That’ll Never Work!

Screenwriter William Goldman is probably more famous for a throwaway comment than for any of his fine work for Hollywood. The comment? “Nobody knows anything.”

Admittedly he was speaking specifically about Hollywood, but the same saying could be apppled to almost any industry – including the exhibition business.

So my assertion is that nobody can say what will definitely work on your stand and what won’t. What we can say is that some things very probably will not work and some probably will.

For example: prize draws, serving coffee/drinks, giveaways, tables/chairs/settees and your top salespeople, very probably will not work.

Whereas: a definite target, an intriguing strap line, a planned process for dealing with visitors, no literature and daily debriefs, probably will work.

Let’s look more closely at some of these ideas:

Prize draws. You’ve no doubt seen these. A goldfish bowl or similar container stands proudly near the front of the stand. Next to it are the words, “Drop your business in here for a chance to win a bottle of champagne/iPad/MP3 player/golf lesson. So what happens? A lot of people like me (people who have no interest in your products or services) drop their business cards in in the hope of winning the prize. You take these ‘leads’ back to the office and divide them up among your sales team. Those with experience drop them straight in the bin. Those wothout spend frustrating hours trying to sell to a bunch of non-prospects. You assess the results of the show and conclude that exhibitions do not work.

Salespeople. Your top salesperson is a disaster at a trade show. Why? Because (s)he knows too much about your products or services and (s)he is too eager to talk about them. Sure, there may be a few sales made – but how many hot prospects have strolled by while your team is busy talking? The essence of a trade show is to get as many qualified leads as possible, and to clinch the sales later.

No literature. Give a prospect your literature and you reduce the chances of a successful follow-up call dramatically. The prospect now thinks they have all the information they need. A few days after the show, you call to be told, “I’ve got your literature; I’ll call you if I need anything.” CLICK. Or, worse, “I haven’t had time to read your literature yet, give me a call in a couple of weeks.” Two weeks later, you call to hear, “Who? What show?”

And so it goes on. I can justify all my points – and may well do so in future articles. Meantime, my advice is not to do what everyone else is doing; mostly they are doing it wrong! Think about what you would like to experience when you go to an exhibition – and give your visitors that!…

Trade Show Magician – Draw Traffic to Your Exhibition Stand

I work as a trade show magician for companies from a broad range of business sectors, such as banking, technology and food & drink. I have found that performing magic at trade shows can be a fun and cost-effective way for companies to achieve their objectives.

Hiring a magician to entertain on your exhibition stand brings a range of benefits:

Draw traffic to your exhibition stand

A magician is a great way to draw people out of the aisles and towards your stand. Magic provides eye-catching and interactive entertainment, making it the perfect way to create awareness. And as soon as a few people stop to watch some magic tricks, the curiosity of passers-by grows, and you rapidly have a crowd gathered around your exhibition stand.

Delivering your key sales messages

A trade show magician can incorporate your key sales messages into an engaging presentation. By combining amazing magic tricks with a script that conveys your business messages, you can talk to your target audience in an engaging and informative way. For example, the magician might perform a feat of mind reading to emphasise how in-tune a company is with its clients. This could be an entertaining and memorable way of illustrating that the company knows and understands what clients are thinking, and is therefore able to meet their needs.

Use a magician to qualify business leads

A magician can also qualify leads for you, helping to identify the people you most want to do business with. Magic is a very interactive form of entertainment, which means the magician can find out information about members of the audience while performing, helping your sales team to identify the strongest business prospects.

A memorable way to hand out giveaways and branded merchandise

A magician can incorporate branded merchandise into magic tricks, making giveaways more appealing and enhancing a company’s visibility. I performed at a trade show where the client wanted to give out branded playing cards. By entertaining audiences with some card tricks, people were then very eager to take away a pack of the branded cards, enhancing brand awareness.

Great entertainment for your clients

Over the course of a trade show, you will likely be holding meetings with several of your clients. After the meeting, you can have the client go to your trade show stand to see some great entertainment. This can also be helpful if your meetings are overrunning. Have your clients visit your trade show stand, and they can see a magic show while they are waiting. Brief the magician about special clients who are visiting your exhibition stand, and they can ensure that they are treated to a fun and memorable experience.

