Exhibitions are one of the most effective mediums for establishing and maintaining customer relations. In an increasingly digital age they are the only media where buyer, seller and product physically come together – a potent force for business.

Exhibitions when used properly, are a powerful, versatile and highly cost–effective sales and marketing medium. To maximise your investment, and make the most of your participation you need to understand exactly what benefits ODEX and the Aqua Shots Symposium will offer:

A two way communication process - Unlike magazines and direct mail, exhibitions involve a two-way communication process. Visitors can question, challenge and debate. Exhibitors can give and seek information. Most importantly, business is conducted face to face – the most effective way to build and sustain customer relations.

Highly Targeted -With their carefully focused profiles, and highly targeted audiences, exhibitions allow you to direct your sales and marketing effort accurately and cost-effectively, with minimum wastage

The Buyer Comes To You – Exhibition visitors are pro-active rather than passive recipients of your sales and marketing messages. They make a conscious decision to attend, and set aside valuable time to do so. Many are specifiers and influencers who it might otherwise be impossible to identify.

3D Sales And Promotion – Nothing beats the impact of a live demonstration. At an exhibition, buyers can see, taste, touch and try your product for themselves.

Neutral sales environment – The buyer feels under no great pressure to buy, while the seller is not intimidated by visiting the buyer on his home territory.

Fast Market Penetration – You can reach a large proportion of the market in a short space of time. Whether you are looking to raise your company profile, change market perceptions or generate sales leads, you can achieve more in two days at an exhibition than you might otherwise achieve in several months.

 

Visitor Motivation

By understanding the needs and motivations of exhibition visitors you can dramatically improve your chances of doing business with them. Buyers visit exhibitions for three key reasons:

• To source new and existing products.

• To meet current and potential suppliers

• To keep up to date with new technology and industry developments.

They also value the role exhibitions offer in allowing them to:

• Talk to an expert ie. someone they perceive as being more knowledgeable than their sales representative.

• Discuss their needs in a neutral environment, without feeling obligated to make a purchase.

• Examine the products for themselves, and question the claims of manufacturers

• Make brand-to-brand comparisons, quickly and easily

• Meet the people behind the products. eg. Product designers, sales directors etc.

• Network with industry colleagues and associates.

 

Benefits

The benefits listed are not unique to exhibitions. What is unusual is their combination in a single, highly flexible promotional tool. Exhibitions combine the mass-reach of advertising, the targeting of direct mail, the persuasive power of face-to-face selling, and the networking benefits of the Internet, to create a unique environment in which a wide range of sales and marketing objectives can be pursued, either singly or side by side. 

 

Remember – Exhibitions require Time and Effort

Underestimating the amount of planning and preparation required to exhibit successfully is one of the biggest reasons for disappointment and failure. If you are going to invest in a stand/booth, you must also be prepared to invest the necessary time, effort and resources to see it through. Effective planning and follow-up can mean the difference between a bad show experience and a good one. But it can also mean the difference between a good show, and a truly exceptional one.