Last weekend my Dad piped up and said he was going to the boat show on the Sunday, and basically asked ‘who’s coming?’ This is not unusual - he’s been going to The Boat Show
for as long as I can remember, and mum’s been putting it off that long, too! Exhibitions are nothing new to me, but I’m glad to say that this trip was all for pleasure, rather than work!
I LOVE boats, and I love going to The Boat Show – it’s the only time when I let my self do some real dreaming!
For those who don’t know, The Boat Show does not just consist of new shiney boats like the ones above; but sailing schools, boat chartering companies, chandleries, ladder companies, and even mat companies attend The Boat Show here. Obviously the best bit of this show is the HUGE gym palaces’, as you can see from the ques below…
Exhibitions can be quite daunting if you’re new to them as a business. There’s a lot to think about, from your stand set up, position and neighbouring stands, to sending your appropriate gear there and packing it up. The Boat Show goes on for a week, so the stands required cover for all of that time, too.
If you get your exhibition right, the day will be gone before you know it, but if you don’t, the days are soooo very long… and this is what I really noticed. The busy stands were REALLY busy and the dead ones were soooo dead – the difference? Well, the ‘dead’ stands were usually covered by one person who had resorted to a chair and doodling, whilst the busy stands had people there looking enthused and ready to answer your questions… well, almost ready!
Don’t get me wrong - I’ve been that person manning a stand on your own and it’s not that easy to look enthused when it’s quiet and you’re almost watching the clock; but my point is, you need to make it interesting! How? Well you can have:
- Competitions – in exchange for their contact details, one of your consumers could win
something!
- Exhibition Prices – exclusive deals only available at the exhibition!
- Promotional Materials – brochures, sweets, pens, calenders, and so on…!
- Demonstrations – seeing the desired product doing what you say it does is a great way to make sales.
Firstly, you need to know exactly what you want from you exhibition – you pay good money for these spots, so you must make it work for you.
It’s vital that your product or services are VERY OBVIOUS from your stand! If you want to create awareness and make some sales, then you need incentives, like the ones above, which are exclusive to your present consumers.
Some consumers get nervous that the appropriate sales person will jump on them at the first sign of interest, which is true, and not necessarily bad thing for the sales person to do… but an exhibition like The Boat Show is so large that it takes all day to get around and see everything, and a lot of people like my self want to get around, so we just pick up the appropriate brochures to get the job done that bit quicker - unless we’re drawn in for another reason – and that’s what I want you to focus on.
When we were nearly done, one sales girl randomly asked us whether we’d like to stop and enter their competition, and it’s VERY unusual for us to stop in this situation, but Dad must’ve been having a good day because he gave his contact details away without hesitation. Much to the shock of us all, he actually won a prize that he wanted, although he didn’t get to choose it. But of course, not everyone wins; however, now they can send these people promotional stuff from now on.
There was one stand that REALLY caught my attention, and you 
can probably see why – it was the only stand that had gone to this much effort; they were selling central heating for boats – but unfortunately for them it wasn’t really obvious to those who don’t know what central heating systems look like and didn’t look as high up at the sign that said what they did, so I took a photo and swiftly went! But still, well done to them for producing such a work of art – this sort of thing makes people stop and want to know what it is; however, remember that it takes more than that to achieve results.
Consumers want to take an interest at these events, but they also want to spend their time there well.
How do you know whether your stand was a success? Well, you don’t know how successful it was unless you measure in some way. Yes, sales are a definitive way of deciding whether you got a good return on investment, but if you were looking to get a lot of contact details, either through competitions or membership, how do you put a value on that? Did you hit the right customers?
As an exhibitor, you must have set goals to decide whether you’ve achieved them. Exhibitions don’t have to be scary, as long as you know you have something to offer and you offer it well. Exhibitions can be a great way to meet interested consumers and like-minded people – enjoy them!
