Making the Most of Trade Fairs:

Transcription

1 Making the Most of Trade Fairs: How to Achieve the Most from Trade Fair Participation Key Topics Covered: Effective Planning for Trade Fair Participation What to do prior to the trade fair Scheduling key activities Stand Design and Lay-Out Effective Participation at a Trade Fair Attracting visitors to your stand Handling orders, potential clients and general inquiries at your stand Business etiquette How to effectively operate your stand After the Trade Fair Systematic documentation of trade fair inquiries Follow up procedures Trade fair evaluation

2 Effective Planning for Trade Fair Participation 1.1 What to do prior to the trade fair Understand why you need to attend the Trade Fair It is critical that you set clear objectives for your participation in the trade fair. Be very specific as to what your business wants to achieve from the trade fair participation. Below are some reasons why a business may want to participate in a trade fair: Increase sales See what the competition is doing Meet existing customers Train staff in sales techniques Find importers Penetrate new market Raise your profile Learn about trade fairs Appoint an agent or distributor Extend your list of contacts Obtain higher prices Meet suppliers Promote your business image Launch new products Learn about display Get feedback from customers Assess market, product and design trends

3 1.2 Develop Specific Objectives for attending the Trade Fair What are your key objectives for participating in this trade fair? Here are some examples of objectives you can set: To generate 20 hot leads To identify 6 key agent/distributor organizations To introduce our new range of products To recover the cost of participation within 6 months What are your objectives for attending an International Trade Fair? Tel: (265) / 309 /269 Page 3 of 11

4 1.3 Plan the Event to the Last Dot. Failing to plan is planning to fail. You need to plan your participation at a trade fair well in advance. Here are some areas that require planning: - Plan what to Exhibit at the Trade Fair What products and services is your organization planning to exhibit at the international trade fair and why? Develop your Planning Matrix: Your planning will be made easier if you develop a Planning Matrix that should include the following: - i. Planning Tools Checklist: Your checklist should cover products you intend to exhibit, the booking/ development of the stand, logistics and promotion. ii. An Action Plan: A detailed action plan specifying responsibilities, key personnel and a time table. iii. Scheduling chart: When will you do what? iv. Staff Time Planning: This details who will do what, when v. Scheduling Chart vi. Stand Rota vii. Budget viii. Packing list Tel: (265) / 309 /269 Page 4 of 11

5 1.4 Train the Staff Manning your Stand If necessary, train the staff that will be manning your stand at the trade fair. Bear in mind that all your potential clients will make their initial contact with your organization through the staff they will meet at the fair. Their opinion of your organization will be based on what they will get from your staff at the trade fair! The staff must know: i. The history of your organization ii. The mission statement, values, and vision of your organization iii. The products and services offered by your organization iv. Business etiquette v. Customer care What do you need to know before the trade fair to enable you competently represent the interests of your organization? Tel: (265) / 309 /269 Page 5 of 11

6 1.5 Stand Design and Lay-Out Your stand must be attractive, inviting, well laid out, presentable and comfortable. The basic functions of a stand are: i. To attract attention to the exhibits ii. To create a good impression iii. To communicate a clear and distinctive message iv. To be inviting, unless exclusivity is an objective v. To offer a place for a quite or private discussion Keep in mind that large, imposing stands are not necessarily essential for a successful exhibit. Smaller stands can equally achieve excellent results. What is important is to communicate your message to the targeted audience. Creativity in Dressing Your Stand Creativity is required to make passers-by stop at your stand. Eye catchers and graphics such as lettering, colours, pictures, posters, logos and banners are some creative elements that will attract attention. Products displayed separately from others and additional materials such as shelves, cubes, racks and display aids will give your stand a look that is both functional and attractive. Working models and demonstrations also generate a lot of interest and can be persuasive and memorable. Here are some guidelines to which can help you display your products or services to their best advantages: - i. Restrict the number of exhibits ii. Display a representative collection or range iii. Give different categories of products their own displays iv. Display on different levels v. Give exhibits sufficient space vi. Make sure the display has impact, e.g. by grouping products or adding features like blow-up pictures vii. Emphasize important products or services by giving them a prominent position and by using spotlights. viii. Keep it simple, minimize the number of focal points, establish a clear theme and strong identity, make it more attractive. Tel: (265) / 309 /269 Page 6 of 11

