Trade fair planning: 10 steps to a successful trade fair stand

You may be familiar with the situation: your boss or superior wants to improve acquisition opportunities or perhaps use a larger direct marketing platform to present new products or services. Perhaps there is a change in the direction of marketing or your company wants to make a statement in the industry and get in touch with customers and competitors at the same time. A trade fair appearance is ideal for this - but how do you go about planning it?

External agencies are also frequently asked to implement trade fair appearances for their customers. In addition to the usual large corporate events, incentives and the like, this represents a completely different area with different requirements.

In the following article, I would like to discuss the most important and fundamental points that are essential for a successful trade fair appearance and also for a successful and efficient collaboration with a stand builder and/or trade fair logistics provider. The general rule is: the better the preparation, the better the communication and the better the result!

Step 1: Carry out an analysis of the current situation

You have now decided to gain a foothold in this world and all you need now is the necessary know-how? Have you decided to become a part of this world, but don't really know what to expect? Have you been in the trade fair business for a long time, but are unhappy or dissatisfied with the results you have achieved? How can I make my trade fair presence a guarantee of success? What does it actually mean to be successful at a trade fair and how do I drive my lead management?

Step 2: Set goals

Before you even start selecting the trade fair, designing your stand, planning your personnel, etc., you need to clearly define your objectives, as the entire planning process depends on them (interrelation between objectives, strategy and success control). So what are your goals? Do you want to win new customers? Maintain or perhaps even change your company's image? Do you have a new product that you want to present? Once your goals are clear, you can start with the rest of the planning. As this takes a lot of time, especially for larger trade fairs, you should have defined your goals several months before the event.

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Step 3: Keep an eye on the trade fair budget

Most companies first have to check whether it is realistic to go to trade fairs at all. Unfortunately, a trade fair appearance is not free. On the trade fair side, this usually includes costs for the stand space, the required power connection, security and cleaning of the stand and marketing offers, if desired. Most trade fair organizers offer a variety of possible add-ons to choose from. The cost of exhibiting at a trade fair can vary considerably depending on the event and location. According to an AUMA survey, the cost of stand space accounts for just over 20% of total expenditure.

However, these costs do not include a visually visible exhibition stand. Costs for the production of an exhibition stand and exhibition logistics should not be disregarded here. When planning the budget for your trade fair appearance, it generally makes sense to plan for an entire trade fair year. If it is possible for you to use stand concepts and materials more than once, you can save some costs overall. However, material overlaps due to parallel trade fairs must be factored into the quantities and therefore the production costs.

Another alternative is to rent exhibition stands and use them digitally, e.g. with LED exhibition walls. This can reduce investment costs by up to 100%. The exhibition stands are somewhat more expensive individually due to the innovative product and the various rental materials.

Generally speaking, modular stand concepts are cheaper than customized stands, which often require higher investment costs. Individualized, modular stands, including logistics and assembly, cost between € 1,700.00 and € 7,000.00.

If the trade fair budget is not sufficient for this, there is also the option of setting up small folding displays yourself. This will only cost a few hundred euros for an event. However, this is only suitable for small exhibition stands and has a correspondingly less representative effect.

Step 4: Choosing the right trade fair

First of all, it is important to determine the ideal trade fair for your company and the purpose of your trade fair appearance. Where do your competitors exhibit? Which target group do you want to reach? Should the trade fair be known throughout Germany or internationally? Do you prefer small or large events for your trade fair appearance? What are the costs for stand space at the respective trade fairs? You can find an overview of current trade fairs on the website of AUMA, the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry, for example.

Step 5: Create a briefing - what do we want?

One of the most difficult issues, especially in a larger team, is to determine what you basically want from your trade fair appearance. Many people have many ideas. However, you should first concentrate on the basics in order to create a basic idea.

• What should be the main focus of the exhibition stand? Is it about your organization, the product, the further development of a product or simply about creating an oasis of well-being and cultivating customer relationships?

• What concept are you pursuing? Is less often more when it comes to focusing on a new product or are you more interested in attracting visitors to your stand with all the options available?

• What stand size and positioning is necessary for your stand? In addition to the stand size, the positioning in the trade fair location should always be taken into account. A headstand or island stand is often more representative than a row stand. However, the exhibition stand design and the available budget must also fit in with this

• Do you need a professional stand set-up or would you prefer a mobile stand with a folding wall that you can set up yourself?
  

• How high quality should your exhibition stand be?

   

• What should the stand be used for? How do you want to present your company and your product? Do you need a reception area? Do you want an open or closed meeting area, is catering necessary or a special promotion?

• What furniture is relevant? What promotional materials are you working with on site?

• Do you already have a design for the stand or do you want something completely new?

• Should an automatic visitor measurement system be used to measure success?

• If several consecutive trade fairs are planned, it makes sense to consider whether reusable materials should be used in particular.

