|
ABOUT THE
VENUE
International Exhibition Centre
(IEC)
IEC, the largest world class exhibition arena in Ukraine will have a significant
influence on the development of the event industry in our country. Many
of the country's key events taking place in the near future will attract
large amounts of foreign companies and as a result, further investment
in a wide range of business sectors in Ukraine.
The project of the International Exhibition Centre allows us to solve
complex technical tasks, reducing time and cost factors for exhibitors.
Furthermore, the carefully considered location of the IEC is certain to
attract larger numbers of target visitors.
MAXIMISE
YOUR PRESENCE
Spending
a little time and thought planning before an exhibition will
pay big dividends when show time comes!!
Set
specific goals
Do
you want to generate 200 sales leads? Launch your new product to customers,
prospects and the media? The tighter the goals, the better your chances
of achieving them. How about meeting at least 25 qualified new prospects?
Or finding three new dealers? Or handing out 5,000 samples? Exhibitions
are incredibly versatile. But you need to focus on your most important
goals. Want to demonstrate your product to 250 top buyers? Make 40 new
appointments? Test a new idea? Sell products directly from your stand?
Establishing
specific, measurable goals is probably the single most important thing
you can do before every exhibition.
Plan
the stand to meet the goals
Your
stand location, design and activities should reflect what you hope to
achieve. Even if you have a company exhibition stand in storage, think
about how you can tailor it to a specific audience. The number of staff
manning the stand and the mix of disciplines should also be goal-driven.
Do you need technical staff to explain things in detail? Top managers
to meet blue-chip decision-makers? Energetic extroverts for maximum smiling
and sampling? Let your goals be your guide.
Tell
people why they should visit you
The
simplest and most obvious tactic of all is also, amazingly, the least
practiced: tell the world what you are up to!
Recent
research has shown that 83% of the most successful companies at a range
of exhibitions (in terms of business generated and leads collected) were
the ones that took the trouble to mail to their prospects and customers
before the show.
Make
the most of pre-show PR and advertising
You
can mail your own lists, buy in a list or mail to the event's list of
pre-registrants (organisers often make theirs available). It's common
sense: tell people what you'll be doing at the show and why they should
take the time to visit you. Stress the benefits. Add some intrigue. Have
a bit of fun. But never skip this vital step. Ask the show organiser to
tell you which media are doing show previews (many summarise this in the
Exhibitor Manual). Get the editors' names and addresses. Make note of
the deadlines and start spreading the news. Again, benefits are king.
And photos help.
You
may also want to run your own ads in Preview issues, with a 'See us on
Stand 20' flag (the organiser will provide the show logo).
Don't
forget sponsorship opportunities
Sponsorship
can be an extremely cost-effective way to jump out of the pack at your
next exhibition. There is usually a list of off-the-shelf packages available
at most budget levels (from sponsored seminar theatres to signage to the
T-shirts at the registration desk). But some of the best sponsorships
are often bespoke programs designed by the organiser and exhibitor sitting
down together and brainstorming. Talk to the organiser. Tell them your
goals and your budget. The only limit is your imagination.
Use
the web
Many
shows have web sites to promote the event and register visitors. If you've
got a web site, it's a great place to promote your presence at the show.
Find out if the show site can provide links to yours.
|