Thinking of exhibiting in 2010? Top tips for maximising value and success

With the number of exhibitions growing every year deciding where your company should be seen can be difficult. Choosing the wrong exhibition or using an old stand that conveys outdated messages or company images are all recipes for disaster and will bring no benefit to your organisation. According to Richard Bland, Creative Director at KISS Communications, “Whilst there are considerable commercial benefits for an organisation exhibiting at a major trade or consumer show, it is vital that your stand communication fits effectively into your broader marketing strategy rather than a standalone piece of marketing.” He continued, “Apathy can also mean it’s easier to continue exhibiting at the same events rather than re-evaluating whether it’s still the right place for the target audience.” KISS Communications’ exhibition team has a solid track record in providing innovative, creative and eye-catching exhibition stands and has worked with major blue-chip clients and successful small businesses, both in the UK and Europe. The company offers complete exhibition packages, from brand strategies, stand designs, implementation, production of marketing collateral to hand-outs and promotional gifts. Hannah Rimmer is leading the exhibition team at KISS; she believes planning is the key to a successful exhibition: “Once a company has chosen an exhibition there is a lot of planning, preparation, logistics and project managing to do. We can do all this for clients, taking the hassle out of exhibiting by managing the whole event.” Using this expertise, KISS has developed a five-point check plan that companies should ask themselves before any decisions have been made regarding an exhibition. KISS Communications five-point exhibition check list: The right exhibition? Inertia often means a decision to change from the usual haunts is given less consideration than it deserves. A bit more research and intelligence to find out where your clients, your customers and your competitors are likely to be may help to steer decisions. The right location? Make sure your choice of location within an exhibition works at every level. Having a great space in the wrong place can be disastrous. Take a look at the likely footfall, the orientation of the space and its proximity to your competitors or partners. The right strategy? Set your objectives for attending the exhibition. Be clear as to whether you are attending the exhibition to generate sales leads, to launch a new product or to develop a new customer database. Once objectives have been set, the strategy then needs to be developed. The right message? Make sure that your stand execution fits within your marketing strategy and doesn’t miss this vital opportunity to grow your brand communication. All too often the design of a stand overtakes the message it’s designed to convey, so make sure your brief is single minded, clear and thorough. The right team? Putting together any exhibition can be a real headache, particularly if it’s abroad, so use an experienced company that can take the pressure off your team and allows you to oversee the project without drowning in the detail. Attempting to do it all yourself can often turn out to be a false economy. Hannah Rimmer is leading the KISS exhibition team for the year ahead. Any organisation that needs an effective exhibition presence should contact Hannah on 0208 12345 75 or via email on hannah@kisscom.co.uk.