Drawing people to your stand at an exhibition

An exhibition can be a great way to bring in new clients, and to network with the decision makers in your industry. However, it can also be a competitive atmosphere, and those who can’t afford the biggest stands might feel overlooked.

That’s why it’s important to have a strategy to gain the most attention for your stand, and to make sure people don’t just stroll by on the day. Here are a few things you can do to ensure your stand really stands out, and how you can make that initial contact with visitors.

Giveaways

One thing that many companies do at exhibitions, is to give away promotional gifts. These small items, embellished with your company logo, often hang around the office longer than your business card could. There are lots of reasons to use promotional gifts, and they don’t have to be expensive. In fact, it’s often the simple things such as tote bags, pens, or USB sticks that’ll be used the most. If you’re giving out promotional items, you’ll definitely attract more people to your stall looking for a freebie, and can make your business look popular and in demand.

Activities

Put yourself in the shoes of those who attend exhibitions. They often wander around a hall all day, seeing maybe hundreds of stalls, which tend to blur into each other by the end of the event. By having some activities going on, you can draw attention to yourself, here are some things you could try and include:

• Professional demonstrations of your products.
• A video screen showing your product or services in use.
• Having a game or competition running.
• Using promotional staff to draw people in.

Being approachable

It’s important in these situations to have a stand where people feel they can approach and look at what you have to offer. If you want people to come to your stand, you have to be friendly and look like you want to talk to them, otherwise they may be turned off from your business. Always have your friendliest members of staff on hand, ideally those who have worked in sales before.

Banners

If you want a sleek, professional look that’ll catch peoples’ eye, then professionally printed banners are a great way to help you stand out in a big exhibition hall. There are lots of different types of banner stand that are suitable for different needs, and it’ll often depend on how much space you have, and the kind of design that you want.

An exhibition is a chance to see lots of clients at the same time, and encourage them to find out more about your business. However, if you don’t make an effort to engage with customers, then you may not see a return on investment, so you need to ensure you have a plan in place. There’s lots of things you can do to make your stall more attractive, and this will draw in the right people, with a lot more potential connections to be made.

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