Norway Trade Fairs

checklist
for professional
exhibitors

Norways premier meeting place

Checklist for professional exhibitors

Good exhibition planning enhances results and improves profits
We have prepared this checklist to help you
as an exhibitor in the detailed planning of your
involvement, in order to create an even better
basis for profitable participation.

Cost-effective supplement
Exhibition participation represents a cost-effective supplement to traditional methods of cultivating customers.
Done properly, it reduces marketing costs, increases sales
and provides management with an effective instrument for
measuring the markets knowledge of and interest in your
company and its products.

The exhibition as a medium

No other medium comes near to matching the exhibitions
opportunities for closing deals directly. Presenting your company and its products/services at a show accurately targets
customers, and permits personal demonstration and promotion.

Become an even better exhibitor

attend our Exhibition School
To help our exhibitors get the most out of their involvement,
we offer a one-day course covering every aspect of exhibition
participation. So far available only in Norwegian, this programme deals with working methods and provides advice and
tips on all important considerations before, during and after a
show. The course is suitable for all company personnel involved in an exhibition coordinator, stand coach, sales personnel, other stand staff and so forth.

An exhibition functions as a two-way medium in other

words, your message is communicated with the chance to
get direct feedback on the markets views about your products, marketing and sales network. In a world increasingly
dominated by electronic communication, exhibiting allows you
to influence buyers, decision-makers and users face-to-face.

All the important aspects before a show

Planning is the basis for success
Taking part in an exhibition is a complex marketing activity which involves many people inside
and outside your company. So planning will be
essential for achieving an optimal result.

Goals and other general conditions

The stand

Stand staff must be drilled and motivated before the show.

Hold a kick-off session with everyone involved in the
exhibition five to 10 days before it opens.
Plan the assembly/disassembly periods.

Clarify whether stand design expertise is available in-house.

Make a rough sketch showing how the stand space will be
allocated, indicating the type of stand, products, demonstration
area(s), stand staff, storage room, information desk, the need
for separate customer cubicles and so forth.
Contact exhibition/advertising agencies if necessary to
secure proposals for stand design/solution (turnkey or offthe-peg).
The stand design should reflect the image your company
wants to project.
Structure the stand so that you get your message across.
A visitor must be able to see and understand it from
15 metres away.
Decide on decor, text and pictures, and signs.
Concise, eye-catching and simple.
Organise insurance and transport (to/from) of all necessary materials.
Order all equipment and services required for the stand,
unless you opt to leave this to your stand contractor. We will
provide you with a product catalogue, price list and order
form, as well as a contact person who can help you with all
the technical and practical aspects of ordering every kind of
equipment.
Plan and book catering on the stand.

Establish a project team/committee, and appoint a coordinator with full responsibility who must be authorised to
manage the project.
Notify everyone involved about the decision to take part in
the show - and make sure they are kept constantly informed
of progress.
Specify clear and easily-defined goals for your involvement. Make sure these can be quantified and measured, but
also formulate possible quality goals.
Decide which products/services will be presented at the
show, and the focus for the stand. Coordinate this with other
marketing activities.
Choose a theme/main message.
Estimate the stand space required.
Establish an exhibition budget.
Decide who will staff the stand, and how many people are
needed. Remember that selling at an exhibition is different
from normal sales visits.
Decide how new customer contacts will be registered.
Establish a system for evaluating the quality of visitors
to the stand.
Decide whether exhibition offers or other exhibitionspecific activities are needed.
Determine whether give-aways are required.
Decide on a possible stand uniform which enhances your company image or the selected theme, and which is easily identifiable.
Try to predict what your competitors might do at the show,
and consider whether anything needs to be done in that respect.
Check the list of deadlines issued by Norway Trade Fairs,
and submit all bookings/orders on time.
Book travel and hotel accommodation for stand staff,
agents and others due to be present at the exhibition.
Order exhibitor and parking tickets.
Draw up a detailed timetable with topics and deadlines, and
ensure that this is available to everyone involved in the exhibition project.

Marketing and PR
The organiser will do a lot to attract visitors to the exhibition.
Your job will be to ensure that as many people as possible
visit your stand.

Remember your entry in the exhibition catalogue.

Remember to post information about your companys products, brochures, press releases, contact details and so forth
to the exhibitions web site for visitors.
Book advertising in the exhibition catalogue, trade press
and daily press where appropriate.
Are brochures, information and sales material available,
or must they be produced?

