Exhibition Blog - Exhibiting Tips, News, Advice | Access Displays Ltd

Access Displays Selected As AEO Awards 2013 Finalists

2013-05-16T11:33:00.001+01:00

AEO Excellence Awards 2013
21 June 2013 | Old Billingsgate

We are delighted to announce that Access Displays Ltd have been selected as finalists for the AEO Excellence Awards 2013 for 'Stand design & build supplier of the year'.

The category includes organisations both nationally and internationally which have designed and built high quality stands meeting the client's objectives and surpassed expectations.

"We have been overwhelmed and truly impressed by the response to this years' AEO Excellence Awards. Once again the level and quality of submissions has raised the bar, whilst showcasing how hard at work the industry has been in the past 12 months." - http://www.aeoawards.org

Complete list of categories and finalists

Which Freestanding Glass Display Case?

2013-05-15T15:19:00.000+01:00

Free standing display cases are an ideal way of displaying high end valuable products such as china ornaments, vases and other collectables. Organisations such as schools and military establishments use them to display regimental silverware and other important trophies and collectables.

With a series of individual product shelves, they offer great use of floor space and can be placed in the centre of a room or against a wall.

Whilst the height is pretty much standard the widths, depth and shape can vary. Many used in the retail and shopping sector have a storage facility in the base to store boxed products that can be issued in their packaging instead of moving product from within the display.

One key factor for any showcase is lighting. Low voltage lights come as standard and are generally positioned on every shelf and have some flexibility so that you can position the lamp to focus on a particular area. There is also an option to have a number of fixed lamps in the top header unit, depending on the width of the cabinet. Most cabinets have the option of an up grade to LED lights.

Another interesting and effective addition that can make your display case even more impressive is mirrored backs, sides and even floors. Mirrors can make the lights work magic and illuminate the contents even further.

There are two further options that you might want to consider:

If you want the flexibility of being able to have small separate shelves for each product, then it might be worth considering a slat wall back panel. This will give you the benefit of being able to change the position of the shelves as you change the exhibits. An example could be where you have a series of different height or widths in your exhibits.

To highlight the products on display, why not consider having a solid back panel? An example could be where you are displaying silver or gold ornaments in a shop window so that passersby can view them. If you have a solid black back panel, it might help them focus on the products in the display cabinet, rather than viewing the product against a blurred background of other objects and colours in your shop?

Freestanding display cases are available in Silver, Black and even Gold aluminium, or you might want to consider a wood veneer finish?

The full implications of breaking stand build rules and regulations – is your contractor leaving you vulnerable to disaster?

2013-03-15T10:58:00.000Z

Lee Holloway is director of Fallowfield Partnership, retained Technical Adviser to the ESSA and AEV trade associations, and co-facilitator to the event industry’s health and safety rulebook, the eGuide. Here, he discusses some key areas for exhibitors to be aware of with Peter Bowen C.E.O. of Access Displays Ltd and ESSA board member.

Let’s face it, safety rules and regulations are the last thing you want to worry about when you are planning your exhibition campaign. You probably reached your bandwidth weeks ago, swamped with pre-event mailings and telephone calls, liaison with your sales and production teams to ensure your stand will hit all the right message points, have the right products and services displayed and work aesthetically and practically (and that’s before you start to arrange hotels, logistics, and the million and one other aspects of the project in order to safeguard your businesses status and reputation at the event in front of your customers, prospects and competitors!)

And to a extent, quite right too. Your stand design and build company should provide this expertise for you as part of their service. Their designs and the construction materials they use should reflect all of the requirements that the venue will have for a safe stand plus they should also be able to work with you to ensure that you’re au fait with rules relating to any activities that you’re planning on the stand during open period.

The UK exhibition industry has made it easy for responsible, bona fide stand design and build businesses to understand and comply with venue rules and regulations. The eGuide is an AEV initiative that effectively implements the same set of stand build rules across fourteen major venues including ExCeL, the NEC and Earls Court. The eGuide is updated every six months in light of changes to law, HSE guidelines and British Standards and so compliance with it should ensure you are always operating within UK law. Ask your stand build company if they work in compliance with the eGuide and check that they are referring to the most up to date version.

As well as the rules and regulations required by the venue in the eGuide, there will often also be a handful of event specific regulations set by the organiser. These may include rules relating to the maximum lengths of unbroken walling, walling height, set-backs (the distance your exhibits need to be from the edge of the stand) and whether rigged structures and graphics are allowed. These will be found in your exhibitor manual so always make sure you’re aware of these and have told your stand builder about them.

