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Before the Exhibition
Choosing the team
Team players who can think of their feet are an essential back-up
to that superb stand, excellent graphics and outstanding sales literature.
It is important that they like meeting people. They should be enthusiastic,
good listeners, can see the other person's point of view and possess
enough product knowledge to know when it's dangerous to guess.
Brief the team
You may know WHY you're exhibiting - but do they? Important points
that every customer-facing person on your stand needs know include:
- Why your company is exhibiting and what it hopes to get out of the show.
- What products or services you will be promoting.
- Ensure they not only meet targets for the number of contacts but they also need to know what information you want from each visitor.
- How to reach those targets and extract that information - this may involve training.
- Attention to details on dress. Men should wear suits or smart
blazer and trousers. For women arrive at mutual agreement on the
right balance of style and comfort. Consultation is essential
if staff are expected to wear uniforms.
Temporary help?
You own people can be freed to follow up promising contacts without
distraction if you employ temporary help in the right places. It's
not just a case of making the coffee, serving drinks and keeping
the stand tidy. A good "temp" can record casual visitors, make sure
they have the right literature and keep a prospect "warm" until
one of your own people is available. Remember, the best temporary
staff are snapped up early!
Confirm travel arrangements
Make all travel reservations well in advance and organise parking
for those arriving by road. Above all ensure that everyone can get
there and back - don't assume people are getting lifts. Double check!
Make sure they are snug!
The National Exhibition Centre is well served with nearby accommodation
including home-from-home B and Bs to international class hotels. But remember
that the area hosts several major events at any one time. So the earlier
you book the more likely you are to find the accommodation that matches
your taste and budget. Staffing a stand is exhausting and a good night's
sleep is the best way of ensuring that everyone stays on top form. The NEC
Group website features a detailed directory of local accommodation; click
here for more information.
Stock up that literature
Eliminate leaving yourself short of literate just before opening.
Make sure your material is up to date and that there is enough reserve
stock. Also ensure that show-specific or overprinted items are completed
in good time. Don't forget business cards for everyone who will
be meeting prospects. A great deal of expensive material is thrown
away at every exhibition. Consider producing inexpensive but well-produced
summary leaflets; offer to forward the full story - and make sure
you do so within 48 hours. Another way is to keep the "real stuff"
out of site and issue it only when you have established that the
visitor is a genuine prospect.
Help us to help your promotion
There's a press office at every show. Lodge your press releases
there before press day and ensure that they are re-stocked regularly.
You will also be contacted to submit editorial for the show catalogue
and pre-show exhibitors' and visitors' newspapers. This offers a
great chance to spread your word to the right audience - so monitor
the closing dates for copy.
Don't forget the "dressing"
Your stand could feature transparencies, graphic panels or that
picture of the founding chairman. You standfitter will assume you
have them to hand and settle the design, order the work and reserve
the items well in advance.
…or the essentials
Have you confirmed power supplies, stand lighting, water and waste
if necessary? Mobiles may have made fixed phones superfluous but
you may still need a phone point for a PC. Locations may be needed
for the fax or photocopier and you might need a table or two of
the correct height. Check your exhibitors' literature to find out
how to order. Avoid leaving it to the last minute when contractors
are working flat out and suppliers' stocks may be low.
Will you stand have a focal point?
There will be row upon row of stands. So study the rules and then
consider a feature that will capture the eye. You may want to create
something that will make your name stick in the memory - for the
right reasons! However, remember that audio-visual material, animated
displays or a working cut-away of a product will all take time to
produce properly.
Who holds the purse strings?
Making sure you pay for goods and services by the dates shown, this
ensures you don't arrive to an embarrassing lack of furniture, or
something similar. And nominate someone to manage a stand float
to cover any small items that even the best organised person can
easily forget. Also ensure that you develop a stand "tool kit" and
make one person responsible for assembling it and taking it to the
show. Here's a check list based on experience:
- Appointment book
- Ball point and marker pens
- Box for visitors' business cards
- Bulldog clips
- Business cards
- Cleaning supplies
- Company letterheads and compliment slips
- Computer/laptop/leads
- Craft knife
- Envelopes
- Floppy disks
- Kit of tools
- Mobile phone charger
- Modem link
- Note pads
- Order forms and/or contracts
- Paper clips
- Postage stamps
- Post-it notes
- Printer/printer cartridges
- Rubber bands
- Sales lead forms
- Scissors
- Staplers, staples and a staple remover
- Sticky tape
- Temporary filing system
- "While you were out" pads
The Business Centre will look after your faxing and
photocopying needs.
Don't forget your paperwork
Bring along originals or copies of all the forms, orders, rules
and regulations as well as any other paperwork you have accumulated
during the run-up. Remember to make up enough press packs and reserve
any give-aways or other promotional items.
Don't forget travel tickets, confirmation of hotels and car rental
reservations. A simple on-stand first-aid kit for queasy stomachs,
headaches and minor cuts may prove useful. More serious ailments
can be dealt with by The NEC medical centre.
Get the best from your photographer by briefing in advance about
the best time to take shots of your stand. You may want to use your
own photographer when you expect VIP visitors or to make a newsworthy
announcement about a product launch or big order. An official photographer
is appointed to each exhibition to be available throughout the show.
Staff list and identifications
Compile a list of all staff and an agreed timetable of who will
be where and when during the exhibition. Prepare legible identity
badges for everyone who will be on the stand - these should state
company name and logo, large surname and forename and job title.
Enough room?
At the early planning stage, list what will be on show, how many
people will be staffing the stand, what storage and backroom facilities
are needed and how much stand furniture is essential. Relate all
this to your proposed stand layout - and the size of the stand you
are taking. A cluttered stand is unworkable and uninviting - so
if you need more space, tell us as soon as possible.
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