Checklist for professional exhibitors

Exploit the promotional opportunities offered beyond your

stand by the exhibition centre, to the extent that these are
available.
Or sponsor an event at the show.
Establish an internet link from your web site to the exhibitions site, and encourage your contacts to sign up for the show
via this link.
Book invitation cards from the organiser.
Organise letters/direct marketing shots to customers/
prospects, with an invitation card.
Book meetings with customers who have received invitations.

Produce and distribute press releases.

Make active use of the trade press editorial coverage
is worth 12 times as much as an ad.
Prepare press conferences/materials for the exhibition
press centre.
Use extra activities/events VIP activities, cocktail parties, competitions, seminars, industry meetings and so forth.

Remember!
The crucial factor is the combination of
activities. Try to achieve synergies.

All the important aspects during a show

Implementation

Staffing rotas have been drawn up.

Catering is organised.
Information materials are ready for stand use.
Visitor registration is in order and tailored to your requirements.
The company switchboard and other relevant personnel
at home have been given the necessary information.
Disassembly has been planned and organised.

Exhibitors want to meet as many people as

possible with the highest possible quality at the
show in the shortest possible time, and at the
lowest possible cost. You have defined the goals
for your involvement in advance of the show,
they have been set overall and broken down to
determine what each person will be doing on
the stand. This simplifies and guides the work,
simplifies follow-up and permits a post-show
assessment of whether optimum use was made
of marketing resources.

Routines

If a number of people are to staff the stand, they can

be divided into teams with a coach for each. Encourage
the teams to compete with each other.
Stage a morning meeting every day with the stand
manager in the chair.
Maintain team spirit - generate enthusiasm.
and encourage a continued commitment.
Check that the stand works.
Check against defined goals.
Reward good performances.
Follow up the days results every evening and compare
them with the specified targets.

Checkpoints

A stand manager has been appointed.

Stand construction and occupation have been coordinated
and are under control.
Realistic goals have been set.
Stand personnel have been trained and their motivation
is at a peak. They have been drilled in exhibition sales,
have relevant product knowledge, are fully informed about
good/bad stand behaviour and so forth.

Check that visitor registration is working as planned.

Ensure that personnel at home are continuously
provided with possible leads for quick follow-up.
Everyone must help to ensure that the stand is kept tidy
and attractive at all times.

Stand uniform
Visitors must be able to identify stand staff immediately.
This can be achieved simply by wearing the companys badge
on the lapel or more strikingly by adopting a uniform which
matches and emphasises the chosen message. This could
involve skirt/trousers with a distinctive tie/scarf which reflects
the company colours, colourful T-shirts, pullovers and the
like. Remember good shoes!

Selling at the show

The first impression is crucial. Visitors primarily note facial
expressions, the way staff are dressed and the appearance
of the stand.

Stand staff
The staff on your stand are the most critical success factor at
an exhibition. Well prepared and highly motivated personnel
increase the chances for a good exhibition results.

How the actual meeting develops:

Contact
Try to pick out and concentrate on people in your target
audience.
Take just one step forward.
Opening question.
Give the other person something.
Be quick to introduce yourself and your company.
Identify
Who are you talking to?
What do they do?
Are they interested in learning more?
Clarify the customers requirements/problems/wishes
in relation to your product/service.
Present
Present your product (direct the conversation in line with
the customers wishes).
Explain the benefits/what the product can do for the customer.
Involve the visitor.
Conclusion
Response to the product.
Propose the next step what have you agreed?
Make the sale/take an order/note the contact.
Note down
Secure the visitors business card and/or complete
a customer contact card.
Use a bar code reader if available.
Follow up
Mail suitable material.
Remember the five-day deadline for dispatching.
Letter phone call visit.

Behaviour on the stand

Look positive.
Be active without being too pushy.
Introduce yourself by name and function to unknown visitors.
Identify the customers needs and wishes (avoid yes or
no questions).
Talk only about what you know. Refer to others if you
cannot answer.
Focus on new developments, if you have any. But remember that all your products could be new to some customers.
By all means introduce the customer to colleagues or the
boss. That could help to make them feel important.
Make proper use of your time. Allocate it according to the
importance of the visitor.
But be pleasant and helpful to everyone. Visitors who are
not part of your target audience today should also form a
positive view of your company. They may become a customer
in the future.
If a potential customer arrives when you are engaged with
somebody else, agree to meet them later (60 per cent move
on if they are not contacted in one minute).
Register and qualify all interesting visitors on a continuous
basis. Sum up every day that makes follow-up easier.
Write down the conclusions of every conversation do not
rely on your memory.
Keep the stand tidy it is the companys face to the world
Ensure that it is always staffed.
Each person on the stand must work no more than four hours
without a break (they should preferably leave the stand, get
some fresh air).