What can happen if these rules are broken? Well, it depends on the severity of the contravention and the possible outcomes. You might be asked to undertake costly last minute alterations to the stand that may affect its aesthetics. You might not be allowed to use planned features, demonstrations or entertainment on the stand. Worst case, and it does happen occasionally, your stand might be condemned.

Top tips – use an ESSA member if you can, as members are accountable to the association, sign-up to a code of conduct and are kept up to date with eGuide changes. Ask your stand builder to submit their designs to the organiser for approval early to allow time to action any required changes. Make sure your stand is built to the specifications and layout shown in the drawings that have been approved – don’t deviate! If your exhibition is outside of the UK make sure your stand builder understands and is complying with the overseas rules, in particularly with rules relating to fire ratings on materials which can be stricter outside of the UK.

Has your stand design and build company failed to comply with rules and regulations leaving you with a huge headache at the show? We’d love to hear from you.

Access Displays Ltd Shortlisted For Exhibition News Awards 2013

2013-02-26T16:28:00.000Z

Exhibition News Awards 2013

For the second year running Access Displays has been shortlisted in the “Best Supplier to Exhibitors” category in the annual ‘Exhibition News’ industry awards.

Now in its 7^th year, the awards recognise outstanding achievement across the exhibition industry spanning organisers, venues and suppliers.

This year there were a staggering 200 entries in 22 categories ranging from 'Best Salesperson' to 'Best International Venue'.

CEO of Access Displays, Peter Bowen comments “To be finalists for a second year running is a great achievement for us. We work extremely hard to provide the best service to our customers and are thrilled to see that it is recognised by this prestigious and highly competitive category in the awards.”

Following the success of 2012 with winning multiple contracts for the London Olympics, we are off to a great start for 2013.

Good luck to everyone competing in the ‘Best Supplier to Exhibitors’ category.

Exhibition News Awards 2013 takes place at the Lancaster London on Wednesday 10th April 2013.

Peter Bowen, CEO of Access Displays Ltd

20 Tips for Setting Up A Photography Exhibition

2013-01-15T14:56:00.000Z

If you have the responsibility, or are thinking of setting up a photographic exhibition then here are a few tips that might help you get more success from your exhibits.

1. Find a suitable venue that is open and airy with high ceilings, neutral wall colours, large windows, plenty of natural light and is on one level.

2. Plan your layout so that your viewers can stand back from your photographs and appreciate the full detail of the subject matter.

3. Create a natural route for people to walk down without having to wait to get passed other viewers and to conform to health and safety or fire regulations.

4. Choose a display system that is stable enough to carry your photographs if they are large or in frames.

5. Arrange your photographic exhibition so that you can use both sides of the photography boards to show off as many different photographs as possible.

6. Make sure your display panels are a suitable colour and that they don’t clash with your subject matter. Grey, blue and even black work really well to show off photographs.

Photography boards
Ideal for photos, artwork and information

7. Consider elevating some of your exhibition panels to allow light to flow naturally through the room.

8. Allow viewers to focus on one specific piece of artwork at a time.

9. Think about dividing your exhibition into different subject matter areas.

10. Think about dividing your exhibition into different photographic artists areas.

Photography boards with lighting

11. Illuminate as many pieces of artwork as you can with directional floodlights that wash your images with light from top to bottom.

12. Do not use hot spotlights that could damage your photographs or reflect off the glass if they are framed.

13. Think about how you are going to attach the photographs to the display boards.

Photograph boards inside a marquee

14. Most people don’t like to see pins being used on their photographs so if you are thinking about using Velcro here’s an extra little tip. Before you attach the Velcro stick a little bit of low tack masking tape to the back of the photograph. You can then attach the Velcro to that and remove it when you have finished. If you stick Velcro directly to a photograph you run the risk of it delaminating when you try to remove it.

15. Think about hiring acrylic photographic sleeves for specific images. These can them be attached to the display panels using Velcro and will help to sharpen up the images.

16. Consider mounting some of your photographic images on poster board that gives the photograph a potential frame in a contrasting colour.

17. Using different sized spacers behind your images might add an extra dimension to your display?

18. Create a special display attraction using your most prized piece of artwork that you might have used to promote your photographic exhibition in posters, invitations, programs or your website.

