Exhibitions & Trade Fairs - Opportunity? or Networking?

Exhibitions give a unique opportunity to network, transact business & build brands. It is a platform of social networking where one can transact business. Exhibitors & visitors see exhibitions as a tool to come together & talk business. Trade fairs and B2B shows are easy & highly cost effective medium for business promotion.
MSMEs can get better Return on Investment (RoI) of their trade fair participation expenses by clearly defining their goals. Decide exactly what you want to achieve from participation - set yourself objectives that are ambitious but achievable. The goals should be effective and realistic. A well formulated promotional strategy and marketing plan is must. This planning can be started 3 to 6 months ahead of the fair.
At the place of exhibition the first and foremost goal should be to present a professional image. Making eye contact with the visitors is very rewarding. While an effective eye contact compels the visitors to visit the booth, a friendly appearance encourages people to stop and talk. Appoint best people to represent your company.
Set up and decoration of the booth is also very important, so all efforts should be made to make the booth attractive and interesting. Ensure that your booth should not give a cluttered look and Logo or brand should be highlighted prominently in your booth. Graphics and visuals can play a very important role in making the booths attractive and interesting. Nobody is going to remember the textual information, only graphics will stay in the minds of the visitors. Some kind of demo or learn shop should also be arranged. A good speaker needs to be placed at demo or learn shop.
Since purchase decisions are mostly not made at fair venue so try to collect as many leads as possible and then have a proper follow up. First follow up should be promptly after the fair and the requested literature should also be sent immediately. Second follow up can be after 2- 6 months.