Making Gifts and Promotions Work At Exhibitions
Everyone knows that B2B (Business To Business) exhibitions and trade shows are seeing a continuing fall off in numbers. I have been to three very different shows this month covering industrial, innovation and the latest in marketing strategies and have seen a whole range of approaches to getting people onto stands. Some companies did really well, with attractive stands, well laid out with brochures, themed gifts and press packs within easy reach. Others where just down right awful. There can be little excuse these days for not making your stand attractive and the layout something to draw you in. The worst experience was walking past one stand where the American sales person shouted ‘hey I know you want an iPhone !*?* Well no actually I am really happy with my Sony Ericsson PDA which works really well and is not overpriced.
More to the point though when you see shows like this it is easy to spot the companies approaching a tick-list to exhibiting. I am not saying that following a generic Tradeshows and Giveaways Gifts Guide is wrong, just that you need to tailor your approach so that what you present is matched to draw in your prospective clients and is attractive to them. If you take promotional gifts, don’t just pile them on a table for people to take like free cheap giveaways. Work some magic, position them attractively, ask visitors if they would like this really great pen or gadget, make people feel valued. Don’t just pile em high!