19. Hire acrylic business card or brochure holders so that visitors can take details away after the show.

20. Make the design and layout interesting with the use of column and towers and add information boards explaining the background of each photographic artist.

Photography display boards inside a church

Access Displays Ltd holds one of the UK’s largest stocks of exhibition and display boards for hire. They are suitable for photographic shows and exhibitions throughout the country. Our display panels are designed to be arranged in Zig Zags to make sure that they are stable and safe for public viewing.

A full design, delivery and installation service is available but these panels are designed to be erected by anybody without the need for tools.

For further details on availability of photographic panels or sculpture plinths for hire and prices please visit our web site www.accessdisplays.co.uk or speak to one of our photographic exhibition specialists on 01793 613088 or email sales@accessdisplays.co.uk.

Happy exhibiting and we wish you great success with your own photographic exhibition.

Are you giving your prospects enough "foreplay”?

2013-01-09T14:32:00.000Z

Whenever I receive an invitation to connect with someone on LinkedIn, I always carry out a little bit of due diligence first. There needs to be a very good reason for me to want to connect to anybody. It might be that I am interested in their connections, their knowledge, their products or services. Or they might even be a potential customer, supplier or know somebody that I already know, deal with, or respect.

Generally I will read their profile, take note of their experience, review their activity, look at their website and read their tweets. Although I am keen to connect with most people, like most of us, I really don’t want to waste my time and be bombarded in the future with spam.

The other day I had a very interesting invitation to connect, the product the connection was supplying was relevant to my needs and they even exhibited at a couple of exhibitions where we built exhibition stands for some of our clients.

So I clicked the connect button and sent them an InMail, “Thanks for connecting how can I help you?"

But before I could remove my finger from my mouse button, I received a four page standard introductory email with several large attachments a list of reference letters a full price list and a map showing the location of their distributors!

Hold on a minute, this isn’t how it works. So I replied to the email advising that I needed “more foreplay than that”, and got an immediate response thanking me for my advice, “and by the way here is some more information about my company”!

Now let’s think about this. Where else would you meet a potential prospect and immediately get stuck into a full blown sales presentation about your products or services without carrying out any small talk?

Imagine being at an exhibition and ramming a price list or brochure down a visitor’s throat as they walk down the aisle? Do you really think that approach would be a winning formula?

I like to communicate with people, get to know them, find out what they like, what they are interested in, and what makes them tick. If they don’t then become a customer or a supplier so what? At least I know them as people, what they do and what they represent. That way, should things change in the future there is still the opportunity for a relationship to develop.

Just remember. Asking your partner if they are “awake” isn’t “foreplay”!

Related: And You Call Yourself a "Sales Professional"?

Peter Bowen
C.E.O.
Access Displays Ltd

How do your customers recognise who you are and what you do?

2012-12-05T11:05:00.000Z

A few years ago I was walking round an exhibition hall in Germany when I stumbled across a company that I had bought some equipment from. If I hadn't previously done business with them, visited their factory, read their brochure and viewed their web site I am quite sure I would have just walked straight past their exhibition stand.

Other than their company name, an aerial photograph of their factory and a map showing where their distributors were located, there was nothing on their stand that explained WHO they were or WHAT they did.

Their company name, although bold, wouldn't have given me a clue either as it had no relevance to what they manufactured or represented. There was no strap line or bullet points just a white exhibition stand with some very primitive graphics.

As I approached to introduce myself, their Managing Director recognised me and came over to shake my hand. After a few pleasantries I asked him why he hadn't put any products on his stand, and why he hadn't produced any graphics to explain to the visitors what they actually did and this was his response:

“Peter we have been in business for over 20 years and everybody knows who we are and what we do!”

That was either the most bold or arrogant statement I have ever heard! How could every visitor entering the exhibition hall recognise what his company had to offer, appreciate his level of customer or after sales service, the quality of his product or the knowledge of his staff just by looking at a logo? Besides, whom apart from perhaps a few of his existing customers that just happened to be visiting, would want to visit his exhibition stand anyway?

Recently that very same Managing Director decided to sell his business and retire.

“Cheap foreign imports were flooding the market so he could no longer compete and customers didn't understand his level of service or why his premium quality product was more expensive than his overseas competitors”.

He was both passionate and knowledgeable about his industry but complacency is a poor excuse for exhibiting failure.

How do YOUR customers recognise you?

