Association Insight International & European Association Insights Winter 2015 | Page 22

Association Insights | Article A very different approach needs to be taken by exhibitors at a conference, with limited time, space and people, than that which they would take at a normal tradeshow. Exhibitors have to tell their story – very quickly – to several delegates at once, in an exciting, entertaining and compelling way, and they need to leave the delegates wanting more. The real objective as I have learnt over many years should be to “sell the next appointment”. Trying to sell products or services to delegates who are brain-strained from lectures cannot work. But an entertaining, dramatic, attractive stand experience, lasting no longer than a few minutes, carefully planned, scripted, rehearsed and professionally presented will work wonders. Another strong tip is that wherever your exhibitors or sponsors have a seminar or presentation slot, they need to put out feedback forms, which are simple to complete and can yield a fortune in terms of market intelligence from the audience. and here is where your exhibitors will derive serious value. particularly at conferences – can offer. 1 It is permission marketing – your delegates have chosen to attend and if they approach a stand or walk past it, the exhibitor is entitled to approach them. After all they are subsidising the delegates’ attendance. 2 Exhibitors can gather enormous amounts of market intelligence by listening carefully to the views and comments of your delegates. They should consider the three or four key questions that they would like to ask and then create an appropriate way of doing so (our Outcomes product has been proved to work extremely well in these situations). 3 Exhibitors need to remember that there is no better way of initiating and developing personal contacts than meeting at a conference. All attendees are in the same space at the same time and share a common experience. This can develop into a relationship on which long term business is built. 4 Exhibiting is the most measureable medium. Everything can be planned. How many delegates do they need to meet to end up with the required number of enquiries? How many enquiries will they need to turn into sales later? And at what average customer value? How many market intelligence questions can they ask – and of how many relevant visitors? How many more visitors now know an exhibitors brand – and their key messages after visiting their stand? 5 Exhibitors need to be reminded that they have the opportunity to deliver a total experience of their organisation – not just their products and services – but their values, their culture, their people, their professionalism and their relevance to your audience. If you are serious about attracting new exhibitors and sponsors and getting existing exhibitors to return and play insights of value both to your own organising team and to your exhibitors. In summary, you need to manage the expectations of all parties and in this way; your sponsors will see what an intensely valuable opportunity you are offering. But “if you always do what you’ve always done – you’ll always get what you’ve always had”. Be brave and challenge your own teams, review the idea of a new conference format or model, and risk changing the exhibiting habits of a life time. S P EXHIBITORS N S O R S . John Blaskey is an International Exhibition Consultant at the Exhibiting Agency, and has nearly 40 years’ industry experience. He is a pioneer of exhibiting effectively, challenging and modifying his clients’ exhibition strategy to ensure they gain the most from their investment. [email protected] 22 | Winter 2015 www.associationsnetwork.org