Business Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 18

Planning for Gold: Exhibiting 101

IN THIS CHAPTER

Zeroing in on the essentials of planning

Developing high-impact promotions

Whether you promote your products and services at a trade show or a conference, exhibiting is a powerful extension of your company’s marketing, advertising, public relations, and sales functions. Customers, prospects, and the general public see a broad view of exhibiting companies — their staff, products, services, and activities. Yet, I am continually amazed at companies that invest thousands of dollars exhibiting at trade and consumer shows, conferences, expositions, and mall shows — both in the United States and overseas — but don’t take seriously this extremely powerful marketing tool.

Even though shows last only a few days, they interfere with the year-round normal selling routine, and many employees consider them a hindrance or nuisance. However, when exhibits are taken seriously and given top management’s total support and commitment (plus forethought and planning), companies can profit nicely from their exhibiting efforts. It’s important to realize that exhibiting is a business event — a big, important one.

Exhibiting consists of three distinct phases — activities that take place before, during, and after the show. To simplify the exhibit ...