This reminds me of an old story:

Two gentlemen swimming naked in the Thames. On hearing a boat full of woman approach they decide to get out and cover themselves up. One puts his hands over his genitals the other puts his hands over his face. When the boat passes, one asks the other why on earth he put his hands over his face. The other replied “Because that’s the part of my body that people recognise me by”!

Peter Bowen
C.E.O.
Access Displays Ltd

2012 ESSA G50+ Conference at the Ricoh Arena Coventry

2012-11-28T09:28:00.003Z

This annual conference brings together some of the industries leading figures from across the globe and this year we saw over 90 delegates from as far away as Mexico, Brazil, Greece and France.

Billed as the most exciting and informative event of its kind the conference opened with a practical exercise from our Headline Sponsor Toyota Material Handling. “The Toyota way” demonstrates how any simple production process can be improved by using the five core values of their operating system named TPS.

This year we were fortunate enough to have Sean McPheat as our headline keynote speaker. Sean is Managing Director of International training firm MTD Sales Training and is referred in the media as “The UK’s Number 1 Authority on Modern Day Selling”.

At previous G50’s we had talked about social media, the history, the opportunities and how fast it would grow, but this year Sean delivered a compelling presentation on how to use it as an effective sales tool.

Titled “Selling in the Modern Era” Sean explained how to build an expert LinkedIn profile, how to make connections and how to prospect for new customers.

David Wootton delivered an eye watering account of his experience on how he coped with disaster after his business premises and all of it’s contents were completely destroyed by fire. His painful journey of dealing with reluctant and difficult insurance claims and over coming obstacles and red tape in order to rebuild his business will be talked about for years to come.

Peter Theodorides representing IFES talked about the pitfalls of choosing and working with an International Exhibition Contactor partner and how to ensure that they have the same standards, ethics and morals as ESSA members.

Other topics discussed on the day were ISO’s and standards, available business grants, how to achieve accreditation, the timescales and costs involved.

Bringing the conference to a close, Caspar Berry used his experience as a professional poker player to talk about managing risk in business. With a background in acting Caspar’s presentation was fast, furious and enormously funny. Caspar then treated all those that were staying over to a crash course in poker before we entered the Casino for real!

The feedback so far has been tremendously positive so we all look forward to meeting again next year.

Peter Bowen (Right) C.E.O. Access Displays Ltd and board member of ESSA who introduced best-selling author and sales authority Sean McPheat (Left) Managing Director of MTD Sales Training.

Background of ESSA

The Event Suppliers and Services Association (ESSA) is the trade association representing the best interests of contractors and suppliers of goods and services to the exhibitions & events industry. Its core values are Commitment - Innovation - Integrity - Teamwork.’

New additions to showcase family launched

2012-08-17T13:50:00.000+01:00

Access Displays Ltd have just launched an e-brochure showcasing our new additions to our glass display cabinet range.

The new e-brochure allows customers to browse through our product range page-by-page and offers the functionality to click on a product to view specifications and pricing on our extensive website.

At Access Displays we are always investigating ways in which we can help the environment. Publishing our materials in this manner allows us to decrease printing costs, which in turn allows us to pass the savings on to our customers in this tough climate. As a part of the new addition to the range is LED lighting for display cabinets which offers up to 80% less energy consumption when compared to standard halogen lighting.

To view the e-brochure, click on the image below.

New Glass Showcase e-brochure

Friends of Richmond Park choose Access Displays for Royal Event

2012-05-25T16:03:00.000+01:00

Richmond Council and The Royal Parks teamed up to host a large community event, celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

‘Wild London’ was the boroughs first festival aimed at celebrating London’s woodlands, parks and gardens. It was held in the borough’s finest open space – Richmond Park, on 15 May 2012 in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Alexandra.

The event featured a wide range of activities in a variety of zones, and ‘The Friends’ elected to hire Access Displays Panel & Pole displays for the conservation and inspiration zones, to showcase their many programmes and activities.

Friends of Richmond Park spokesman Richard Gray said “It was important for us that the quality of the displays matched the occasion, and despite the bad weather, we were very pleased with the panels and service provided by Access Displays”.

Peter Bowen, CEO of Access Displays commented “We were delighted that the day way such a success. Our premium hire products are robust, hard wearing and easy to install, making them ideal for these types of event”.

