Exhibiting your business at a trade of business show is a great way to get found and remembered, as well as meeting new people and connecting with existing networking associates. Exhibitions are a really fun and popular way for businesses to market themselves and of course get in front of the right people.
Although you’re in the right place, you’re competing for attention against plenty of other stands, so just turning up to a show isn’t enough. Events are becoming more multi-media orientated and aside from the printing side (which we’ll cover next) you’ll need to have a good handle on the online side, with social media and exhibitor websites offering you more opportunities to stand out.
Planning is essential and although we’re known for being able to complete last minute orders you’d do well to plan your exhibiting thoroughly and in advance. You should think about the stand, the angle you’re going with, and what you’re going to do before the show, during the show, and of course afterwards with all those lovely leads you’ll pick up.
Yup, it’s all about planning. It’s worth it in the long run as you’ll be able to create something far more memorable than a last minute thrown together stand.
We thought you might find this list of must-haves interesting. Use it like a shopping list, not a tick sheet. You don’t have to have all of these, but a good mix is encouraged.
Make sure it’s all congruent and branded throughout which will help you make a really great impression with your brand in many places .
So here’s our go-to list, with a few favourites thrown in for good measure.
Business cards
Let’s start small and obvious. You’ll need the time-honoured card with your details on and you’ll hopefully need lots of them. With all the other collateral you have, the business card is still seen as a must-have for business conversations and many will want to swap cards with you. You may even go speed networking while you’re exhibiting in which case you’ll need even more.
Make sure you take plenty of cards and also consider where you’ll put the cards from those you collect from. Don’t just shove them in your back pocket and remember them when you sit on them after the show. Stand up card holders are available and make it clear that passers-by are welcome to grab your card, so these could be a worthwhile (cheap) investment.
Leaflets
At most shows now they give out a branded bag (more on those later) to all exhibitors. Most of those bags have sponsored content inside them along with a show guide.
Having your own leaflets could work in many ways.
Leaflets are a great handout, particularly when you’ve already spoken to someone visiting your stand. Giving them something that relates to your stand or the angle of your conversations on the stand is a good idea. Perhaps you have a ‘show only offer’ or a discount people could have when they buy from you. Make sure this is clear on your leaflet. Making the whole stand joined up makes a lot of sense (to you and your visitors).
Leaflet dispensers
Nice and simple, this one. Have somewhere suitable to display your leaflets. Over the day, leaflets can start to look messy and disorganised. A simple dispenser can really help you and your stand by neatly displaying your leaflets and giving you somewhere to display them prominently for the passers-by. Make sure you buy the right size and shape dispenser – landscape or portrait will make a difference. These dispensers from UK POS are inexpensive and will keep you looking professional.
Brochures
A great talking point or a focus of a conversation on a stand is a brochure. You don’t even have to have a list of products to have a brochure either. If you’re 100% service-based, you can still list your services in a brochure.
The tip here is to keep the content short and snappy and try not to cram your entire business into the brochure if you can help it. It’s a conversation starter and an overview at best. Send them to your website for more information – or better still, arrange to give them a call or send them an email when they’ve read your brochure.
Note pads
Everyone loves the freebies at an exhibition and making them quirky is cool, but useful usually wins the day. Note pads are great and will be used by anyone who picks them up. Add your brand to them with your contact details on and you have more chances to secure an order or capture their attention! Some businesses are opting for quirkier designs or things like ‘to do’ list pads with logos on, to make sure the freebies are extra helpful and more likely to be used every day.
Calendars
Calendars are a good shout too – particularly if you have some nice imagery you can use. Branded up with maybe some tips or useful information from you on them, calendars can sit on the desks of your customers and anyone who comes to your stand. Yes we all have phones with calendars on but sometimes it’s really handy to count weeks etc. and check dates visually without scrolling on a screen.
The usefulness of a calendar is dependent on the time of year of course. Late or early in the year is going to work better for this one.
Name badges (with branded lanyards)
If you’re sponsoring or running an event then branding the lanyards and badges is a high exposure piece of marketing and well worth the effort. The badges will be seen all day, by everyone. At the end of the day, the lanyards will be taken home, taken off and your brand is there again. We’d encourage you to let the delegates take them home, too – the ‘left on the kitchen table’ effect when the delegates arrive home is very powerful.
Printed bags
Mentioned a few times earlier, printed bags can be a great asset for your stand. You don’t have to be lead sponsor to hand them out from your stand with freebies inside them, do you? Bags are always a welcome freebie at an event and re-usable ones even more so in this plastic-conscious world. If your budget can stretch to canvas bags these will be used over and over again, and you never know where they’ll end up.
Why not build a bag gift with some of these freebies in:
Bags look very professional but please leave a good lead time for these. You’ll need to consider what type of bag would work best for you and your event, and what material they’ll be made from. It’s all down to planning and bags do tend to take a little longer to create and print.
Flags
Really want to stand out? Go high and flap around. No, not you – your stand! Flags are a great piece of marketing that you’ll be able to place next to your stand to attract the attention of passers-by.
Flags are a really great way to attract delegates to you and can be a good talking point. Keep them simple, maybe with one word or tagline on them – and on-brand of course.
Roller banners
If you’re exhibiting them you’ll need to make that space or box your own and a roller banner is a tried and tested way to do this. Don’t leave it too late and keep the design simple. Add a few services and even consider having a roller banner or two for exhibitions only to reflect the different environment and thus conversations that you’ll have.
Remember that if you’re standing in front of your banner people won’t be able to read all the text, so stick to as few words as possible and be succinct.
Consider these for ideas on your design:
Exhibition pop up stands
Going bigger? A pop up stand is the way to go and most exhibitions will accept these even if they charge you a little more. A good curved stand adds more branding, more style and more impact and to be honest, it’s more professional-looking than a couple of roller banners near a trestle table.
Creating impact with a huge backdrop is easy with a pop up stand. Again, go simple on the design and resist the temptation to list everything you do. It’s merely some on-brand wall paper with maybe a simple message to attract passers-by!
More on exhibition stands here.
Branded counters
Your pop up can come with a printed graphic to wrap around the carry case that stores the stand in. The carry case then doubles up as a desk and gives you somewhere to create a little talking point with your visitors or to put your freebies on.
Or you could even add a larger 2×2 meter branded counter for great impact and more workspace for your conversations and collateral.
Some exhibitors will put branded cakes on them, pens, note pads, or any of the ideas from above.
We love the three-dimensional impact!
More on branded counters here.
Pop up towers
For even more 3D, why not think about a pop-up tower for your stand? One of our pop-up towers is near 3 meters tall and can add some real drama to your exhibition stand. Just as we’ve mentioned with all the banners, keep the message simple and impactful. Aim to engage and attract as you don’t want to confuse people passing by or they simply won’t stop to chat.
Exhibiting is great fun and great for business…
Get your exhibiting right and you’ll attract a lot of attention and people will remember you long after the show. Create conversations, send them away with a freebie, and follow-up with them quickly and you’ll soon get some good business from exhibiting.
Sponsoring an even can pay dividends if you play it well but making a big impact on your stand is entirely possible with some branded gear and an impactful stand.
If you need to discuss your stand and requirements, please do give us a call on 01926 332969 or email sales@rprint.co.uk – we’re full of ideas and can’t wait to help you out.