Of course, your stand builder will also support you with all of these points. However, it is very helpful if you think about these points when planning your trade fair appearance and concretize them. This is the only way to bundle ideas and tailor offers to your needs.

Step 6: Consider time management in the trade fair concept

You have now decided on a few trade fairs this year that ideally cover your target group and your basic wishes for the trade fair appearance have been defined. Depending on the size and complexity of your chosen event and whether it takes place in Germany or abroad, different preparation periods will be required.

In principle, the briefing you have agreed internally for large trade fairs should be coordinated with your stand builder at least six months before the start of the trade fair in order to allow sufficient time for further internal organization and registration with the trade fair organizer. The more tasks are to be implemented by your stand builder (e.g. creation of a graphic design, registration of various services with the trade fair), the sooner the final planning should be completed. With most trade fair organizers, registrations and bookings of services are due at least 2 months before the actual trade fair, otherwise surcharges will be levied.

If you wish to use existing exhibition stands and register the stand space/electricity etc. yourself, stands can also be ordered at much shorter notice. Ideally, these exhibition stands should be finalized 1-2 months before the respective event, but no later than 1.5 weeks before the start of the trade fair. If a new production of graphics is no longer necessary.

Schritt 7: Fakten des Messeortes kennen

Various pieces of information are necessary for the stand builder's planning and cost calculation. No two trade fair venues are the same and the requirements of the various trade fairs are just as individual. It is important that the trade fair organizer's information is known as early as possible when requesting quotes or booking trade fair sets that have already been created. Often, information on entry times, logistical information on the location, information on ground conditions, height restrictions, etc. also have an impact on the costs of the respective trade fair. This often has an impact on the costs for the respective exhibition stand or even on the feasibility of the planned exhibition stand.

Let's assume for a moment

• that the stand cannot be set up the day before the trade fair because, for example, only the caterer has access on the last day. However, you as a customer only arrive on the evening before the event.
• that the stand area is also on the second floor and can only be reached via a staircase, as the elevator is too small for some of the materials on the stand.
• that, for example, no pallet trucks may be used in the location due to the nature of the floor and that no carpeting can be laid as it is high-quality parquet.
  
  

In this case, the stand constructor would have to

• provide a fitter who will stay on site for an extra day to do a stand handover with you and to support you if necessary.
• organize two fitters to transport the material if necessary or the stand concept would have to be reconsidered.
• Hire an additional fitter to transport an exhibit so that it can be positioned correctly.
• Plan a subfloor construction, as the planned carpet cannot be laid.
  
  Unfortunately, this information is often “hidden” in the exhibitor documents, but is just as relevant as the general set-up and dismantling times, start and end of the event and desired stand handover times on your part.

Step 8: Communicate your trade fair presence

There are not only many visitors at a trade fair, but also many exhibitors, and in this context they are your competitors. They all want the attention of visitors. So use the time before the trade fair to promote your stand. You can use all the channels at your disposal. Send your customers an invitation, announce the event on your website and in your e-mail signature with all the information such as stand number, etc. Share your participation in the event on social media and send out a press release if necessary. If you report on the event on your website and then optimize this page for search engines, you may even be found by visitors who want to find out more about the trade fair but have not yet heard of your company.

Step 9: Personnel planning

At trade fairs, you automatically present your company in two ways: Via your stand and via the staff who welcome and advise visitors there. It is therefore important to plan your stand personnel carefully. Of course, there is always the option of hiring hostesses for an event, but you can probably advise your customers better by using your own experienced staff at the stand. Bear in mind that staff should be competent enough to answer all possible questions and, if necessary, be authorized to make any decisions that may arise. Your staff should always be friendly and courteous, not intrusive. Brief your staff in advance about the objectives of the trade fair and the message you want to get across.

When planning personnel, however, it is not only important to think about who you want to represent the company. You also need to consider that the staff - if you are using your own employees - will be absent elsewhere for the duration of the trade fair. You may also need to plan for the fact that your stand personnel will need accommodation and catering close to the trade fair location.

Step 10: Procedure at the trade fair

In advance of the trade fair, you should plan how you will proceed at the trade fair. This means, for example, how you will capture leads. Do you want to fill out a form yourself and then attach your contact's business card to it or would you prefer to do this digitally? This decision is important in order to print the corresponding lead sheets or to create a digital equivalent. You also need to decide in advance how you want to examine the effectiveness of your concept (success measurement). There are various tools that require different approaches at the trade fair.

Planning a trade fair participation is time-consuming and possibly also cost-intensive and should therefore not be neglected or only dealt with in passing. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, start early by defining the objectives and organizing your trade fair stand, personnel, transport, set-up and dismantling. This will give you the best foundation for a successful trade fair appearance.

Do you need professional help with your trade fair planning? We will be happy to support you! Please let us know your requirements for your next project without obligation.