9 Reasons To Attend Your First Trade Show

Trade shows, exhibitions and conferences are fantastic places to meet the most relevant minds in your industry. If you’re not sure about attending, read on to find out why you should be present at these events.

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Meet Influencers

At these types of events, you can be assured that key influencers will be in attendance. These may be speakers, attendees or other brands. To make sure the event you plan on attending is relevant to you, do some prior research. You can ask the event organisers or look at the event hashtag on Twitter. A little research will help you to see the importance of attending such events. At the event itself, you could find yourself generating many business leads as many attendees are looking to buy goods or services from the exhibitors. Even if the attendee doesn’t act on the lead straight away, your business may stick in their mind when they come to need your product or service.

Meet Competitors

It’s likely you’ll already know who your competitors are. It’s good practice to see what kind of events they are attending. It’s also useful to look at competing businesses exhibition stands and find out what kind of information they are giving. You can use this knowledge to find out what will and won’t work for your stand and presence at the event. If none of your direct competitors are in attendance, it gives you a good opportunity to stand out as an industry leader.

Speak To Buyers

Perhaps one of the most useful things about attending this type of event is that you’re able to meet your buyer’s, current or potential. Some buyers don’t respond well to cold callings, direct mail or other techniques and prefer to meet business face-to-face. It gives you a good platform to ask questions you wouldn’t normal be able to ask and conduct some research into how your buyers respond to your brand. It also gives you a chance to gain valuable feedback from buyers. If you don’t get a chance to speak to everyone that visits your stand, it may be a good idea to hand out feedback forms. You could also direct buyers to an online form that they can fill at a later time.

Gain Exposure

Industry events often have a very high attendance. Think of this as 1000’s of potential new eyes for your brand. If you have a new product or service that is nearly ready for the marketing, a trade show is the perfect time to present it. Events such as these give you the chance to test your product on relevant, potential buyers. You may get feedback and creative criticism from potential buyers that could change your product or service for the better before you bring it to market.

Strengthen Your Brand

Although the next business event, you attend may have many buyers or exhibitors you know of already, it does not mean you should not attend. The exhibit gives you a chance to display your brand and show your competitors what you can do. It means influencers and buyers may feel more confident in your brand and take you more seriously. Strong branding and a stand which shows your brand personality will make you stand out from the pack and stick in people’s minds. Going to an expert such as www.finessegroup.com will help to make sure your exhibition stand is the most memorable and represents your brand. It’s also incredibly useful to work with an expert if you are in the process of rebranding, to make sure the message is clear.

Find New Employees

If you’re hiring for a position or thinking of hiring for a new role, you can almost guarantee that some job seekers will be in attendance. By attending a relevant industry event, you’ll be exposing your business to potential new employees. Remember to bring information on careers so that if you are asked, you have it to hand. You may want to dedicate a small section of your display to careers, perhaps directing interested parties to a website, as it is likely they will contact you after the show.

Attract Media Attention

Industry shows and events are likely to attract media from industry and local channels. If you have the chance to speak to the media, or be photographed, your potential exposure is increased tenfold. If you want to guarantee media attention, you can contact publications prior to the event, to see if they want to interview you when you arrive.

Conduct Meetings

Booking meetings can be difficult if both parties are particularly busy. The great thing about industry events is that you will be in the same place as many relevant new clients. Once you know who’s attending an event, you can reach out to them prior to the event and book meetings throughout the duration.

Stay On Top Of Trends

It’s important to stay on top of trends in any industry. By attending events, you can make sure you find out any news or developments first and apply it to your business as soon as the event is over. You may discover information that you would not find out otherwise from speakers, buyers or competitors.

Advice For Your First Show

Feeling ready for your first show? Trade shows, conferences and other large events are often announced many months in advance of the date. As soon as you hear of the relevant event, make sure that you start planning at that point. You don’t want to find yourself scrambling a week before the event. Very early on make sure that you have as much information about the event as possible. Use this to start planning your goals, deciding on your teams and choosing your stand.

If you are still unsure if you should attend or not, don’t be afraid to ask the event organisers for testimonials, video footage and images from the previous year. You can also ask on social media and find out from previous attendees if it is an event worth visiting. Make sure you visit our business section to find more useful business tips and advice.