How to present at trade shows, exhibitions and events

How do you maximize opportunities when exhibiting at trade shows, expos, and industry events?

There is usually a huge cost involved in reserving your space, setting up your booth, and having people present throughout the event, so you want to take advantage of every opportunity.

I was recently asked by the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants to present an exhibitor session at their race evening in Perth, Western Australia. At this event, 33 exhibitors representing the big four and mid-tier accounting firms, mining companies, banks and even the Tax Department will compete for the attention of more than 500 accounting seniors from four tertiary institutions.

Below are the 12 tips I shared with the exhibitors plus one additional tip. I have slightly adapted them to fit a broader display audience. Bonus Tip 13 will help you prepare a checklist for the appearance of your people and your booth.

1. Be clear about the different profiles of people who will attend

Of these, who do you want to attract? And who would be unsuitable for your requirements? Solve your qualifying questions in advance.

You don’t want your people to get stuck in long discussions with inappropriate visitors and the very people you want to attract leave because they couldn’t talk to you.

On the other hand, be careful about treating attendees like they are ‘tire kickers’. Some visitors who may not be the right profile for your organization can become great word-of-mouth ambassadors. They run into friends and associates at the event and say, “You really need to go and see XYZ. They’re out of our league, but what they offer would be perfect for you and they’re so friendly and helpful.” “

2. Think like an assistant

At a Careers Expo, attendees are likely to relate to their recent graduates. It wasn’t that long ago that they walked in the shoes of attendees. To further assist this process, there are two questions to consider:

1) What did you do when you attended events like this?

2) What else would you like to have done and why?

Now discuss what each of you has identified from these two questions; and from there, find out what you need to do to help attendees get real value from this event.

3. Your purpose in exhibiting

Your purpose in exhibiting is to be noticed, remembered, trusted and preferred. By being noticed, I’m referring to the good side of being noticed. If you’re still busy setting things up when the first attendees arrive, that’s the downside of noticing!

You are in full view and you need to be primed and ready for the first people to walk in.

4. What makes you accessible?

Smiling with an open posture: This relaxes you and your demeanor and body language convey the right message to attendees.

A legible nameplate – This tells them that you are a real person and not a representative of the company.

Show yourself listening to others: When you listen to others, notice. Your body language is telling attendees, “You are important.” Attendees want to talk to someone who makes them feel that way.

Being seen laughing with other attendees: This relaxes people, making it easier for them to come to you.

5. What keeps attendees away?

Is that your attitude on display? – Sometimes team members are pressured to attend racing events and other trade shows. If you’re thinking, “This is a waste of time. I have more important things to do than be here,” attendees will know. Your thoughts and beliefs drive your body language and tone of voice. People subconsciously realize this.

The sentinel pose: arms crossed and feet apart like a bouncer in a nightclub. It is the position of ‘You will not pass’.

It looks like it’s ready to pounce – attendees don’t like to feel like a bird of prey is pouncing on them.

How you hold your brochures or booklets: Without even realizing it, this can be a barrier that makes you less accessible. Leave your brochures and gifts. They can create a barrier between you and attendees, especially if you hold them up to your chest.

Checking Your Phone: It can be a quiet moment at your booth while you talk, text, or scroll through your phone. However, the message it emits is ‘I’m busy, don’t interrupt me’. Even from a distance, people will notice and avoid you. Leave your booth or go to a curtained area to make calls and check your phone.

Closed in conversation with other staff – this also gives off the ‘don’t interrupt me’ vibe.

Seen locked in a conversation with a person, this gives the warning ‘Uh oh’. Other attendees will avoid it lest they receive similar treatment.

6. Opening sentences

Avoid beginner opening lines like ‘How are you? can i help you Need help? Do you want a brochure?

They encourage responses like “Okay,” “Fine,” and “No thanks, I’m just looking,” which leads to nowhere and attendees just walk away with your brochure.

Of course, some attendees may have specific questions for you and will start the conversation, which is great.

Good opening questions for you might include:

“What have you found useful so far?”

“What are you looking for by attending today?”

“What brings you here?”

“What would you find useful to know about us/our product?”

7. How the attendees receive the information

There are three main ways that people take in information:

Visual

hall

Kinesthetic

Attendees are being bombarded with sensory stimuli every second they are at your event. Although the different types of attendees will be more biased towards one than the others, all three factors are involved in the absorption of information; and research shows that up to 95% of the impressions that are created may be occurring on a subconscious level.

