Exhibiting at an industry exhibition or trade show offers certain advantages over other marketing activities. These types of events give prospects a chance to see products up close and take part in hands-on demonstrations. They are also an ideal environment for company representatives to engage with prospects and strengthen relationships with existing clients.
However, it takes the right type of exhibit to get the most out of the investment required to participate. A custom environment design enables event marketers to create a unique and memorable experience for attendees.
Here are three common mistakes to avoid when creating a custom environment.
Mistake #1 Designing a Custom Exhibit Without a Strategy
Before you embark on the creative process of custom environment design it’s important that you understand your company’s overall corporate goals as well as the specific objectives for your trade show marketing program.
Collaborating with a custom exhibit design house provides both the creative and strategic elements necessary for successful trade show marketing. Be sure to articulate your company goals to your exhibit design team.
Consider the specific actions you want prospects to take when they are at your exhibit.
- Is your main priority to build brand awareness for your company?
- Or is it to introduce your latest products and services to both prospects and current customers?
- Are you looking to strengthen your relationships with partners, suppliers and influencers such as industry analysts and the press?
- Maybe it’s all of the above?
With this information in hand, your design team can create a custom exhibit that achieves your goals and adds value to your company.
Mistake #2 Not Knowing Your Target Audience
Naturally, event marketers opt to participate in trade shows that attract attendees who are in the market for their products. These may be prospects who sell products directly to consumers (wholesalers, retailers, etc.) or decision-makers responsible for buying and rolling out products at their companies.
Because audiences are diverse, it is critical to know the segment of the audience you are trying to reach at each particular show. By defining your targets, you can determine what is important to them and then create a custom environment that appeals directly to them.
Share as much information as possible about the demographics, pain points and priorities of your prospects with your custom exhibit designer. You can also develop and walk through buyer personas to ensure your exhibit design, messaging and experience appeals to those specific types of prospects.
Mistake #3: Not Measuring Trade Show ROI
It can seem challenging to gauge the impact of having an exhibit at a trade show, but there are several ways to measure results. The key is to measure what matters to your company. Ask senior executives what metrics are meaningful to them. Then you can factor organizational goals and financial objectives into the design of your custom environment.
For example, you can measure what things happened at your exhibit (how many attendees visited your exhibit, how many leads were generated), as well as the broader impact of your participation in the trade show (how many impressions were created from brand visibility in all media channels because of your trade show participation). You can also measure the quality of visitors’ experience in your custom environment. Partnering with a custom design house that offers trade show ROI services can help you gather data and factor in feedback on what worked and what didn’t into future plans.
Exhibitus is the place where smart design meets meaningful measurement. Contact Exhibitus today to begin collaborating on a custom environment design that delivers results for your business.