5 ways to exhibit on a budget

It goes without saying that the UK exhibition industry is feeling the pinch of the recession and, just as in other sectors, several companies have become the victims of exhibitors tightening their belts.

Businesses that were once the mainstay of key UK exhibitions are slashing their budgets and even taking the decision to exhibit at fewer venues. Some have even wiped exhibitions from the schedule. That means exhibition organisers are finding it hard to find enough exhibitors to make each show a viable proposition, which in turn means these shows are in danger.

UK exhibitions adapt to survive

Exhibition organisers need to offer great deals on stand space and marketing in order to keep this key face-to-face promotional tool alive. At the same time, exhibition contractors – the people who provide the stands, the graphics, the plasma screens and everything that creates a fabulous stand space, need to give current and prospective clients the very best chance to have a successful exhibition without spending a fortune.

Exhibition stands that don’t cost the earth

If you’re weighing up the pros and cons of a consumer or trade exhibition stand in the UK within the next 6-12 months, you need to be looking for exhibition stand contractors who can offer the following:

Flexible Payment Terms
Look for a supplier that has a pricing policy that actively helps you to budget. Exhibitions can soak up money like sponges, but by looking for flexible stand options and payment terms, you can keep tight control of your costs.

All Inclusive Deals
Find out exactly what you are getting for your money. Good contractors will be honest about what is and isn’t included and will be able to give you an idea of how much additional items may cost.

Small Deposits
When it’s important to spread your costs, the last thing you want to do is to pay up front for an exhibition stand you haven’t even seen. A contractor that asks for a reasonable deposit to start work and then bills you later in the process will help you to see exactly what you’re spending and when.

Hassle-free Organisation
If exhibition contractors want to survive, they need to work hard for your money. Look for small, independent contractors who are willing to take the burden of set-up and break-down away from you, who will do most your exhibitor manual paperwork for you and who will form a good working relationship with you to make sure you get everything you need at the right price.

Develop a relationship
UK exhibition contractors are fighting to survive just as you are so this is a great time to get a great stand at a great price. Those that can offer you budget deals, last minute offers and can adapt to your needs are the ones that will be able to trust to provide you something more spectacular when things get back to normal.

For more information please visit http://hubpages.com/hub/5-ways-to-exhibit-on-a-budget

10 top tips for successful exhibiting

1. Always arrive early the day before the exhibition or trade show starts. The halls of any UK exhibition venue usually open at 8am. Getting in before the other contractors and the exhibitors arrive gives you the chance to rectify any mistakes or to ask a colleague to bring all of those things you forgot so that you’re not rushing around at the last minute...

2. Organise staff passes and access information well before the start of the exhibition. This will ensure that all your staff get to the stand in plenty of time so that you can hit the ground running when the doors open to the public.

3. Dress smartly. Suits with no ties for men and smart business suits for women, unless you’re running a particular promotion. Dark blue and black rather than bright colours will portray a sophisticated, businesslike appearance during the show. Wear sensible, comfortable shoes but not trainers.

4. Try not to have boxes of literature, coats or bags visible anywhere on the stand. This looks untidy and inefficient. Instead, hire a lockable cabinet or a reception counter from the exhibition organisers and place your valuables and leaflets in it rather than on the stand itself.

5. Don’t eat, drink, or chew gum on the stand.
Take regular breaks - 15 mins every 1.5 hours and 1 hour for lunch - and never bring food on to the exhibition stand. Schedule breaks beforehand but be flexible because if it’s busy – you will need all of your team!

6. Always look friendly and approachable.
Stand tall at the back of the trade show stand so people can see who you are and what you do. Don’t pace around and never sit down unless you are with a customer as this looks like you don’t care. Avoid chatting together if possible.

7. Smile! Always smile when eye contact is made and have your hands behind your back unless handing out literature, giveaways or shaking hands. Don’t look at their badge to check out their position before you look at them – it’s just rude!

8. Don’t leave the stand unattended.
Doing this will encourage opportunist thieves and you could miss that all-important new customer as well as your boss who may have dropped in to the trade show at that very minute.

9. Don’t encourage visitors to your stand by handing out free drinks. This will only attract the wrong sort of visitor - the annoying ones that go on about themselves and occupy valuable space on your stand. Instead, choose valuable giveaways that are relevant to your trade show audience and have your company and contact details clearly marked on each one.

10. Take your leads away at the end of each evening and follow them up within 5 days of the show finishing. Leaving the leads on the stand makes it far too easy for them to be thrown away in the rush at the end of the show. Following them up in good time gives the customer the impression that you are efficient and that you actually want their business – not doing so has the opposite effect.

Here are the top 10 tips supplied by Rock Solid Promotions Ltd, “Large enough to cope – Small enough to care” visit www.ukexhibitionstands.co.uk for more info on successful exhibiting.

5 Mistakes Made by Trade Show Exhibitors

Trade shows are basically done to exhibit or promote companies, products or services. So, a well prepared trade show will always have a positive result. There are many tips and steps that can be followed to make a trade show successful. Yet some common mistakes are done by exhibitors that can be easily avoided. The top mistakes that an exhibitor generally does are:

1.Not Considering the Budget: The first mistake that most exhibitors do is to participate in a trade show without knowing about the exact cost. For example, you should know whether you will be charged additional fees for electricity or for transporting the equipments or not. To avoid all these extra charges the simplest way is to ask relevant questions to the dealer so that you can get a clear idea about how much you need to pay and for what you are paying that amount. This will help you to feel that you are not running out of budget.

2.From Selecting the Wrong Show to Having Inefficient Staff: Before exhibiting at a trade show you should always make proper decisions and plan out your marketing goals. Try to match these goals with the qualities of the exhibition show attendees. Most of the time it happens that by following a hectic work schedule or by being overworked, you tend to forget to think about the target audience and the staff you have hired to attend your stall. It may so happen that you planned an attractive trade show stall with graphics and layouts but forgot to check the potential of the staff. If people come to your show and see that the staff are not being able to explain them what they want, then those people will loose interest in your product or service. Therefore, it is always better to check the potential of the staff before hiring them for the show. If it is not done properly then your purpose of attending the trade show will not be served.

3.Selecting the Wrong Location: Location of the trade show matters a lot. When you take last minute decisions regarding participating in a trade show, you tend to select the wrong location for setting up the show. You end up choosing a dark corner, dead end of an aisle, etc. or may be away from the main attractions or guest services where nobody will find you. Always try to select a location where people will get attracted and will find interest in watching your exhibits.

4.Giving Very Less Time to the Preparations for the Trade Show: The most common mistake is to prepare for the trade show without spending much time on it. Spend at least some time to decide what you want to exhibit. Why you want to do that, what are the results you can get, how you can approach that, whether the entire plan suits your budget or not and much more. Fix up a goal and plan accordingly to achieve that. All business decisions should be taken after planning and thinking over them carefully.

5.Participating in an Exhibition Without any Prior Experience: Another common mistake that many businesses make is participating in an exhibition without any prior experience. You must select the staff that are highly qualified but don't have any knowledge or experience about the product which has been exhibited in the show. Therefore, you should first train them well and place them to exhibit the trade show. Besides hiring experienced staff, you should also gather some knowledge and experience about how trade shows are done and how to use them to meet your goals.

Avoid the five common mistakes mentioned above to make business from trade shows and exhibitions.