Exhibiting at ExhibitorLive really gives you the opportunity to let loose all your most creative skills to promote and exhibit your products and services to an audience that is receptive and excited about new stuff!
But, as you prepare during the show countdown, it’s really odd, because you get the same feelings that our normal clients must get when they prepare for their shows, where your default setting is just to turn up and put on a good show and everyone will be happy!
You quickly snap yourself out of that mode though, because, for us, this is the one show that really delivers the right audience. In fact, it’s a tonic, because those investing in attending the conference sessions as part of the whole CTSM training program, are those who are really ready to absorb new ideas and put them into practice.
And that’s unique for us. There are many ‘Event Tech’ shows around the world that we’ve tried, but they all seem to obsess on coming up with the latest and greatest technology for Event Organisers to use, and have scant regard for the needs of the companies exhibiting at these hugely expensive shows – and of course, these are the guys who are paying for it all!
So, this will be our fourth year exhibiting at ExhibitorLive, and the first thing to consider is your booth presence.
There are some absolutely stunning booth designs produced by the exhibiting exhibition contractors; and so they should be, but this means that, even without those budgets, it’s still extremely important to come up with something that looks really fresh and professional. As this is our main show, it made sense for us to work with a local Vegas contractor, Steelhead, who have taken our clean Zuant branding and come up with a fresh look which always gets compliments – if you plan on exhibiting regularly at the show, then we feel it’s important to keep the same design, albeit with a few subtle improvements each year, so that people start to recognise who you are at the show.
This then is our checklist for success, focusing on a few things to do really well to create impact:
1. Six months out, decide who you’re talking to on your CRM database and split them into existing clients and prospects so that they can be targeted with versions of a regular countdown sequence, at least three months prior, to make sure that they come and see you if they are attending.
Even if they’re not, we’ve found it really helpful to build the excitement anyway and ensure that people can click through to a web form to make contact with you even if they’re not attending the show – it makes the show a catalyst for your whole audience, so that they don’t feel left out.
2. As we are selling an enterprise wide system, at a particularly busy time of year, we offer a 20% signup discount which must be taken up until six weeks after the show. This is really important to keep the sales momentum running, and keep your brand top of mind to avoid decision-making drift!
3. Each of the orders we receive is a significant investment for our clients, and therefore we make sure that we have some really upscale giveaways for people that take the trouble to come and see us.
4. And we always run a prize draw using our Zuant Pick a Winner system halfway through the last day of the exhibition. This makes sure that you get a good buzz around your booth and the chance to reconnect with people you’ve seen already.
5. And in this eco-world – make sure your ‘bag for life’ with your goodies and brochures is something that your prospects will not only walk around the show with (complete with dramatic branding to wind up your competitors), but also will take it home to reinforce the message when out and about to their local 7/11!
6. Last, and certainly not least, the most important thing is to have a product like Zuant to capture leads and comprehensive notes, so that the show actually just becomes another part of the customer relationship journey, and your sales team are fully equipped with all the information they need to follow up and close those sales.
Happy promoting!
