Five Benefits Of Attending An Exhibition

Why Attend Exhibitions?

Here we take a quick look at just five of the many reasons that exhibitions are still so relevant, for both businesses exhibiting and delegates attending:

#1 Brand Awareness

The perception of a brand that is not represented at an event falls by 5%, even for global brands.  This means that regardless of sector or product, turning up matters. Your competition will notice you, your industry peers will engage with you and most importantly, your target audience will pay attention to you. More than this though, most industry events will have a dedicated PR team who are focused on attracting as much attention as possible for the exhibition or show. This means your brand is in front of a wide-ranging and diverse audience long before the doors open on the exhibition hall.

For attendees, at least one of their objectives is to understand the market and identify the key players that fit their brief. This is a unique environment in which a vast array of companies will come together to ensure delegates have every piece of information they need to inform their buying decisions. If your brand isn’t in attendance, it’s probably not going to be on the shortlist.

#2 Building Rapport

In general, businesses are moving on from the pandemic period, but one of the remnants here to stay is a shift in the way we communicate. Digital platforms and virtual conversations are now embedded in daily routines with hybrid interactions far more normal than anyone could have predicted. However, face to face conversations are still the best, and preferred way to conduct a business deal. 69% of visitors surveyed two weeks after attending live events said they had already recommended or would be recommending brands they had seen at the event.

This is just as important for delegates as it is for brands exhibiting. There’s still nothing like the experience of shaking an expert’s hand and talking with them face to face about your business challenges and how they can help. Think about it as supercharged rapport building!

#3 Connect With Your Profession

Exhibitions and trade shows are a great opportunity to see what else is going on within your industry. Whether it’s from the competition, industry bodies or even suppliers, this environment gives you a chance to see how they are positioning themselves to your target audience and what that may mean to your own marketing strategies.

For delegates who are in information-gathering mode, making sure there’s lots of information and insights available will help them in their quest without feeling like they need to endure a sales conversation that they perhaps aren’t ready for. Far from being a negative, this means that the conversations that do take place are of a higher quality and with warmer leads who are already considering being part of your sales funnel.

#4 Generate Business

Exhibitions are an investment as part of an overall marketing strategy but the commercial benefits can be significant, particularly when looking at warms leads converted to actual sales.  It’s proven that the lead time for sales to those who have attended an exhibition is faster than for those who haven’t, meaning excellent returns on the initial investment. With such a targeted audience in attendance who have already stated their interest in your products and services just by being there, every lead is potentially yours to lose.

Whilst a delegate may not want to sign a deal at the event, the ‘intention’ generated as a result of the face-to-face contact, sharing of information and building trust in your brand is creating one of the warmest leads you could hope for.

#5 Stand Out And Be Memorable

One of the most intangible things about exhibiting at an event is making a mark on those attending. Creating a memorable moment, choosing the perfect promotional items and giveaways that delegates will use time and time again and building a connection that lives on beyond the event are all the things that you can’t just select as extras as part of your event package.

How your stand looks: the branding, the layout, the information available will all be noticed on the day. In a crowded room of brands all competing for attention it’s crucial that you pay attention to every element that results in your stand being brought to life for the audience. But don’t forget to be present in every sense to create those moments that really matter to your prospective clients.

Partnering With The Professionals

Deciding on your event strategy to help achieve your overall marketing objectives is just the start of the process. Each event needs careful planning and flawless execution which is why working with an exhibition partner can have real advantages. At Aboveline, we are focused purely on making your exhibition a success, from concept to creation, logistics to long term storage.

If you’d like to talk about how we can help you bring your exhibitions strategy to life then get in touch with our team – call 01270 848 650 or email info@aboveline.co.uk.