stand, promote in the lead-up and interact with the audience at the show but it will be how they interact with the attendees that will lead to a sale. A small start-up is just as likely to generate a large number of sales and leads from an exhibition as the big corporate brands.

Combining exposure to a large number of relevant leads with the personal experience is an experience for attendees and businesses that only exhibitions can provide – no other marketing tool comes close.

TOP TIP: Try and get the best footfall stand that your budget will allow. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the biggest it just needs to be in the right location!

7. Check out the competition and learn about new opportunities in your industry

Having a presence at an exhibition which is a major industry event puts your business at the centre of the action. It gives you the opportunity to observe your competitors to see how they differ and what is working for them. It also is a platform that many businesses use to announce and display their latest innovations and developments – especially developments which will have a major impact on your industry.

If you don’t know what you’re up against, your business is instantly disadvantaged so exhibitions are a great way to conduct research to better position yourselves against other businesses. After all, doesn’t the saying go, “…keep your customers close but your competitors even closer…”.

TOP TIP: Don’t miss out on any opportunities – invite sales staff to man the stand whilst your technical staff attend presentations to hear about the latest news, technologies and industry trends. Give yourself the best chance to stay ahead and understand what else is going on in your industry.

8. Showcase your newest Products

Exhibitions are one of the best platforms to feature your latest products. Customers love a hands-on demonstration of an innovative product – nothing beats it! A perfect example of this is when we recently attended the VM and Display Show 2018 (#VMDS2018) and had a piece of our cardboard engineering on the stand. We got so many questions about its strength and durability and the best way for us to demonstrate this was to let people sit on the cardboard chair.

Most exhibitions have a specific market, industry or interest they focus on. Exhibiting at popular shows within your industry will expose your product or service to an interested audience that are ready to buy. Have opportunities to generate sales on your stand so that you don’t miss out!

9. Network with new companies that can help your business

An exhibition is a great way to expand your supply chain as well as your sales. So, while your sales and marketing team focus on connecting with potential leads, your purchasing manager (or equivalent in your company) can connect with new contractors or suppliers that can help your business grow.

10. Interaction with Top Level Executives

Exhibitions attract industry leaders and executives who have the power and can make the decisions. Participating in just a few trade shows can attract the right audience and drastically improve your business prospects.

Deciding to do an exhibition or event doesn’t need to be stressful or time-consuming, we can help with the preparation from designing to building to packing it away, Exhibit Group will support you every step of the way. We are able to offer all services in-house to avoid you having to juggle multiple suppliers and worrying about meeting your deadline. From bespoke stand designs to high-quality graphics, or furniture hire to personalised upholstering, we’ve got it all on offer.

If you would like any further support or advise, please do not hesitate to contact the team here.