Trade show magic – packs small, plays big

Space is often limited on an exhibition stand, which makes trade show magic ideal, because it packs small and plays big! The magician does not need to take up much space on your stand, often a small table is all that is required. However, they can provide informative entertainment that appeals to a very wide audience, and will help you to draw traffic to your trade show stand.…

A Custom Exhibition Stand Can Be Used in Many Places

In general terms, a custom exhibition stand can contribute a great deal towards advancing the visibility and to enhancing the brand image of an organisation. So where would you use it? Why, at trade fairs, of course, as well as for presentations of your products. You can even use them in the lobby of a hotel, in a mall or large department store, and even at a sports event or university campus.

So the potential is obvious. Remember the distinctive look of your company stand will stay in people’s minds far better than if it were just some standard design – a designer stand has the kind of original look that people remember and if it has been carefully designed to portray your company’s image, colours and logo, that custom exhibition stand can vastly contribute to marketing your brand image. And brand image is everything. If people remember and recognise your company, they will be that much more likely to use your company’s services over that of any other provider when the time comes that they need them. It is all a question of which company comes to mind when a customer requires a service or product. If it is your company, your products, your logo, then you have a sale.

Also, there are a lot of options available when you choose to purchase a custom stand – it is not an absolute necessity that such a stand should be expensive. There are cheaper models of custom exhibition stand available that still look extremely distinctive and original. So examine the needs of your company, and choose a stand that suits not only those needs but your available budget.

You might still wonder why it should be necessary to create something so original and distinctive. Well, remember that your average customer is always exposed to a flood of advertising, from television to billboards, not to mention the leaflets and promotional items that companies hand out in such quantities these days. This tends to result in a deadening of customer sensibilities – how many times does a person ‘tune out’ commercials, for example – the very same commercials that companies pay a fortune to design and to air. So it’s only something new and unique that will actually catch a customer’s attention, and a custom exhibition stand is such a thing.

Now, there are lots of kinds of stands available, so lets take a look at a few to help you choose the one most suited to your company. A modular stand, for example, is perfect if your needs keep changing from event to event, or if you would like to create an ever changing display for your customers. A modular stands components fit together in a large number of patterns, and this is only limited by the custom design of the stand itself, so make sure you discuss your needs and ideas in detail with the creators.

You can even make the modular stand portable, if you have commitments and events to attend over widely spaced distances. And for those who have to really impress a select niche of customers, there is the elite designer custom exhibition stand, that costs a small fortune, but is truly unmatchable.…

Trade Show Exhibition Practical Hints

Life will become a whirlwind unless you properly control and manage your trade show activities, so when all around you are losing their heads, here are some practical hints to help you keep yours!

Check Trade Show management Rules and Guidelines

Practically every event has its own rules and regulations, so make sure you are familiar with them and avoid any last minute hiccups. This applies especially if you are coming up with non-standard or innovative promotional effects or strategies. For instance, if you are seeking to have entertainers or booth people canvassing attendees at the exit/entrance areas or other traffic choke points, then clear this with event management beforehand. Getting the clearance is a good idea because you can easily run afoul of event security, but even better, if you have a great idea you are likely to find event management will help you implement it.

Go Equipped: Have Back-Up Tools

Many modern booths are capable of being fitted with only the most basic of tools and equipment but, always ensure that you have a basic toolkit plus spares. Sure you can always borrow or plead poverty with neighboring exhibitors, however you should be setting your physical booth up and using this process to set yourself and booth staff up for success from a mental perspective too.

You never know when you need a screwdriver, a pair of snips to deal with an intransigent piece of panel wire or a wrench to tighten a bolt. Don’t waste time and effort – just be prepared.

Ensure You Have Power & Extension Cables

The first time you see the event space allocation may be on the day of the trade show event, but your map allocating the space may not show the power outlets you can rely on, or how far your extension cables need to run to fetch power, nor how many sockets you’ll have available. Make sure you have more than sufficient electrical extension cables and multiplier sockets to light the booth and run your appliances.

Backup the Booth

Booth display cases can be bulky and easily damaged, and while FedEx, UPS and friends tend to be pretty good at getting your kit from A-to-B, you cannot always rely on them to get it to you in one piece or on time. When that happens, you need a back-up plan or the whole event is for nothing. You can minimize the risk by carrying replacement parts and marketing collateral separately, and any constituent parts which don’t arrive on time or in good shape can be replaced or an alternative arrangement can be effected.

