Exhibitions – on stand etiquette and guidelines

Every exhibition and every venue is different, but here a few basic guidelines to remember when representing your company at an event or exhibition. Make sure you maximise ROI and lead generating potential with these simple etiquette guidelines.

Dos and Don’ts

– Be prepared and know why you are there and know the types of people/visitors you will be engaging with.

– Be ready for the event opening and remain there until event close.

– Always make sure there are at least two members of staff on the stand at any one time in case one of you is busy with a customer and for break purposes.

– The bigger your stand space, the more staff you may need without it being overkill.

– Make sure the stand looks clean and tidy e.g. banner stands are straight, tables are uncluttered, equipment works etc.

– Test equipment before the stand opens.

– Always dress smartly and wear your name badge as provided.

– Make eye contact and smile to passers-by.

– Visual aids are a great way to attract staff to the stand – such as a screen with a rolling presentation, a video on playback, a game, a prize draw or merchandise to give away.

– Always have an event-specific lead generation form, online or paper based, to gather details from potential leads.

– Remain professional at all times.

– Hand out literature when appropriate.

– Look busy, but still approachable.

– Try not to eat on the stand if possible.

Try and quickly assess time wasters from prospects when first talking to a visitor to your stand

– If budget permits and if the show content is appropriate, spend out on having a workshop/talk at the event to generate more leads and to raise awareness

What to do if traffic to the stand is slow?

– Walk round handing out leaflets.

– Ask the event organisers to make a public announcement of some kind to invite people to your stand.

– Talk to the organisers and ask them what can they do to help.

– If there is wireless, use this to get a message out to attendees.

– Talk to the press at the event to generate interest on the day and for the long term.

– Look at competitors’ stands, how are they doing?

At the end of the show …

The show may be over for the team manning the stand, but for your Marketing team there will be further work to do. Help the marketing team to maximise ROI and potential by:

– Pack up all left over literature, equipment etc.

– Give Marketing all paper and online based leads to enter onto Salesforce as leads.

– Give Marketing any feedback on what worked, didn’t work, would you go again, were the right people there etc etc.

– Ask the organiser if they have permission to give you a copy of the attendees database.

– Follow up by phone or email to all contacts you met.

Good luck!

*Nicole Martin is the proud owner and director of Pinpoint Marketing Consultancy Ltd.  Based in Buckinghamshire with her husband and two children, Pinpoint Marketing works with small and local businesses to help them raise their profile, find new customers, increase sales and grow their businesses using all of the marketing mix. It understands the small business market and its constraints and opportunities. See www.nicolepinpointmarketing.wordpress.com/ for more information.

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