Vakantiebeurs 2014

Effective fair participation

Part 3Presentation in a fair

By Willem Reynders

Fair participation

• Is business• Costs a lot• Is quite an investment• and an effective marketing tool• can be more than just promotion• But only if you are well prepared• Group participations require extra preparation!

Stands• Attractive, creating an image• Lay out adapted to the fair (B2B or B2C)• Open and welcoming design, no obstacles• Clear graphs (you have attention for 2 seconds)• What is your offer, what is unique• Suitable for contacts (lay out, facilities)• Easy to keep well organised

Group participation /1

• A TEAM of competitors, objective: your region/ your country/ (your company)

• Possibility for equal individual presentation• Facilities for general use• What are our objectives?

Group participation /2

Basic opportunities for each Sub-Participant:• display of documents• establishing identity• storage• meeting point (desk, table etc.) • possibilities for promotion

Group participation /3

Extra promotion such as:• Show identity & quality• Clip like video/note book presentations• Moving things capture attention• Special exhibits• Free gifts (handy crafts), tasting, etc.• Arrange proper storage (and use it)• Check larger activities with stand manager

Group participation /4

• Your country• Your company• Your product/ offer• That is you as participant• Even with beautiful video/note book presentations,

the person counts• Training/ dress code/ rules of the game

Graphs

• Who and what is presented• Clear and informative• About 7-10 words• Bold lettering, contrasting colours• In good view • You have 2 seconds to catch attention• Hopefully, you get another 10 seconds for your basic

message

Your crew is your productMake clear to everybody: • What is our concept?• Does & don’ts• You have to expect contacts to come to your stand• You have to go out to see prospects in their stands• Participation is an endurance sport (shoes and clothing) • Restaurants to meet, eat, relax and smoke• Qualify crew (and yourself) by training• Identify crew and yourself by badges or uniforms

Visitors• Who are your visitors ?• They come voluntary• Looking for an attractive presentation• Not looking for mysteries• They decide in 2 seconds• Maybe listen for 10 or 15 seconds more

Contacts in the stand /1• Welcoming smile• Give a visitor time• Open approach• Open questions (Why, how, when, who, what…?) to

create a communication• Qualify your visitor and decide Quit or Stick• Registration of valuable contacts (contact information,

purpose and statistics)

Contacts in the stand /2• No obstacles (hanging baskets, stairs)• Clear presentation of offers/products• Don’t act as a prison guard or a predator• No private conversations/ meetings• Use the storage, no used glasses and cups• Don’t arrange hand outs too nicely

Attention!• Time is limited• Beware of holiday stories• Beware of free loaders, sore feet etc• The visitor is no prey……!• But the visitor is a herd animal….! (one visitor in your

stand, more will follow)• Beware of collectors, students (and thieves)

Qualify Trade Visitors• Field of interest• Company/ Organisation• Function/ Authority• What is their interest• Registration…..

Register business contacts• Use forms (follow up)..!• Who is the contact• What has been discussed• What has been the outcome• Information to send• Information to receive• Agreements

Materials• Cheap handouts, large volumes easy to hand out, just

basic information of destination and product, with map and contact information

• More extensive documents• Expensive, comprehensive documents• Trade inform. (confidential tariffs) also in print• Press kits• DVD’s, CD(rom)s• Give aways/ Handicrafts• In The Netherlands, the English versions are OK

Your stand is your image• Fair concept• Type of fair/ type of visitors• Special promotion• Use the storage• Keep it welcoming and tidy• Show your professionalism• An empty stand is no stand, but a . . .

Nice stand…., but...• Attractive fair,• Beautiful stand,• Well located,• Friendly staff, BUT

• Visitors are passing by……..• The night mare of every fair participant

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Use special promotion that creates• Attention• Interest• Desire• Action • (The well known AIDA formula)• Be aware that the actions should support your business

• E.G. Tasting products (snacks, drinks, etc), handicrafts, performers, flat screen presentations, presence of celebrities (artists), etc., etc.

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Special Promotion…...• Promotion in your stand to have visitors to come to your

stand• Attraction for your target groups• Spending more time in your stand• Collecting names etc target persons• Create positive association• Beware of excesses

Take good care of guests• Careful with alcohol• Limit consumption• take care of litter and left overs• check country’s rules and regulations• check with fair organiser• be aware of other stands (music, performers, handing

out food, snacks or drinks)

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Tourism is your objective• Tourism related activities• Explain performances• Explain links with tourism• Keep visitors entertained

Recommendations• A nice party is only the medium, • Business is the purpose• think of co-operation and sponsoring• check with fair organiser and neighbours• there is competition: others have also…..• Trade visits are only step one, the follow up is the next

stepThank you