View our range of hire displays and furniture

The Queen at Richmond Park

Richmond Park information displayed on our hire display boards

Photos displayed on our Panel and Pole hire boards

The Modern Exhibitor Explores The Cultural Differences Whilst Exhibiting Abroad

2012-05-18T10:57:00.000+01:00

Taking time to understand and appreciate the cultural and religious differences when exhibiting abroad could make the difference between success and failure. We all look at things differently and dress and express ourselves in accordance to the cultures that we are familiar with. And so here we explore some of the key factors to take into account when exhibiting abroad.

What we say and how we say it is always an important part of exhibiting but what and how we communicate through the exhibition stand itself when abroad is crucial.

Failures on human and structural levels to recognise and respect the culture of the country or ethnic group that you are trying to attract as customers could have devastating and long lasting consequences. A little bit of research prior to your event is essential.

Consider local styles, fashions and materials when designing your exhibition stand and be aware of local rules and customs. In the US many States have different rules regarding the use of local labour which is vigorously backed by their Unions. These rules could severely restrict the design and build time of your exhibition booth. Make sure that your team or contractor’s team have taken this into account for both the design and build process.

Think about how you should introduce yourself to an exhibition visitor in a foreign country. Americans tend to address everyone by their first names in all forms of communications including meetings, emails and over the telephone. To many Europeans this is too familiar and disrespectful. They would prefer to be addressed by their title and surname. I.e. Mr Smith, Herr Smith or Ms Smith.

In some countries it is perfectly acceptable to be addressed purely as “Smith” but in others this would be seen as offensive.

Your exhibition staff might be meeting a potential customer for the first time face to face. You might have been trying to close this contact for years, so it would be devastating if you unintentionally offended them by addressing them incorrectly.

Will your exhibition visitors expect a hand shake or a bow?

In the US, a firm, short hand shake indicates self-confidence and masculinity, whilst a limp handshake by a man might be interpreted as a sign of being weak or effeminate. However in fact in most parts of Africa a limp hand shake is what is expected. In Africa it is common practice for the handshake to last several minutes whereas in the US a handshake that lasts more than a few seconds is only used to show familiarity, warmth or possibly sexual attraction.

It’s very important that your exhibition staff are aware of these differences so that they can recognise them and put their training into practice during the event. Any individual touch that you can portray will be highly respected and admired so try and be better than those around you.

What should you be wearing on an Overseas Exhibition Stand?

It might be appropriate to wear shorts or mini skirts in some parts of the world but in the Middle East this would be seen as disrespectful. It is always safer to dress conservatively if you are not familiar with the local customs and wish to have a chance of engaging in conversation with local business people.

Monochronic and Polychronic Cultures

Monochronic cultures tend to like to do just one thing at a time and don’t like interruptions, if you were speaking to a German visitor on your exhibition stand and decided to take a phone call whilst he was speaking to you then he would deem that as being disrespectful.

On the other hand Polychronic cultures such as Americans and French prefer to do many things at the same time and so that might not be as off putting for them.

In fact at a recent meeting in Paris my own Managing Director commented on how difficult it was for him to concentrate when presenting a proposal for a Global Exhibition programme when most of the board members he was presenting to, were looking at their mobile phones!

Using your mobile phone on any exhibition stand, wherever you are exhibiting is definitely and totally unacceptable. Make sure your visitors are given the appropriate level of attention without distraction. They want to be seen and treated as important individuals not just additional exhibition lead chaff.

Different cultures have differing views about time

Many cultures view time as a resource that will eventually run out so it needs to be respected and not wasted. Time is money so being late or missing meetings and appointments is unacceptable. But to other cultures time is endless and so trust becomes a key feature of the business relationship. Here you might find yourself waiting all day for a client to arrive at your exhibition stand only to then find out that they now plan to visit you on another day! On a business trip to the Caribbean I asked my host what the time was and he just looked up to the sky and replied “day time!”

Remember that if you are using a local contractor to build your exhibition stand don’t forget that they will be building and working to a standard and a speed that they think is acceptable to their culture. This might be very different to what you have experienced within your own culture so you might need to do your research first to avoid disappointment.

Reading Body Language

You might be familiar with reading the body language of your fellow countrymen but when abroad it can be very difficult. The Japanese can find it very hard to say “NO” whereas some Eastern European cultures avoid being positive or enthusiastic and purposely give negative responses and criticism. This behaviour, although off putting, might not be a reflection of poor communication so keep your pitch going, stay confident and don’t let negative comments affect your approach.

