Drawing a Crowd at a Trade Fair or Exhibition

When you're paying to exhibit at a trade fair or exhibition, you'll no doubt have considered your goals. Let's be honest, it's never cheap. So we'll be looking to get the best rate of return on our investment.

The cost of exhibiting of the fair mounts up quickly. Once the stand's booked, there's decoration, staff, travel, giveaways, promotions... the list goes on. We'll be talking about giveaways later. But the point is, the entire experience is a melting pot which hopefully results in more business down the line.

When we set our goals, it's wise to consider how SMART they are (remember - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based). The goals might include:
  • Acquiring leads
  • Brand awareness
  • Making sales
  • Signing up people to a mailing list
  • Connecting with potential collaboraters
The reason this article is about drawing a crowd is that many of these goals have a common necessity - you need people to arrive at your stand. And you need them in sufficient quantities to convert.

Seven Ways To Draw A Crowd

1. Give something away
Preferably brand it and make sure delegates have it on display! They'll send more people your way.

2. Run a competition
This ticks all the boxes of getting people engaged.

3. Entertainment
I'm a magician. My job is usually to entertain people at events - and this means holding people's attention for a length of time. If they're entertained, they're not leaving!

4. Make a queue
Ever started a queue in a store and turned around to see a long queue behind you? People herd together for FOMO (fear of missing out). That means if you have a way to attract a few, they'll attract the rest. See 1-4.

5. Bring people in beforehand.
You did promote the exhibition and your presence there beforehand, I'm sure.

6. Make it a game or activity
Whatever you do, make the experience interactive. Keep people at the stand with entertainment, a game, a form, etc. That way, more will follow.

7. Smile
This is the number one rule. You, or your staff, are on display all day. The experience must be positive, engaging and infective. So people want to be around your stand before they even know what it's about.

Think about your goals and metrics then think about how these dynamics work around what happens at a typical trade fair. Remember, it's all about the people!


Article kindly provided by davidfung.co.uk

Latest Articles