Checklist for professional exhibitors

Eat healthily and regularly, that helps to maintain your

energy. Remember to drink tap or mineral water while you are
on the stand. The air at exhibitions is dry, and it can get hot.
Important customers do not arrive only in the morning on
the first day of the show. Remember that you have to keep
going until the exhibition ends.
Be correctly dressed. Take care over your clothes and
shoes you must look and feel presentable all day.
Observe the customs of the country (behaviour, dress,
communication, food, etc).
Make sure you get to see the whole show.
Be outgoing towards competitors. Contact with them can
provide useful information, and you might just as well take
the initiative yourself.
If somebody asks where your competitors stand is located,
show them. They will find it anyway. Be sure to create a trustworthy impression.

What not to do on the stand

Chat on your mobile phone.

Smoke.
Spend late evenings with alcohol and spicy food.
Eat.
Chew gum.
Hand out brochures uncritically.
Ask the visitor can I help you? or do you have a moment?
in other words, questions which require a yes or no answer.
Underestimate the visitor.
Detain the visitor unnecessarily.
Stand with your arms folded at the entrance to the stand.
Sit/stand passively on the stand either alone or with
other stand staff.
Stand with your back to the stand entrance.

All the important aspects after a show

Follow-up after the show
Allocate time and resources to the important
follow-up phase. This is what separates the
semi-good from the truly successful.

Exhibition contacts are fresh goods

and must be followed up before enthusiasm declines. So remember the five-day rule contact all relevant leads within a week.
This should form part of the pre-exhibition planning. If sales staff
are fully booked with other appointments during this period, it
undermines the whole point of exhibiting.

Separate contacts into categories

List customers/potential customers registered on the stand

for cultivation in order of priority (A, B and C).
Customers invited but not registered as visitors on
your stand.
Unfamiliar potential customers among visitors
(database from exhibition organiser).

How to follow up

Dispatch letter, offer, information and so forth.

Telemarketing (on your own account or via a telemarketing
company) to agree a meeting with the customer reference
visits or the like.
Visit the customer.

Establish a plan

Exhibition report

Draw up a plan for future follow-up of leads - after three, six

and nine months as required. Supervise and inform/motivate
those working with these contacts.

A good assessment of the exhibition should include many different measures and measurement methods. These can include,
but are not limited to, obtaining the following information:
1. Visitor numbers and quality.
2. Results.
3. Fulfilment of targets.
4. Exhibitions impact.
5. Evaluation of how the stand staff worked.
6. Experience meetings.

Process visitor statistics

Process the visitor figures provided by the exhibition organiser
to see what useful conclusions be drawn from them.

Measuring and evaluating results

A summing-up and evaluation are crucial for identifying
results and invaluable documentation when you come to
take part in possible exhibitions later.

Where the first three items are concerned, it is important to

distinguish between the success of the exhibition organiser
and your own success as an exhibitor.

Hold a first evaluation meeting with everyone involved

immediately after the show. Discuss what was good and less
good, what your competitors did and so forth.
Assess whether your targets were met in the form of increased sales, new contracts, enhanced knowledge about your
company and its products/services, and so forth.
Prepare an exhibition report. Remember to distribute all
or part of this to everyone involved.
Financial results. Costs/earnings three, six and 12 months
after the show.
What has the exhibition given us?
Was it worth the investment?
Are we going to take part again? If so, how?

Financial result
Identifying total costs and income relating to an exhibition is
important. The cost side will usually be easy to calculate, but
it can be harder to establish an entirely accurate picture of
revenues because it is frequently difficult to attribute sales to
the relevant show.
Investment I

= Effect E

Result R
In order to establish an accurate measure of the effect, you
may have to look at results three, six or 12 months after the
show. The cost/benefit can be assessed in terms of customer
contacts, interested visitors, orders, brochures distributed,
samples distributed, visitors attending product demonstrations
and so forth.

Implementing a market survey before and/or after the show,

covering people in the target audience(s), will allow you to
measure how the exhibition has influenced knowledge of your
company and/or its competitors. In the same way, you can
assess how far participation in the show has helped to
enhance your companys image.

anne-kari@designkjelleren.no | Photos: Barbro F. Steinde and Norway Trade Fairs | Translation: R E Gooderham / Print: Offset Forum AS | Print run: 1 500, June 2005

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