subject: Ask yourself the question, why you are going to that exhibition? [print this page] Have you ever asked yourself the question, why you are going to a business or consumer exhibition? This may seem a strange question to ask, but there are some companies that go to exhibitions for all the wrong reasons:
- Because the company has always done so!
- Because our competitors are!
- Because we get a good deal to exhibit!
If you are a parent, you must have said at one time 'you wouldn't jump through a window would you?' Might be extreme, but the same can be said for companies who don't question why they go to exhibition. If you are going to the same show year after year please...STOP. Think about what you are doing, think about why you are going...it's very easy to repeat aspects of your marketing plan year after year, but in this current economic climate you need to start challenging your past decisions. You need to ask the following questions and quantifying the answers accordingly.
1. How much do we sell as a result of being at the show?
E.g. before, during and after the show
2. What customers do we meet at the show?
Are we merely meeting existing customers who you deal with regularly or do we intend to meet potential new customers? Is it important to develop relationships with channel partners at exhibitions? Are we data gathering on all visitors to our stand?
3. Market research.
What do we learn about the market, our competitors and their products at the show? Are our customer views tracked? Is everything recorded and fed back to the team?
4. Overall marketing impact.
Is our brand adequately represented on our stand and by our dealers? Do we have new products to launch? Will the exhibition be an effective launch pad? Will our media be there? How helpful are the organisers in helping us maximise our media exposure?
5. Channel support.
How important is it for you to be there for your channel partners? What will the ramifications be if we don't exhibit? Can our channel partners do a better job for us without us being there?
Every aspect of attending a show can be measured from cost per lead, media coverage to actual customer visits to the stand. If the questions and numbers don't add up, then you should really consider not attending.
