You can never have enough pens.
No, seriously, there must be pen gnomes that build little pen houses with them under the exhibition..
Always bring more materials then you think you need – better to take some home then run out.
We underestimated the popularity of our 12 step guide so had to email copies out to people after the show!
Smiling is a big help!
Our jaws still hurt a little bit from all of our smiling..
Don’t bully people onto your stand – they will come to you if you look like something they’re interested in.
Don’t all stand in a line looking at the person – it’s too intimidating for the poor person trying to take a sneaky peek at your stand!
Every time I saw us even slightly forming into a line, we rearranged ourselves into a less organised manner.. Much better.
Have space on your stand, if you can - this can make the people feel less overwhelmed rather than having a small space that's crammed full of things.
Lots of visitors quite liked the fact that our stand was open - apparently it felt like they weren't trapped into talking to us
Have enough equipment to show demos effectively - try not to have people having to wait.
We were very lucky to have two computers from which to show demos on, it was so helpful!
Organise who is doing what and when - people do not want to just stand around whilst you organise yourself.
Listen to what people say, if they offer advice about your stand and what could be better, take it and learn from it.
A lot of these people have been to hundreds of shows and seen hundreds of stands - they know what they're talking about!
Make a list of what you'd improve on for the next time - you can always improve on something show to show.
Preparing makes all the difference, last minute stress is not what you need right before a show when a positive attitude for the duration is a must!
It may sound obvious but it is a really important point to remember!
Any opportunity to meet people, go for it, even if it's the last thing you feel like doing because you're tired - you can always sleep after the show!
Networking was one of the last things we felt like doing after a hard day's exhibiting but it really is good to go along and meet everyone.
Say hi to your next-door neighbours on the stands next to you - it makes the slow parts of the slow more bearable and meeting people, including competitors is what a show is all about..
We met some great people and even found a few guest bloggers for our blog!
Have an unusual promotion running - something that's new and inventive but not something that every other stand is giving away as well.
Use social media to get the word out - you want people to know that you're there. Make some noise!
Twitter is such a great platform for spreading the word about shows as they usually have a hashtag that you can add to your tweets.
Try and make sure any freebies you give out are not things that visitors will find annoying to carry around with them - they will simply go straight in the bin otherwise.
Try and stand out with something unusual or striking - doesn't have to be hugely inventive or expensive, even a display of flowers or something simple like that can make you different from the crowd and people will be drawn towards you.
Our vase of unusual flowers, that were called Anthiriums apparently, attracted quite a lot of attention.
Have fun, take what you can from it and make as many connections as you can!
We had a great time at HRSS and can't wait for next year!
-Emily
Comments