What Exhibition should I attend?
This is obviously dependent upon your product or service, but have a look around, try to choose the event with the biggest footfall. Generally speaking, the bigger events will be at the larger venues, so, the NEC, ExCeL, Olympia, Manchester Central, Telford International centre etc etc. They often have what’s on guides, so have a look at upcoming events.
If you’re a member of a trade association or similar they will usually have a yearly event, sometimes more, this is a good starting point, but you may be battling a lot more competition.
If you’re selling a product to the public, maybe you could look at larger scale events like the ideal home show, grand designs, the wedding show, possibly even something like the chelsea flower show or hampton court. Organisers will often allow for some non-specific exhibitiors at their shows, at the end of the day they want to sell out their show.
Talking of which, it’s always a good idea, if you’re prepared to, ask around in the last few weeks before the start of a show, you may well get some discounts on stand space.
How big should my stand space be?
There are two factors to take into account here, a. the amount you want to spend, b. what you want to achieve. For those new to exhibiting, strand space is charged per square metre, therefore the size of your stand dictates how much you’re going to pay.
Therefore, it’s necessary to have an idea of what you want on your stand before you go ahead and book a space that is either too big or too small. Think about reception desks, storage areas, demo pods, meeting areas/rooms, TVs, presentations, stages etc etc. If required we can give you a bit of a helping hand with this, just contact us, for some no-obligation exhibition stand design advice.
Where should I book an exhibition stand space in the hall?
If you’re getting in at the beginning of the floorplan booking process, be choosy. Go with the most appropriate size that is within budget (and given the above), and then look at what’s around you. Points to consider when booking an exhibition stand space are:
- I believe a study showed that most people when entering an exhibition turn left, not much of an issue if you’re a service-based company, but if you want people to part with their hard-earned cash, get them to do it before they’ve spent money elsewhere.
- Being close to a feature area, or food concession will always help drive footfall, people will notice your stand whilst having a drink, or watching a presentation and may make a bee-line for you once it finishes.
- To be or not to be – near your competitors, this could be a hindrance, or a blessing, it depends on how your offerings stack-up, and how their exhibition stand design compares to yours, don’t be afraid of competition though.
- As odd as it sounds, another way to guarantee to footfall is to be on the way to, or close to the loos, just make sure you have some anti-bac to hand.
- And if money is no object – go for the biggest stand right by the entrance, this will usually be reserved or tied in to an exhibition sponsorship package, so be prepared to part with more of your budget.
