How to Make the Most of the Exhibition Experience as a Small Business

Before a business exhibition

If you want to make the most of exhibiting at a small business event, the work needs to start well before you actually step foot on the venue floor. Below, we’ve laid out some of the key elements you’ll need to consider before a business exhibition…

Set clear goals

The most important thing you can do before an exhibition to make sure you’re setting yourself for success, is to clearly confirm what you want to get from the event. Are you looking for…

 

• Lead generation?
• Networking opportunities?
• Opportunities to build your business reputation?
• New customer acquisition?

 

Once you’ve decided on what you’re looking to get from a small business event, it’s a lot easier to plan your time and put your energy into the areas that will help you succeed.

Choose the right exhibition or trade show

Once you’ve decided what you want to achieve from an exhibition presence, you need to choose whether or not attending a specific event makes sense for your goals. Ask yourself the following:

 

• Is now the right time?
• Can the business support this venture financially, physically, and logistically?
• Is the business exhibition covering relevant themes?
• Have you been invited to a small business event?
• Are there opportunities for you at the business exhibition that align with your wider strategy?

 

If you’re going to embark on the next steps of your business, you need to make sure it will be worth your while in the long run.

 

Top tip: if you’re unsure whether an event is right for you, try attending it a couple of times before committing to a stand. This way you can speak to other exhibitors and get more information on the experience before you go.

Invest in your stand

Once you’ve decided on a business exhibition, you need to make your presence known. Booths and/or stands are the way to do this, so we recommend investing in your stand to make the most of your time there. Depending on the event, this allows customers or industry connections to find you and understand what your brand is all about.

 

Not sure where to start? We recommend:

 

• Keeping it simple: as a small business, it can be tempting to go quirky or different to stand out amongst more established competitors. But, sometimes the best thing to do is keep it simple and allow your business to speak for itself. This also helps if you have a limited budget – stay away from the gimmicks, and find ways to present your brand in the best light possible.
• Going modular: if business exhibitions are something you’re keen to continue in the future, it’s worth investing in some quality modular pieces for your stand. This allows you to adapt and change your setup according to the venue or floor plan without spending money for every event. It’s also more sustainable, as you can continue reusing what you have rather than buying and disposing.
• Considering renting: depending on your finances, you may not have the budget to stretch to buying your own equipment; and if it’s your first business exhibition, you might not know if it’s something you want to continue. Renting your equipment could be a viable solution here, as you can get what you need for less and see how the experience goes before investing in your own equipment.
• Adding interactive elements: we’ve discussed this often, but visitors enjoy exhibitions that have elements of interactivity. This could be with product demonstrations, VR/AR displays, games etc. As a small business, you might not have the budget for big tech, but you could consider smaller gamification strategies to attract and engage with audiences.

 

Top tip: interested in learning more about this? Check out our guide to Augmented & Virtual Reality: How Interactive Technology is Changing the Way We Experience Exhibitions…

Agree on a budget

Obviously, you will need to consider the financial aspect of attending business exhibitions. Depending on the size and scope of an event, you will need to confirm a budget that helps you get the most from the experience without hindering any future prospects. Deciding on your budget well in advance, and planning it to a high level of detail, allows you to:

 

• Define your priorities: knowing what you want from your event experience allows you to dedicate your budget to the areas that matter the most.
• Allocate spend effectively and efficiently: creating a detailed budget beforehand helps you to cover all your bases, so that you don’t end up with unexpected costs in forgotten areas – like travel, equipment hire or transport, staffing etc.
• Leave room for unexpected spend: not everything goes to plan, but having a little flex in a detailed budget can help you get through any unexpected costs without too much impact on your final plans.

 

Once you’ve confirmed a budget, there are some things you can do to stretch your money and maximise your event experience. For example, streamlining your branding options to ones that will resonate best with your audience saves money on physical materials; investing in long-term solutions can prevent unnecessary or repeat spending; and even co-exhibiting with another small business allows you to share the bigger costs for the first few times.

Use pre-event marketing

As a small business, you probably rely a fair amount on your existing audience as you’re trying to grow. So make sure that they know you’re attending an event by marketing it to them. Leverage your social presence, email campaigns, OOH (if relevant), and other avenues to make sure you can shout about what you’re doing.

 

Self-promotion, either with existing or new audiences, can help to generate a buzz before the event – offering you more opportunities to take advantage of on the day and beyond.

On the day

Putting in the work before a business exhibition is vital, but often it all comes down to the actual day. To really make sure the exhibition experience (and all the time and energy you’ve put in already) pays off, keep the following tips in mind…

Embrace the experience

Business exhibitions, trade shows, and other professional events are a lot of hard work – but, they can also be hugely rewarding and enjoyable. One of the best pieces of advice we can give you on the day is to just embrace your time there and have fun!

 

If you’re feeling a little daunted, don’t worry. Everyone has a different experience at small business events, so you need to go about it in a way that suits you. This includes:

 

• Giving yourself time: allow yourself extra time to traverse the venue, get set up in the morning, get away for lunch, and even just to take breaks. You can’t pour from an empty cup; if you want to make the most of the day, give yourself the time and patience to do what you’ve come to do.
• Keep your energy up: it can be draining, but try to approach the day with a positive outlook and keep your energy up. You want to present your brand in the best light, so try to keep upbeat and open to meeting people.

 

Top tip: take advantage of any Inclusive Areas to take breaks and make your exhibition experience easier.

Explore other stands

Just because you’re exhibiting doesn’t mean you need to be chained to your stand for the entire event. On the day, take some time to explore what other exhibitors are bringing to the event. This can give you ideas for the future, find out what is resonating with audiences, and what trends are appearing in your industry. It also offers you an opportunity to meet other likeminded individuals and small business owners, which could be valuable in the future.

Maximise time networking opportunities

Whatever your goals are for the event, making professional connections and other business relationships will always be valuable. As a small business, networking becomes even more vital – especially if you’re looking to grow in the future. When it comes to maximising any networking opportunities, we recommend:

 

• Training staff: make sure you (and any representatives or staff) know what to do and what you’re hoping to achieve from the event.
• Staying genuine: just because you’re hoping to make professional connections doesn’t mean you should sacrifice authenticity. Ask people questions, listen, and be actively engaged in conversations for the right reasons (not just for what you can get from them).
• Being open: networking is draining, but you can also have a lot of fun. Try to be open to conversations rather than watching from the sidelines, and throw yourself into the event.

After the event

Finally, there are a couple of things you should do once the event is over…

 

• Follow up with connections: if you’ve been networking at the event, make sure to follow up with any connections in the time afterwards to grow and maintain the relationship.
• Set time aside for evaluation: a few days after a business exhibition, you should set aside some time to evaluate how it went and what you’ve learned. This includes looking at:
  • Measurable metrics according to your goals, such as engagement figures, sign-ups, connections made, potential new leads generated etc.
  • Elements that went well and can be repeated next time.
  • Aspects that can be done better next time, or areas you would change.
  • The overall performance and benefits from the exhibition.

Grow with Exhibition Centre Liverpool

Whether you’re a small business event, or taking the next steps within the events industry, choose Exhibition Centre Liverpool as your venue. With an easily adaptable and configurable Venue, room for growth across our Convention Centre & Arena, and experienced teams who have worked on events of all sizes, we’re here to help you. Interested? Contact us for more information.

 

We also have an incredible bank of advice and guides in our Resources Hub…

 

Using Exhibitions as Part of a Marketing Strategy: A Guide | Scaling Up Your Exhibition: What You Need to Know | How to Stand Out at an Exhibition