Making An Exhibition Of Yourself

By Author: Alex Holland
Total Articles: 3764
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Advertising is a complicated issue for most businesses. If too much money is spent on an unsuccessful campaign, a business could falter even if everything else was in order. On the other hand, if you cut back on your advertising costs your business could still suffer since you are not acquiring new customers. That is why you want to balance everything out with different forms of networking. Trade fair exhibitions are an great example.

So, what exactly are trade fair exhibitions, and why should you consider using them for advertising? Basically, trade fair exhibitions allow businesses an opportunity to showcase their products and services at their own exhibition table. If customers like what they see, they can pick up a business card or even purchase merchandise right from the counter.

As to why you should participate in a trade fair, well the answer is fairly obvious. Trade fairs are inexpensive and their audiences do not mind being advertised to. In fact, one of the main reasons people go to trade fairs is to learn about new products and services on the market. This is especially the case with wholesalers, who ...
... are already in the buying mindset, (even if their reasoning differs from the average consumer).

However, in order to make the most out of trade fair exhibitions, you need to: 1) choose the right type of trade fair and 2) host an eye-catching exhibition.

Of these elements, choosing the right type of trade fair is the simplest. All you have to do is keep up with the latest trade fair listings. These are available online, through mailings or business magazines. Either way, once you see something of interest, you need to determine if the trade fairs theme matches what you are trying to sell.

If the theme is appropriate, you need to evaluate whether or not the fairs audience would take action at your exhibit. For instance, is the fair limited to certain people within a particular industry, or is it open to the public? If it is the former, you have a better chance of networking with wholesalers, a group who is ready to buy. If it is the latter, you may have to offer some sort of a free product, (especially if there is no charge for admission). You can then follow-up with cheaper forms of advertising, such as emailing, direct mails or telephone calling.

Yet, keep in mind these things do not mean anything if visitors consider your exhibition to be plain or boring. That is why you need to know the basics behind exhibition stands, including what they are and how to decorate them.

For instance, retractable banner stands offer the most functionality, but you are limited to using just posters for your graphics. With 3-D banner stands, you can use more lifelike graphics for your exhibition. There are even more possibilities, as there are dozens of exhibition stands out there.

If all this seems overwhelming, you might want to consider getting custom-built exhibition stands. They are more expensive than traditional stands, but generally it is a one-time investment, (since you can use the same stand at different trade fairs). Also, when you see how spectacular these stands are in comparison to everyone elses, you will know that you made a good investment.