In some cultures nodding one’s head is seen as a sign of agreement but in Iran, Bulgaria or Turkey it could mean exactly the opposite! Touching someone with your left hand is seen as unclean in parts of Asia and the Middle East. In some cultures small talk or chit chat is used to break the ice before a more formal meeting but in France this could be seen as a sign of mental instability. Many devout Muslim men are not permitted to touch any woman other than their own wife or mother. In some cultures it is common practice to use kissing as a greeting in others it’s just a case of swapping business cards!

Being aware of these differences and acknowledging them whilst you are manning your exhibition stand will help you to gain respect from the visitors which will hopefully mean more sales.

Visual Communications

Companies that fail to research and respect the different cultures around the world have little chance of success.

Everything you design and produce for your exhibition stand should be checked carefully. Anything that is translated for your event such as websites, emails, invitations, blogs, exhibition graphics, and videos presentations, brochures and datasheets should be carefully checked by an expert in that culture.

Even though the world is becoming increasingly smaller these cultural differences still remain an important part of exhibiting. We all pride ourselves on our individual nuances and lets face it life would be pretty boring if we all looked and acted the same!

So wherever you decide to exhibit please remember that it’s not a case of just turning up and doing what you always do to get results. Research the country and it’s culture and treat their religious and cultural differences with respect if you want to experience positive results.

There are many companies that provide specific advice and cultural awareness training. Here is a link to one such company in the UK www.kwintessential.co.uk

Below I have detailed some of their best examples.

There are many well publicised business blunders that show how companies have failed to research and respect the different cultures and religions groups around the world. Here are a few of them.

A cologne for men pictured a pastoral scene with a man and his dog. It failed in Islamic countries where dogs are considered to be unclean.
Proctor and Gamble used a television commercial in Japan that was popular in Europe. The ad showed a woman bathing; her husband entered the bathroom touching her. The Japanese considered this ad an invasion of privacy, inappropriate behaviour, and in poor taste.
An American business person refused an offer from a Saudi businessman. Such a rejection is considered very rude and the business negotiations became stalled.
One company printed the “OK” finger sign on each page of it’s catalogue. In many parts of Latin America that is considered an obscene gesture.
A golf ball manufacturing company packaged golf balls in packs of four for convenient purchase in Japan. Unfortunately, pronunciation of the word “four” sounds like “death” and items packed in fours are unpopular.
In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” came out as “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead”.

Happy exhibiting

What Sort of Exhibitor Are You?

2012-04-24T10:22:00.000+01:00

Generally there are three types of people that man exhibition stands can you tell which one you are?

The Exhibitor Expert

The Exhibitor Expert understands his objectives and knows how to engage with any visitor at any level. Confident in his own ability and social skills he uses positive body language to encourage visitors to enter into conversation and engagement. This allows him to establish potential prospect quickly and effectively ensuring maximum use of time. The Exhibition Expert’s primary purpose is to establish where the visitor is in the buying cycle. This will allow him to agree any follow up action after the event.
Carefully an accurately recording the visitors details he will make meticulous notes so that it is clear to see what the visitor was interested in and what further action is required. Before the visitor leaves the exhibition stand he will shake their hand and verbally confirm the agreed action by saying something like “Thanks for taking the time to visit our stand today. I am confident that we will be able to help you with your requirement and I look forward to discussing this project further next week”.

The Passive Exhibitor

The Passive Exhibitor is very polite and is always smiling. They are proud to promote their company at the annual exhibition. But as they have been exhibiting for several years they feel uncomfortable to ask their manager for advice on how to man the stand or what to do.
Instead they perch themselves on the corner of the exhibition stand and ask passersby if they would like a brochure or leaflet.
They work hard and at the end of each day they inform their team leader that they have been really busy and given out hundreds of expensive brochures”!
As far as they are concerned a visitor that smiles back is as good as a sale.
If they receive a really big smile they might even throw in a tentative one liner!
“Good morning are you enjoying the show?” or “Have you just arrived at the exhibition?”
What really throws them is when the visitor responds with a question about their company, product or service. In their mind that’s an answer for the Sales Director and he’s already talking to somebody so “Do you want a brochure?” is as far as they can take the conversation.