Just remember to think of the worst that can happen and to plan accordingly – it is a rare trade show event which is carried off without any glitches and the affair should be considered to be a practical exercise in flexible, contingency planning. One gold rule to follow is that if you have a question about the event, do not be afraid to ask – there are no stupid questions except for those which you didn’t bother to ask because you took things for granted.…

So What Do I Look For In An Exhibition Stand Contractor?

Well, here you are. You’re at the stage where you need to plan for your exhibition or event and want to partner with the right exhibition design company and contractor.

You want the entire process to be pain free and to run as smoothly as possible but you need to go through the process of checking out some exhibition design companies and exhibition contractors.

There are many companies out there all of whom will bite your arm off for your exhibition project but it is essential you do some simple due diligence to give you peace of mind.

It’s important that the company you select understands your business, understands what your goals are and also understands what you seek to achieve from your exhibition or event.

First off, they’ll ask all the right questions about your exhibition, your company and map out their understanding of the discussion. This is essential because it ensures both parties are reading from the same script.

A good exhibition contractor will give you a detailed proposal that clearly indicates all the deliverables and milestones without any hidden costs for your exhibition stand project.

When it comes down to the exhibition stand design, the exhibition company will present you with an option that best suits your needs so that it fulfills your entire brief and criteria. They should be exhibition experts and be able to provide you with a professional 3D render of your exhibition stand design. From this, you should be able to accurately see the workspace, the promotional areas, the client interaction areas and also your brand presence and visibility. From all angles, you should be able to envisage your company’s exhibition presence.

Once approved and signed off, the exhibition contractor or exhibition design company will go to the manufacturing stage of your exhibition stand and start the exhibition stand build. Some of the better exhibition contractors actually give you continuous updates and even send you work in progress photos so you have peace of mind with the full knowledge that your exhibition production is going to plan and you can see it all coming together. This of-course has additional benefits in that, you can flag any concerns or problem areas much earlier during the exhibition stand build. With your exhibition stand company, you can work to resolving any final production fine tuning before final delivery and installation.

One of the most overlooked aspects of exhibition stand building and something that many exhibition contractors overlook is attention to detail and finishing to your stand. There can be nothing worse than your seeing your fantastic stand let down by poor attention to detail and shoddy finishing which could have been addressed much earlier by the exhibition contractor.…

Different Types of Exhibition Stands

The main reasons for exhibiting at any type of exhibition is to build brand awareness and sell products or services to your potential clients and customers. You want to attract potential clients that are interested in buying or taking your services so it’s important to have an exhibition stand that is going to achieve these aims. Since large exhibitions could feature hundreds of your competitors all vying for the same attention it is important to make sure that your stand is the best at catching the eyes of the thousands of people in attendance.

One way of doing this is using exhibition stand designers to create your very own custom built exhibition stand to have something that hasn’t been seen before. As a basis, there are a wide range of shapes and styles of stands to choose from. Here are some of the most popular stand choices.

Modular

Poles and panels are combined to create an attractive and versatile display stand. Modular exhibitions stands can give you a complete exhibiting solution and you can easily change the background to display your brand or company name by adding printable display panels. Once you have sorted the graphics for your modular stand then it’s also important to choose a range of furniture that fits in with the colour and style of the rest of your stand.

Portable

If you regularly travel to advertise your products or services then large modular exhibition stands may not be the right choice for you. If you need easy portability then a specially designed advertising stand will be your best choice. With a roll up banner and a lightweight metal frame you will be able to easily transport and setup your display.

Pop up displays and banner

These kinds of stands are a good option to add to your exhibition display. If you have limited space or space that needs filling on your stand then the use of a pop up display and banner stand will fill the hole. Since they are lightweight and easy to transport you can use them at multiple exhibitions and move them around easily. If you need a cheaper display method that takes up less space yet is still effective in displaying your products then this may be the right choice.

Island

Island stands have no walls and are centrally located in a exhibition. With this type of stand you have to remember that visitors will be walking around all sides of your display so it needs to be enticing from all angles. If you have enough space then you can design some great island stands that feature screens on all sides and even build upwards so people from fair away know where to find your exhibition.

All of these stands can also be altered to create custom exhibition stands of any size and shape to create whatever kind of stand that you can imagine.…

Exhibition Stand Builders – Always Ensure That a Professional Builds Your Stand

When creating a stand at an event or any other type of a showroom, you always need professional exhibition stand builders to help you design and assemble the show place of your products. Most people try to do it themselves using the provided space by the people organizing the whole place, who usually provide with old fashion booths that in most cases fend off the visitors. Having that in mind people need to work hard on the outlook of their place and to make the best out of it so they can actually have a huge amount of people checking out their product no matter if they are interested in the actual product or they are just happy to visit a very well organized and structured show room.

