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.