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Exhibition planning can be messy, confusing and sometimes exhausting. However, it is absolutely crucial.
An efficient exhibition plan can set you apart from the competition and turn your trade show into a success. Therefore, to help you plan a profitable trade show, we have got you this article.
You see, most exhibition organisers follow a certain plan for all their trade shows in an attempt to execute a successful exhibition. But by the time you will be done with this blog, you will not require the assistance of exhibition organisers and shall be able to do it all by yourself.
Well then, let us get on with it and take a look at the top 5 tips for a successful exhibition planning process.
5 Tips to Perfectly Plan an Exhibition
1. Plan On the Brand Identity and Perception
Conveying the brand identity is one of the first and foremost motives of attending exhibitions and trade shows. After all, brand identity deals with the visual aspects of your brand.
By planning the way you want your brand to be perceived, you can significantly enhance your market share and make a long-lasting effect on your consumers.
To execute this you need to plan the visuals of your exhibition stalls including the banner stands, display boards, posters and so on. That said, make sure you plan the design in a way that is unique yet alluring to entice your target audience.
2. Create Measurable and Achievable Goals
Once you’ve designed your trade show stall, the next step is to establish the goals you want to achieve from the exhibition. This way you’ll be able to execute your marketing strategies accordingly.
Here’s what’s important to remember when you are creating your goals – make them realistic, measurable and time-bound. Moreover, the goals are decided based on a number of factors. For example, a new company might focus on establishing a market presence and making a good impression on the target audience. On the other hand, an old organisation might focus on making new customers or making a profit.
3. Conduct a Competitor Analysis
Analysing your competitors – this is one of the most important steps in all marketing books. Put simply, try to research what your competitors are trying to do.
Find out about their strategies and plan better ideas to defeat them. Think of what products they are displaying? What kind of visuals are they using? All of this is extremely essential to your exhibition plan.
However, the biggest benefit and disadvantage of trade shows are that you get to compete with your rivals side-by-side (literally). Therefore, your competitors can strongly inspire your exhibition planning process.
4. Plan The Location
The location of your trade show stall greatly affects the amount of audience that arrives at your booth. In most cases, if your stall is located far away from the entry point, most visitors might not even reach your booth before they leave.
Exhibition organisers try their best to ensure that everyone at the trade show has an equal opportunity to entice their target audience. However, this is not always feasible. Therefore, you need to plan the location of your trade show booth in advance and book the perfect spot.
Consider the entry and exit points; stalls closer to these points are likely to have more visitors.
5. Decide On A Budget
If you have participated in exhibitions previously, you must have a pretty good idea of the expenditure that usually occurs at a trade show.
Try planning the budget according to your previous experience and consider the ROI you obtained from those exhibitions. Make sure you keep a provision for a few extra expenses in case you go overboard.
If you are a first-timer at exhibitions, you need to set a tight budget and stick to it. Given the fact that this is your first experience, it’s better to test the waters before making an investment in such trade shows.
Conclusion
Although there are a lot of other things that you need to consider during the exhibition planning process, these were some of the most important ones.
The rest of the aspects related to exhibition planning are subjective to the size, type and goals of an organisation. However, as a first-timer, if you follow the above-mentioned steps and suggestions efficiently, you shall be more than prepared for your exhibition.
