Event Planning

Here are a few pointers we believe every exhibitor should follow if they want to get the most from their event: 

• Well before the event you should start linking your letterhead, business card, newsletters, mail-outs, email signature and existing advertising with your participation in the event including the dates, venue and your stand number.
• Entice people to your stand by promising new releases, big developments and promoting incentives in all your advance publicity and promotional materials for the event. 
• During the event you will have your company looking its very best and your sales team motivated so it is an ideal time and place to make appointments with existing customers and new prospects.  Set up the meeting well in advance and plan activities such as factory visits, dinners, sightseeing, etc outside of event hours to maximise the goodwill for your business, especially to out of town attendees.
• Design the stand around your products and services rather than trying to fit products into a design and be sure to display prominently and highlight in all your promotional material your new releases.
• Plan regular demonstrations, competitions or activities that will entertain and motivate visitors to make sure they look for your stand and see your presentation ... perhaps more than once!
• Select and train your exhibition team on your expected results from the event including sales targets or dollar value ... you are there to make money!  Walk and talk through the various items featured on your stand with your staff before the opening, be specific and explain to them the product features and benefits you want to communicate to visitors.
• Ensure your stand and sales staff create a welcoming atmosphere, give them key phrases, set a dress standard and check that these are being maintained throughout your time at the event.  Also identify a policy regarding the inevitable time-wasters who will approach your stand, this will help maintain an efficient use of staff.
• Attendees are unlikely to approach or interrupt a group of strangers who obviously know each other.  Make sure your staff concentrate on welcoming people in the aisles and communicating with your visitors rather than each other.
• Visitors should be acknowledged immediately, or they will leave.  If staff are busy with a prospect when someone approaches, they should try to include them in the conversation or demonstration they are having ... this will keep them on your stand until a sales person becomes available. Of course, if staff are conversing with each other they should break off immediately.
• To get the greatest on-going benefit from your event collect as much visitor information for future promotions as you can.  Ensure this database is relevant and worthwhile by distributing a sheet of qualifying lines you want your staff to ask and make sure you rehearse them enough times so that they become second nature.
• Many purchases will be made after the event so detailed information on your outlets and how to obtain your products and services throughout New Zealand (and the world) is very important.