Why good exhibition stand builders?

When people walk around the huge hall they are always attracted by the cool and modern looking stands and go to them no matter if it holds the special product they have decided to visit the exhibition for. Modern frames and bright colours along with non-standard shapes are few of the things that the good companies have in mind when creating the unique atmosphere that will actually get the attention of the people and will make your brand look nice and professional. Selecting the proper company to do it has more than fifty percent of the success rate importance and should not be underestimated.

This is what separates the quality sellers from the average company trying to revive their business.

By getting the crowd to your place, you also make it look wanted and interesting. People who don’t even enjoy the product you sell will come to your show, made by the exhibition stand builders, to check the reason for all the people to be there. That is good also for attracting people who have lost themselves and are looking for your product among all other sellers. The companies that invest in such a way of advertisement have a huge benefit of new clients and improved sales record at the end of the time. After all, if you want to go present your product to the public, you need to make it shine and to be remembered by all the people who see it. That is the way of imposing your brand over the market even when you compete with other sellers with better quality products or even better ideas.

It is the advertisement that sells, no matter what the product is or if it is competitive to all the others on the market. The return of the investment is seen right at the end of the event and could please everyone. Select the best option you desire from the offers you can see and make sure they have quick shipment and easy to assemble products.

Most of the companies provide that for free, along with the package of the creation of the stand. Selecting good exhibition stand builders to create your image on the exhibition is the most important thing to do and is worth investing in.…

How to Reduce the Cost of Exhibiting

Are you looking for a more affordable option than custom built exhibition stands? Do you need some new and exciting ideas for your next exhibition? Are you new to exhibiting, and looking for a place to start to make your show a success?

One way to reduce costs is to look for exhibition stand solutions that look bespoke, but have the price tag and quick turnaround of a simple modular exhibition kit. With the difficult economic climate and continuing pressure on already squeezed budgets, the primary concern today is practicality and affordability.

Choose a company that are specialists in taking stock modular display systems and transforming them to create practical, portable displays. Design ideas can be altered to suit your space at your next exhibition. They can be reconfigured to suit your specific needs for each show you attend.

Exhibition stand design companies will have taken into consideration the cost effectiveness of the stand, the portability and ease of use for customers and the ability for it to be adapted to your ongoing needs. These design ideas can be bespoke and can include a range of equipment and accessories essential for successful exhibiting today. These include multimedia screens, literature stands, portable furniture and counters.

Switching from expensive custom built stands to modular systems, is not only is a more economical solution to exhibiting, but also allows for a simpler more efficient process in planning your next exhibition. This allows you to spend more time on preparing for the show and makes the process of planning your next trade event easier knowing your exhibition stand can be reused and simply reconfigured. This is down to the simple way that dynamic designs from off the shelf systems can be customised to a portable display that suits you.

Benefits of modular displays

· More economical solution to exhibiting

· Quicker turnaround time

· Greater flexibility for future exhibitions

· Customised to your exact needs

POD Exhibition Systems are experienced in creating modular exhibition stands that suit the exact needs of our clients. Find out how our exhibition design solutions along with your ideas can be used to create your next exhibition stand.…

Reasons To Use A Bar Hire

When you want to have a party you will notice that you probably will have quite a few friends over. However, those friends that come over could easily get rowdy and that could lead to some of your items being destroyed. That is when you should know about the reasons to use a bar hire. Once you know about these reasons you will quickly see that this is going to be the only way that you have a party anymore.

One reason that you should use these is they will commonly have an exhibition furniture hire company that you can use for the furniture. Since they have this type of company that you can use for the furniture you will not have to worry about your personal items being destroyed, but instead will see that the furniture that will be used is going to belong to this company and they will probably have additional insurance available to cover these damages.

If that company does not have the proper furniture for your party crowd then you will probably find that it is going to be possible to find an event furniture hire company. Using these companies you may notice that they are going to require more furniture usage at once, but they will typically be able to offer you all that you need to have and possibly in the pattern that you need to have it in as well.

Being able to host a party is a wonderful thing to do for a wide variety of reasons. However, what you may not realize is that you may need to use a bar hire company to ensure that all of your items survive the party intact. Then you will not have to worry about upsetting your friends by telling them they cannot do something all the time.…