Many forms of marketing, including telesales, adverts and direct mail, involve some intrusion on customers which can be resented. Not so with exhibitions. Customers go to events prepared to give their time and attention and are often ready to buy.
Face-to-face meetings mean that you can have a conversation with customers. As well as presenting your products and services, you get the opportunity to find out more about your customers and their needs. You can use exhibitions to carry out valuable market research.
Trade shows attract qualified visitors and the majority often have buying responsibility. Indeed, trade fairs attract those people who can be elusive at other times. Many arrive with credit card in hand and will have done their homework beforehand.
Consumer shows can be a great launch pad for a new business or product and also offer the chance to do live demonstrations in front of a large audience. Press attention and the power of word of mouth means that you can create a real buzz about your product or service.
As well as making sales, exhibitions can be used to forge new relationships, strengthen existing alliances, build databases, generate positive PR, conduct market research, recruit new staff and build your brand.
Exhibitions and events also offer you the chance to keep up with industry developments. They can give you a snapshot of what’s new and you may get access to the movers and shakers. What’s more, they are a good opportunity to keep an eye on the competition.
But one thing is non-negotiable: events must be memorable to make an impact. Of course, the desired impact depends on your goals. But most companies want events to be more than just a staged advertisement for their brand.
When done well, events have the power to create a lasting and powerful positive impression of all that your company can deliver. By allowing people to experience and interact with your company, product or service while participating in an event, you are connecting with potential buyers.
It’s no wonder most companies include event marketing as part of their overall marketing mix. According to the 2012 IDC Tech Marketing Benchmarks Study, on average event marketing, on average event marketing constitutes 1/5 of the marketing budget, a pretty sizeable percentage.