Exhibitions and trade shows offer a golden opportunity to showcase your brand, connect with prospects, and drive new business. But all too often, companies invest time and money into events without getting the return they hoped for because of avoidable exhibition mistakes that can seriously undermine your success.
As exhibition stand suppliers, we’ve seen it all – so if you’re gearing up for your next show and wondering how to nail it (without learning everything the hard way), we’ve got you covered!
In this blog post, we delve into the most common exhibiting mistakes and how to avoid them like a seasoned trade show pro (even if it’s your first rodeo).
1. Underestimating the Power of Good Exhibition Stand Design
Yes, we’re biased, but honestly, your stand is the first impression visitors will have of your company and brand. A well-designed stand tells people straight away where you sit in your marketplace and what your values are.
The stand layout itself is vital to ensure it aligns with your event objectives. If you’re going to a show with the aim of collecting as many leads as possible by scanning badges of anyone who shows an interest in your stand, then you need to keep your stand space as open and clear as possible – don’t have seating or clog up the stand, by offering coffee to visitors. However, if your aim is to have in-depth conversations with a few select people during the show, then design the stand more like a VIP airport lounge with comfy seating and offer refreshments but make sure your staff control and qualify all visitors onto your stand, more of that later
When it comes to the graphic design of your stand, less is more. Don’t try to replicate your brochures on the stand, no one will read it. Make sure your main message is clear and concise. Tell people in 10 – 15 words who you are, what you do and why they should speak to you.
Give yourself best chance of designing a great stand by planning your stand at least 3–6 months in advance and working closely with an experienced exhibition stand supplier, like Clip UK, to tailor the exhibition stand to your goals and audience. Ensure to invest in an exhibition stand that not only reflects your business and brand identity, but helps you stand out from the crowd and your competitors! Exhibition stand experts, Clip, deliver cost-effective but high impact stand solutions.
For frequent exhibitors, why not streamline your preparation by investing in a reusable Modular Exhibition Stand? A modular stand solution may be a bit more of an investment up front but over time it is a much more cost effective solution. The more you exhibit, the cheaper it gets!
2. Not briefing Your Staff Correctly
Your team is your biggest asset and can have a big impact on the success of your stand.
Many businesses make the common mistake of assigning staff to the stand without being clear on the objectives of the event. It’s vital that everyone knows “what good looks like” and what their own individual role on the stand is.
Give your team best chance of hitting your event objectives by training your team correctly before the event. Make sure they know how to quickly and effectively qualify a stand visitor, tactfully steer away those who aren’t a good fit, for your business, body language tips and how to avoid the dreaded but often seen exhibition stand huddle! And above all, choose your staff wisely! Those who are enthusiastic and proactive will be most successful. Clip Ltd run free stand staff training for all of their stand clients so let us help you maximise your staff’s presence at your next show.
3. Skipping the Pre-Show Marketing
Spread the word about your attendance or miss out on huge opportunities.
Many exhibitors make the mistake of assuming their target audience will just find them and fail on the use of promotional materials to announce their presence at the event beforehand.
We recommend using email campaigns, social media, and direct outreach to let attendees know where you’ll be and encourage them to visit your stand. You could even tease special giveaways or demos to build interest or invite them to a VIP reception on the stand. The easiest thing is to add details of your upcoming stand presence onto the footer of your company emails. Every time someone from your company sends an email, your advertising your presence at the upcoming show.
4. If you fail to plan, then plan to fail!
Planning is everything, so you want to make sure you’re prepared!
Not only do you need to design the stand structure and graphics, but you will need to submit various forms and paperwork to the organiser 4-6 weeks before the show even starts. Many shows will charge you a penalty fee for missing deadlines, so make sure you are ahead of the game on this. Experienced and high quality exhibition stand partners will pick up all the admin for you to ensure you don’t get caught out by surcharges and fines but you’ll need to be starting your exhibition at least 3 months ahead of the show date.
Don’t forget all the other things you’ll need to organise for an exhibition, transport to the venue, hotel rooms, show give-aways, branded clothing, media for any screens on the stand. Again, if you work with an experienced and full-serviced exhibition partner then they can take a lot of this off your desk for you.
5. Failure to Capture & Follow Up Your Leads
You need a very clear and agreed plan for lead management at an exhibition. Firstly, ensure how you capture the leads ties in with your objectives. If you are looking to generate high quality leads then simply scanning badges won’t deliver for you. All that will give you at the end of the show is an excel spreadsheet of names of visitors without any of the additional information your team may have gleaned from discussions on the stand. Sometimes, an old-fashioned tick box, either on paper or a tablet is the best option so you can add more detail to each lead you’ve taken. The more information you remember from a visitor to your stand, the more accurate you can make your follow-up.
Categorise the leads with a simple A, B, C code for hot, warm and cold priorities. The sooner you follow up the leads, the better so make sure you know which ones need your immediate attention.
You also need to be very clear on who is following up every lead you’ve generated. Make sure the relevant people put the time aside in their diaries to follow up your hard-earned leads. Don’t forget that most of your main competitors will have been in the same exhibition hall as you and had conversations with the same prospects. You need to make sure you get in before your competition.
For more detail on effective lead follow up, have a look at this really popular lead follow-up plan article. Whether it’s a simple thank you email, a demo or meeting invite, or even a cheeky discount, don’t let those leads go cold! The magic is in the follow-up.
Conclusion
Exhibiting successfully is part strategy, part execution, and part experience. By avoiding these common pitfalls, you set yourself up for stronger engagement, more leads, and a higher return on your event spend!
And remember: the right exhibition stand partner can make all the difference – at Clip, we don’t just build stands, we build experiences that help your brand stand out, connect, and grow!
Need help with your next exhibition stand and making the most of a successful event? We design and deliver stands that not only turn heads—but turn leads into long-term customers. Get in touch with our experts today.
