Are you trade show ready? It’s the Festival of Turf and Sports grounds expo this July, SALTEX and Futurescape in November, the RHS Hampton Court, Tatton and Chelsea are also open for business. Trade shows reopen once again for business!
Whether you are going to trade show events as an exhibitor or as an attendee it is important to spend some time planning how you can use these events most effectively. Paula Warman from The Landscaper’s Circle offers top tips to make the most out these events and get a return on investment.
- Have a plan. This is the most important point; know exactly what you want to achieve by attending each event. Set timeframes, targets and who you want to see or meet whilst there. Be prepared! If exhibiting, make it as easy as possible for people to interact with you and give you their details. Set a target for leads and for making new business connections.
- Find new products and suppliers. These events showcase new products and services suited to us horticultural and landscaping professionals. They can give us inspiration as well as offer new products for our clients or services that differentiate you from your competitors. Start a dialogue with these businesses and build a rapport.
- Build on existing business relationships. Whilst at the events use it as an opportunity to negotiate prices and see if there are any opportunities to collaborate and explore.
- Attend the seminars. There is a real opportunity for personal development, building on existing learning and/or learning something new.
- Network. Look at the exhibitors list and make a note of who you want to meet. Secondly, invite connections that you want to develop relationships with or with whom you have opportunities in the pipeline.
- Pre-book appointments. By planning in advance and pre-booking appointments where possible will save you time waiting to speak to people or catching connections on the off chance. Making an appointment means it is more likely to happen for both parties.
- Get social. Post on social media platforms about the event you are attending prior to, whilst at the event and after. People may see you are going and reach out to catch up, and as an exhibitor you want to make your presence known to get more footfall. Remember to tag others that you want to see or start a conversation with and use your hashtags!
These events are fantastic to connect with people in the industry, find new products and services and make new connections. We are looking forward to attending some of these events and exhibiting at Futurescape.
It’s been a long time since we were able to meet at events like these in person, so go put the dates in your diary and we’ll see you there!