Securing the right exhibitors for your event is important when planning a successful tradeshow expo. The key is making sure that your exhibitors are a good fit for your event. Finding exhibitors can be overwhelming but you want to choose exhibitors that will bring a good audience to your event.
Keep in mind other events that are happening during the time of yours. You’ll have some competition but if you give yourself enough time to plan, book, and secure the perfect exhibitors, then you can plan for a great event. Here are 3 recommended tips to secure exhibitors during your event planning process.
1. Know Your Audience
First, in order to start planning your tradeshow, find who your target audience is. What type of audience will be attracted to your product or service? Your goal is to create a plan where exhibitors and guests can interact with each other and build connections. Doing some market research can help you understand your customers a little more and see where their interests lie.
Who are your customers? Take a look at the demographics of your customers. Look at things such as age, gender, race, marital status, education level, and annual income.
Where do your clients live? Be sure you take a look at where your customers are located. Will there be exhibitors that are worth traveling for? Are they local?
Lastly, you want to know what interests your audience. Get to know your audience. What do they like to do? Do you share the same values and attitudes? These factors can help determine your audience.
These three factors will lead you to understand your audience better. Doing this research on your customers will help you plan to fulfill their event objectives.
Don’t forget, inviting industry experts as guest speakers will attract potential customers. It’s also a way to keep your audience members engaged during your expo. Scanalytics Inc. suggests to map out your goals in a marketing plan. Your marketing plan will help you connect to your audience through industry networks, social media, email campaigns, and other communication tools.
2. Scheduling Dates
When planning a trade show, pick a date that works with the exhibitors you are looking to book. You want to pick a date that your customers will be available. Schedule a meeting with your exhibitors to go over important details of the trade show. Going over details with exhibitors can help clear up any confusion there may be. It also ensures that you are both on the same page. Doing this will also be a way to secure your exhibitors.
Avoid holidays and dates of related trade shows. By doing this you will minimize competition with other events, popular vacation times, and busy periods of the year. Be sure to give yourself ample time to plan effectively. Giving yourself enough time to plan will allow you to focus on all the details of your trade show. Make sure you are scheduling dates with the consideration of all your exhibitors, public speakers, and attendees.
3. Venue
Picking the perfect event space to hold your trade show is important. Keep in mind location, venue size, and site amenities to be sure you attract and secure the right exhibitors. You want to choose the best fit for your event. Talk to multiple partners so you can select the best one.
You want to choose a venue that aligns with your vision, while also being affordable. Select a few different venues and compare prices, space, locations, etc. Request a quote for booking your venue.
Consider the location of the venue and be sure to choose a location that minimizes travel time for exhibitors. You also want to choose a venue that is spacious enough to host your trade show. Make sure you are able to fit a large number of guests if needed. In addition to ensuring you have enough space, keep in mind that you also don’t want to have too much space and be undercrowded. Reserving a larger room than necessary will have you spending more money, and you want to avoid that.
Consider places like Los Angeles County, Orange County, and New York City as they are ideal locations because they are surrounded by trade show industries. Other major areas that will attract a large crowd with fun attractions and activities surrounding are cities like Las Vegas or Orlando that have endless possibilities during the off-house of the show.
If possible, be sure to visit the venue you plan to rent out so that you get an idea of how you want to set up your trade show and how many guests you can invite. Take a look at social media pages for information on venues you have in mind.
Every event venue offers different amenities. Great venues offer great staff, tech support, Wifi, a host of different room options for different keynotes, well-maintained restrooms, space for signage, and parking.
Enjoy Your Event
After considering these tips, you will be on the right path to securing the perfect exhibitors for your event. Be sure to know who your audience members are. Understanding their needs and wants is important for making them happy. When scheduling, schedule everything on time and make sure you follow your planned schedule. Lastly, when picking a venue, take your time to select the perfect venue to hold your event.
Overall, finding the right exhibitors may be daunting at first, but once you know who you are looking to book, you can market and plan your event in a way that will fulfill their needs, attracting them to your show. After securing your exhibitors, don’t forget to book your event with us.
