Can Your Business Connect Through Exhibitions?

Business exhibitions and trade fairs could be a key part of your marketing strategy, providing you approach them in the right way, and with the right supporting materials.

Exhibitions are a platform to showcase what your business is about, but they also provide plenty of opportunities for networking and for attracting prospects.

Do Your Research

As with so many aspects of business, preparation is essential for successful exhibiting. It is vital to do your research.

What kind of an exhibition is it, and is it in line with your business and, importantly, the kind of customers you are interested in attracting?

Next, think about different types of material you will need. Remember, you will need some kind of backdrop or banner, but also supporting material such as brochures or promotional items. More on this later.

Also, think about your people skills. What will be the way you pitch your business, and have you got it carefully prepared for maximum impact?

You want to be able to market and sell your services, but also attract interest from attendees. Think about your overall brand impression and how it can work to differentiate what you do.

Making Contact and Networking

One of the main benefits of exhibitions is having the opportunity to meet potential prospects and useful contacts face to face, with a large group of people relevant to your business gathered in one place.

However, you should also be sufficiently open-minded to engage with a diverse crowd of people. Sometimes leads and opportunities come from people and situations you would not have anticipated.

Therefore, as well as being strategically prepared, be adaptable.

Most of all, be approachable and sociable.

Analyse and Learn

It is very likely that you will see your competitors at a business exhibition. This is an opportunity to look at what they do, and to analyse and learn from them.

Do not stay fixed to your own stand, waiting for people to come to you. Circulate, observe and look at the products and services other businesses are showcasing.

What are they offering that you aren’t, and what can you do about it?

If there are seminars as part of the exhibition, attend them. Absorb all the useful information you can, and take notes. This sort of business intelligence can be a long-term benefit from attending an exhibition.

Following Up

Do not allow the exhibition to become a missed opportunity. Where you do make contacts and exchange details, be sure to follow up afterwards.

You should ensure these follow ups are timely, and relevant to your business strategy.

Supporting Material

Communications have a key role to play in business exhibitions, before, during and after the event.

You may want to put out information prior to your attendance to alert people to the event itself and that your business will be taking part. You want to maximise your potential footfall, so raising awareness through social media and other channels is a sound strategy.

During the event, as well as having display material, consider what you might wish visitors to your stand to take away with them.

This might be a brochure, catalogue or flyer, but it could also be a branded promotional item such as a mouse mat, mug or memory stick.

A prize giveaway is always a great attraction and a great way to engage delegates.

However, you should not confine printed material to what you make available on your exhibition stand. It can also work as follow-up material, if you have something more detailed to send on to the contacts you make.

In an age where there is so much emphasis on digital communications, it is easy to forget that face to face marketing and the tangibility of print media can play a vital role in winning new business.

Are You Exhibition-ready?

At Corner House Design & Print, we specialise in creative design for marketing, including exhibition material, signage, leaflets, brochures and promotional products.

For more information, please phone 0161 777 6000, or email studio@cornerhousedesign.co.uk

20 Years in Business – An Interview with the Financial Director

What was your first job?

I was an office junior for Trafford Council on a training course called YTS earning £25 per week. Us oldies will know what that stands for!

How many years have you been working in the creative industry?

36 with a career break when our children were very young.

What was your first thought when Dave wanted to establish your own design studio?

PANIC!!! We had 2 young children when we set up Corner House but I never doubted Dave’s ability and passion to set up our own business.

What’s your secret to be able to work with your husband for so long?

He’s the boss at work and I’m the boss at home. It obviously works as Dave and I celebrated our 32^nd Wedding Anniversary in July and we have worked together every day since we met ove 35 years ago.

What is your key to building a strong and trustworthy team?

Treat everybody with respect and remember we all have families and a life out of work.

Over the past 6 years you have seen the business develop into a hereditary business, what has the biggest challenge been over the past 6 years?

Not killing Alex!! You have to separate work from home life, not always easy but it has to be done.

If you could pass one piece of advice on to any business owner what would it be?

Believe in your business.

Your business survived through the worst financial crisis of our generation, was there a time that you were worried and if so what did you do to counteract it?

I always worry through good and bad!!

Over the past 20 years you have seen a huge development in technology, what do you feel is the most beneficial and what is the most frustrating?

There is no doubt that technology saves time, but you still need people to come up with creative design initially – and that can take time.

Who is your biggest influence when it comes to your determination in business?

Dave.

Since the integration of digital marketing and specifically social media being key to businesses, how do you feel you have adopted to it.

I have to confess I leave that to Alex.

Are there any people you wish to thank over the past 20 years?

I would like to thank Dave’s dad, although he is no longer with us. He helped us so much in the beginning and he also gave me the confidence to take on the accounts. Thank you to our loyal clients and suppliers some of whom have been with us from day one, Mike, Dave and Paul and we have all seen the good and bad times in the industry.  Also I mustn’t forget Alex for taking over the business development and social media side of the business. The only tweeting I understand is from the feathered variety that sit in trees!! And last but not least Natalie, Alex and our lovely family for all the support over the years.