Preparation
Introduction
Exhibitions are an important part of the marketing plan of any company.
Virtually every aspect of business has its exhibition: it may be a massive show in one of the major exhibition centres or a single firm taking a hotel room for a day: a local authority may mount it, a trade association, or one of the increasing number of exhibition organisation specialists; it may have a narrow specialised appeal, or it may be aimed at a wider market, attracting only trade customers, or seeking to bring in the general public.
It may be a good exhibition, or it may be a bad one.
And the trouble is. there's really no way of telling when you are first approached to take part, if it will be good or bad: if it will attract the right visitors or not: if it will provide the selling opportunity it offers, or not. Over recent years there have been huge - even spectacular - flops. Equally there have been outstanding successes.
But - a big, big 'but' - there are companies who have done well out of the flops, and others that have gained nothing from the successes. And the reason for this is simple: like everything else in business (in life!), you get out of exhibitions what you put into them.
But what to put into it? How does the average businessman, who may be an engineer, an electrician, a salesman, an accountant but not an advertising man or a designer, know what will make for successful exhibition participation?
Up to now there has been no comprehensive guide to taking part, in exhibitions. There are, indeed, many works that give advice, make suggestions, even tell what to avoid; but there is no practical, how-to-do-it guide easily available.
So, following that basic dictum of marketing -find the need and fill it - we present this website. You will find no theoretical musings in here, no academic pontificating on marketing, graphic design, or anything else, nothing but severely practical advice on how to make an exhibition of yourself- successfully.