How not to be a space invader
You may have made the decision that you plan to exhibit at an event and are at the stage of looking for ways to stand out.
Many exhibitors may tell you they want to stand head and shoulders above their competitors, by making more noise, cutting through the clutter and making a statement about the importance of their brand. You might be thinking that the only way to achieve this is by having the largest stand with LCD TVs everywhere, thousands of pounds of corporate giveaways like coffee mugs and golf balls and a cocktail bar with bottle spinning mixologist, balloon modeller, opera singer, clown or whatever wacky new attention seeking idea you can come up with!
However here at Tomorrow the World we believe that this is the behaviour of corporate egos, getting in the way of sensible ROI expectations. When you dig a bit deeper you tend to find that this actually comes from a position of fear: that no-one will talk to you.
All these gimmicky attention grabbers tend to mask and hide the exhibitor’s lack of confidence in getting people to talk to them and they could be thinking “I’m not confident to initiate a conversation so I’ll put this chocolate muffin on the front of my stand and that’ll draw people like a magnet towards me”.
The first thing you need to plan is exactly how you are going to communicate with your prospects. Research shows that only 6% of people walking past an average exhibition stand get approached by the people on the stand, this means that 94% of business just walks right by and that only the most assertive visitors will come onto the stand for more information.
We tend to find that companies seem reluctant to initiate contact with visitors, not wanting to come across as too pushy or aggressive. But this is only valid if you were planning to ambush people with “BUY MY STUFF NOW”. The best way is to think about how you would strike up a conversation with a stranger is to imagine you are a networking event or a wedding…. then it comes naturally as you just start up a conversation about the shared experience you are having.
Without the interest and attention of your audience, you cannot accomplish your objective. Your challenge is not only to make the audience want to listen but to help them understand, remember, and act on the information or ideas you share.
Nothing is more powerful in persuading your audience than your own commitment and enthusiasm for your topic.
If you are planning to exhibit, whether for the first time or 100th talk to us first. Here at Tomorrow The World we run exhibitions stands and everything this entails on a daily basis. We will work with you to ensure you have everything covered and get the best return on your investment.
Get in touch with us to find out how on 01925 565065