4 reasons why exhibiting at trade shows is a great idea

Build Relationships

For most of us, the ability to interact with a potential supplier or customer, ‘kick the tyres’ of a product, attend seminars, have one-on-one conversations, and see what the competition us up to, is still done best face-to-face.  Tradeshows give us the time to do all this on more than a superficial level.

But when you exhibit, it’s not just about making new contacts. It’s also about nurturing existing relationships and catching up with those clients and partners that are the lifeblood of your business. Any exhibitor that has been in business for more than a few years understands just how vital such shared experiences are when it comes to strengthening brand loyalty.

Boost morale

Getting out of the office/car for a day or two in a different city, where you can catch up over a bite to eat and enjoy a change from the usual 9-5 can have a massive impact on morale and productivity. Not least because, tradeshows give you a real insight into what is happening right across your industry.

Let’s face it; it is all too easy to fall into the monotony of day-to-day work. But seeing how exciting your sector is can rekindle your passion for what you do – and generate new ideas for you to take back to your business.

Generate sales

According to the experts[1]:

• 92% of tradeshow attendees come to see and learn about what’s new in products and services
• 46% of executive decision-makers made purchase decisions while attending a show
• 77% of executive decision-makers found at least one new supplier at the last show they attended
• 51% of tradeshow attendees requested that a sales representative visit their company after the show

So, when it comes to generating sales, tradeshows are hard to beat. But, when thinking about what your exhibition stand can and should do for you, you must ensure bang for buck.

Firstly, your stand should stop people in their tracks and grab their attention. No matter how good your products and services are, your attendance is unlikely to generate those all-important sales if you don’t actually talk to anyone. That’s why you should maximise your exhibition space using colour, signage and lights to draw visitors to you.

Secondly, your exhibition stand must be a catalyst for sales conversations to help get the orders flowing. As such, your stand not only has to look good, it also needs to support your business objectives and work with your people during the event. To do this, you need to align your stand with these conversations and provide a consistent visitor journey. Where suitable, you could also consider using interactive technology to help bring your stand to life, give customers another reason to engage, and experience the benefits of your product/services for themselves.

If your stand fails in one, or both of these ways, no matter how much money you spend, your stand won’t bring in the business you need. But, where you get it right, the potential is high for a strong return on investment.

Value for money

Technology is helping people to connect, regardless of where they are in the world. And, soon, VR and AR will provide remote exhibition visitors with amazing experiences that look a lot like real-life ones.

But let’s not pretend that for exhibitors, the cost of creating this experience will be cheap. Organisations will still need to invest in the creation of their stand and space. The only difference being that one actually exists as a physical structure. And, while proponents of VR might argue that, once you have created a great digital experience, it is cost-effective to reuse it over and over again, that’s certainly nothing new. Especially for those of us who have been designing and building reconfigurable, modular exhibition stands for decades!

Apex creates award-winning modular and custom-built exhibition stands that look fantastic, and are designed specifically around your objectives. Click here to find out more or give us a call today on + 44 (0)1625 429370 to discuss your requirements in more depth.

[1] https://www.sageworld.com/blog/index.php/2015/05/14/suppliers-18-powerful-statistics-on-the-value-of-exhibiting-at-tradeshows/