The fair allows reaching people who are really interested in the offer, they give the opportunity to meet them personally, and allow immediate interaction to get to know their opinions and reactions about the service or product, which is not guaranteed by any other form of marketing activity.
The Participation Options
However, participation in fairs alone is not enough to succeed. Entrepreneurs should pay more attention to the need for continuous learning and gaining experience, e.g. in making statistics and examining the factors determining the attractiveness of their stands. When preparing for the fair, the question must be clearly asked why we are exhibiting at the fair and prepare to participate in this event, in terms of the objectives set. Clear goals will help us to verify the meaning of our activities. Otherwise, we assume in advance that it is a tourist and social event. The use of trade show booth happens to be essential there.
The Right Choices
The chosen goals determine who will represent us at the fair (traders, employees of the customer service department, technicians, marketing specialists), how to prepare a stand, what information materials will be needed, and what products to take and how to present them, and some additional attractions will be needed. First of all, keep in mind that even if it is another and not the last event this year, it is sometimes the first direct contact with our company for visitors. Simply put – if we neglect any of the factors described below that determine our attractiveness as an exhibitor, then the visitor will write down each and every image of our company. We have only one chance to make a good first impression.
The fair is an instrument that has a significant impact on creating the company’s image. It is worth looking at what factors determine the attractiveness of the stand at the fair. The presented considerations are based on the division into material and non-material factors and I would like to give some important examples and then they are described on the basis of a case study illustrating in practice their impact on the examined issue.
The main material factors include:
Appearance of the stand
It is a kind of business card of the company, the arrangement of which is part of the visual identity of the company. It is worth noting that the customers are visuals and what they notice at the stand will be identified with the image of the company. The whole look, taking into account the colors, shapes, graphic elements used on promotional materials like leaflets and folders, should harmonize with each other. The initial step is to select the exhibition space. Entrepreneurs often face a dilemma as to how to properly choose the exhibition space.
This is largely dependent on the budget that the company has, but also on the industry and the specifics of the fair. A company producing products of considerable dimensions, e.g. a car manufacturer, wanting to present them will certainly need a much larger area than a small service company operating in the advertising industry, where the items are small or only services and then the entire surface of the stand is available to visitors, because there is no need to have an exhibition.