7 Effective Participation at a Trade Fair 2.1 Attracting visitors to your stand How can you attract visitors to your stand? There are a number of ways you can use to attract visitors to your stand. Some of these are: - i. Register your company in the International Trade Fair brochure. Most international trade fair organizers produce a brochure to direct visitors coming to the fair. Make sure your stand is properly listed, under the right category ii. Distribute brochures or fliers: You can produce cheap but attractive fliers that can be distributed to visitors at the entrance gates. The flier should include some pictures of your products, contact details and directions to your stand iii. Have an attractive stand design: More important, is the way your stand is designed. Make it so attractive that people passing by should take notice and stop. iv. Welcome your visitors professionally: You can stand besides your stand and professionally invite visitors to take notice of your stand. This however should be done carefully, letting the visitors decide whether to come to your stand Tel: (265) / 309 /269 Page 7 of 11

8 2.2 Handling orders, potential clients and general inquiries i. Take every visitor seriously. You never know who will be your customer tomorrow! ii. Endorse at the back of business cards so that you can easily remember where you got the card. iii. Record names, telephone numbers, addresses and key interests of serious inquiries iv. Have enough business cards / brochures /fliers to give to potential customers. v. Make a summary of the day s proceedings at the end of each day. 2.3 How to effectively operate your stand Here with some hints to help you operate your stand effectively: i. Arrive early at your stand: Allow at least half an hour each morning to settle down, check and re-organize the stand and prepare your documentation. ii. Start with getting as much information about the visitor before you give out your own information or that of your products or services. Ask the visitor what he/she is interested in, the nature of his/her business, or his/her function and authority. iii. Make a professional first impression: Take the initiative to show enthusiasm and a positive attitude. Show genuine interest in the person. iv. Know your products inside out: Make sure you are able to give all the information about your products or services to potential customers right there at the stand. Be familiar with advantages and disadvantages of your product compared to those from your competitors. Tel: (265) / 309 /269 Page 8 of 11

9 v. Be honest and realistic. Do not promise what you cannot deliver. Never fake an answer. vi. Speak slowly and clearly vii. Wear a name badge viii. Make notes on the spot. This gives an impression that you are interested and professional. ix. Use a visitor s contact form for serious inquiries x. Get to know your neighboring stand holders xi. Avoid eating, drinking and smoking while manning your stand. After the Trade Fair Follow up after the trade fair Unless follow up is quickly made on all potential leads and customers, your participation in a trade fair is simply a waste of time and money. Here are some guidelines to help you: - i. Get in touch quickly ii. Respond to their specific enquiry iii. Find out more about them and personalise the response iv. Ask questions to find out more about needs v. Make sure follow up material is well presented - smart & professional vi. Follow up your follow up! vii. Don t expect the buyer to contact you first Tel: (265) / 309 /269 Page 9 of 11

10 Systematic documentation of trade fair inquiries Document, categorize and prioritize all inquiries requiring follow up after the trade fair. Here is a suggested method: - Follow up System Category Follow up time Method of follow up A: Very serious inquiries Within a week Personal visit / phone / B: Good inquiries Within two weeks Phone / fax / C: Hopeful inquiries Within a month Phone / fax / D: General inquiries Within a month Mail / / fax Trade Fair Evaluation When the fair is over, you need to evaluate your participation. Here are some questions that can help you: - i. Was it worth your time and money to participate in the trade fair? ii. Did you meet your set objectives? iii. Were your expectations met? iv. How well were your products / services received by visitors? v. How many potential leads did you establish? vi. What went wrong and how could you have avoided it? vii. What feedback did you get from customers about your products? viii. What will you do differently next time? Tel: (265) / 309 /269 Page 10 of 11

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