You should be aware of this and do everything possible to be seen in the most favorable light.

Just as an example of visual stimuli, let’s consider personal presentation. You should look smart-casual, perhaps with matching uniforms or T-shirts, and be well-groomed. In my experience, most exhibitors do it pretty well… from the ankles up. Below the ankles is often forgotten. However, he is sending a message even with students at a career expo. What message does the condition of your footwear give them about precision, professionalism and attention to detail in your company?

8. Your purpose in answering a question

When you answer an attendee’s question, you have three goals to accomplish:

1) Answer concisely and accurately

2) To express your answer in a way that is easy for the assistant to understand

3) To make the person feel good about asking the question

It is this third goal that most people rarely think about.

However, it is crucial for the assistant to feel comfortable with you. Many attendees worry about asking ‘dumb’ questions and as a result don’t open up and share their questions and concerns with you. When you make them feel good, they become more confident and more likely to share the real issues that matter to them. For example, you can say: “I’m glad you asked”, “That’s a good question”, “That’s interesting, I didn’t get asked that today”.

9. Identify common point of interest

The initial conversation is about establishing common ground. Ask open-ended questions that can identify a connection, and then share an idea that is relevant to them. For example, at a Careers Expo this is likely to be: “I never realized until I started working here that…”

Match your ‘common point of interest’ (CPI) to the individual. It is not a standard point. You may have three or four alternative ideas that you can select from. These are things that give them a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it’s like to work for an organization like yours.

10. Your ‘What’s next?’ strategy

Once you’ve identified the right candidates, be clear about what you want them to do and what you’ll do. Have a couple of clearly crafted and agreed upon action statements to guide them to the next step.

For example, “Based on what you told me, I should get your details and…” or “Have you already signed up for our…? Here’s what to do.”

11. Interact with multiple attendees when one-on-one isn’t possible

Most of us are more confident when we direct our comments and attention to a person. At an event like a racing show, this is not always possible. Here are some tips:

Do not focus solely on one member of the group.

Use inclusive body language

Deflect a comment or question to others after acknowledging the first person, for example, “Good question, is that something that would be of interest to others here?”

Ask (then address) a qualifying question specific to the group and gauge the reaction of different attendees. Direct your follow-up comments to those who are with you. That way some can leave and other attendees who are interested can take their place.

12. Disconnect from the people who corner you

Use active listening techniques to get to the point. After confirming understanding, follow up with “I’d better not dominate your time here, I’m sure you have others to review. By all means, come back if you have any more questions.”

Have a recognized rescue code with your peers. Even if everyone else is involved with other attendees, you can ask, “Does anyone have our D3 flyers?” This could be code for “Help, someone rescue me quick!” So a colleague might say, “Sorry, I think we’re out of D3 brochures, but I have an assistant here who is asking a question related to his area of ​​expertise. Could he join us for a moment?”

If you need to pass unsuitable candidates, do so tactfully and without offending them. Instead of “No, you don’t qualify because your grades aren’t good enough,” phrase it as “As long as your grades are…” And instead of a forceful statement of your criteria along the lines of “To be considered you must …” express it “Our current selection criteria are…” Participation is so at some point in the future there may be opportunities for this attendee. As we all know, some people are latecomers and we don’t want to put them down when there’s no need to.

The above tips were written for a short evening of racing. Many of the events he exhibits at will be much longer, from field days at regional shows to two or three day shows. Here is an important tip for these longer events.

13. Bonus tip: Prepare a checklist for the appearance of your people and your booth

Wear stylish and comfortable shoes every day. If you wear the wrong shoes, your feet and back will soon ache and you will spend more time sitting. This makes you seem less welcoming and approachable, unless you’re sitting with an attendant.

The stand must be as presentable 35, 65 and 95% of the event route as it is at the beginning. Your most valuable customer can walk in at any time and they will judge you based on what they see.

Regularly review your display and promotional materials and make sure they look ‘perfect’.

Dirty coffee cups should be kept out of sight. It is incredible how they take away professionalism from your stand.

Don’t eat at your booth.

These are just some of the things to put on your checklist. Go over this before each event and seek input from all team members who will be present. Your reputation is on the line, which makes this an invaluable exercise.