EXHIBITIPS - OCTOBER 2009

Visitors’ biggest secrets - REVEALED for the first time!

Have you considered what your clients want? Your biggest opportunity could be a different approach that comes from the other person’s side - "walk in the shoes of your clients". It's one of my favourite sayings.

So what are visitors to exhibitions looking for? For that matter, in your market segment, what are your clients looking for? Have you ever thought about it from their side? It’s quite a novel approach!

This month I reviewed a broad range of event exit research reports from visitors. I cross-checked this against a list of comparative overseas visitor reports to develop my top reasons why visitors attend and what they are looking for at an exhibition.

It will vary in priority as some shows are very specialised, but as a rule of thumb the list is consistent across both consumer and trade shows. Here is my list of visitor reasons for attending a show:

•    See new products, equipment, technology and services - seems an obvious one - but are you communicating in advance so visitors know you and your products will be at an event? How will your product stand out? If you don't have a new product, how do you make your key focus range stand out? You don't necessarily need a new product to create a successful show experience, but you always need a focus and great display.
•    Keep up-to-date with industry trends/ Training and attend seminars. Can you present seminars or talks that give information to inform customers? What extra things can you do to promote yourself? If you have an expert or topic that the industry can benefit from it is a great way to make your company stand out from the crowd.
•    Save time and money/Buy - how can you value add to your product without discounting? Create the perception of special show rates – a call to action to buy now. It could be immediate or in a set period of time after the event.
•    See the total offering in one place & time - exhibitions have great drawing power. The visitor can review the total show offering, which means they will look around before buying. It’s one of the patterns I have noticed this year, so work out what you can do to ensure they come back to you. It could be a free gift that highlights where your stand is, reminding them to come back. If it’s a trade show, make a time for them to come back. (Get their mobile number so you can sms a reminder just before the meeting time. This communication shows you care, are thinking about them, and have a professional attitude).
•    Network & build relationships/See & be seen - people love to belong to a "tribe", and a large part of an industry event is circulating with like-minded people.
•    Get expert advice & see product demonstrations - what better way to get all your answers at one time and use the collective talent pool of the industry? What can you incorporate to tap into this? How can you make your stand space more interactive?
•    Meet senior management & other staff - for some visitors it‘s the only opportunity they get to meet your senior staff face-to-face. Schedule non-sales staff to meet and greet, they can then pass visitors/buyers on to the sales team.
•    Acquire new ideas - this isn't the same as seeing new products! Present your existing products in new ways of use that is outside normal ways of thinking.

With a little reverse planning and thinking it’s not hard to look at how you fit into the visitors view. Keep the list above at the back of your mind as these ideas apply to virtually all exhibitions and only vary between a trade and consumer show. Depending on the rankings, you will find it’s what you prioritise for your company’s needs that change the order. Here are some thoughts for you to consider.

An interesting fact is that during tough economic times visitors value exhibitions more and a higher level decision maker attends. This year we have witnessed this trend. In general the visitor to an exhibition is empowered to buy or make the influencing decision, and is spending more time on the floor as a whole.

We are also seeing an increase in visitors who haven’t been to a show before or haven’t been for some years. This is a real opportunity for exhibitors to tap into.

Remember, an exhibition is live and ideal for stimulating enthusiasm, changing perceptions and driving new expenditure.

Stop and look at it from a visitors’ perspective. Establish what you can do to make visitors want to do business with you - how they can relate to you.

THANK YOU to everyone who emailed me last month. It seems the last newsletter set a lot of people thinking. I really appreciate the time you have taken to email me with your feedback and positive support for this monthly newsletter.
I hope I continue to give you food for thought that ultimately leads to better business :)

Regards,

Gary Fitz-Roy