Exhibition Prisoner

We have all seen the Exhibition Prisoner. You know the one, that person that doesn’t want to be there and can’t wait to get out. They don’t value exhibiting. They knew even before the show started that the leads would be rubbish and the attendance poor.
They would sooner spend their time on their mobile phone than talk to prospects and don’t even think about approaching them when it’s lunch time, can’t you see that they are eating!
They’ve been to loads of exhibitions and it’s always the same every year.
They spend more time talking to other exhibitors about how slow the show traffic is than they do telling visitors about their products and services.
The only good thing as far as they are concerned is that they can go home early to avoid the traffic!

What sort of exhibitor are you?

Peter Bowen
C.E.O.
Access Displays Ltd

Are you addressing your exhibition visitor’s generation?

2012-04-02T13:49:00.000+01:00

We live in an unusual time where our exhibition visitors could be made up of several different generations. With this in mind we need to be thoughtful of how and what we communicate and how this will effect our exhibition stand designs.

Let me explain in more detail.

If your typical customer was born in the 1940’s or 1950’s then it is likely that they would have certain morals and values. This is a generation that was brought up at a time where money was tight and resources scarce. This generation values customer service, loyalty and professionalism so they might prefer to be sold to and communicated to in a traditional way and probably face to face.

They might prefer a handshake to an email, and to speak to a person not a voicemail.

In a generation where you get what you pay for and give as good as you get, gadgets and technology could be viewed with caution.

This generation is frugal and works in a matter of fact way. Brought up in a time when waste not want not was the order of the day, they might not want to see complicated or over designed exhibition stands with expensive giveaways and technological mumbo jumbo.

Customers that were born in the 1960’s would have a different perspective on things. This is the generation of prosperity, enterprise and achievement. After all they won the world cup and put a man on the moon so anything is possible!

Known as the baby boomers they were the first generation to take advantage of package holidays. They invented Tupperware parties, experienced Beetlemania and watched Opportunity Knocks on the very first colour TV’s.

This generation is open to ideas and challenges and is used to coping and experiencing change through technology.

Born in the 1980’s generation X was the first to fully engage and interact with modern technology.

From the release of pac-man video, mobile phones and faxes this generation's world became smaller and easier through technology. It has more concerns over environmental issues and sustainability by discovering a hole in the Ozone layer.

Capable of solving the Rubik’s cube puzzle this generation is used to interacting on exhibition stands through simulators and graphical user interfaces.

Generation Y or “I want it now”, live and expect a completely different visitor experience.

This generation’s mobile phones have always had cameras. Members belong to groups that have followers and virtual friends that like them! They would sooner tweet than speak in person and have found out more about your company and its products or services before your exhibition than any other generation. They can SHOUT about you or castigate you to thousands of others in a moment. They look for referrals and gather information in forums and chat rooms where they share ideas. They expect an interaction between the real and virtual world and can live comfortably in both. They don’t know what a record is and have never heard of the Berlin Wall. If they want something they can download it or order it online. If they want to try something before they buy, they can watch it on YouTube or discuss it on Skype.

This generation expects to be interactive and entertained through technology. It thinks that augmented reality is yesterday’s news and that everybody has a 3D TV in their home.

Taking the time to analyse and appreciate the demographics of your exhibition visitors will help you with its design and layout. It will assist you on how and what you communicate to your audience, pre and post exhibition, to ensure that you realise a better return on your investment.

Access Displays Ltd Shortlisted For National Award

2012-02-13T15:28:00.001Z

Exhibition specialist Access Displays has been short listed in the “Best Supplier to Exhibitors” category in the 6^th annual ‘Exhibition News’ industry awards.

The EN awards recognise outstanding business performance across the exhibition community and Access Displays’ CEO, Peter Bowen is naturally delighted by the announcement. “We are very proud of being short listed, given the incredibly fierce competition in this category” and adds, “I think our submission highlighted the key reasons why our clients keep choosing Access Displays; our specific knowledge of the industry, our expertise and understanding of our customers needs and our high level of service and personal attention – here’s hoping we win!”

This announcement continues the company’s excellent start to 2012, coming on the back of several major contract gains.

The Exhibition News Awards 2012 will be held at Olympia’s new-look West Hall on Thursday 29th March.

Peter Bowen, CEO of Access Displays Ltd

Exhibitions are a waste of time?

2012-01-24T09:46:00.000Z

Like most middle aged grumpy men I hate shopping. So on those very rare occasions when my wife manages to drag me out to purchase an item that needs a “joint decision”, I want to make it quick and easy. I’m very busy so I haven’t got the time or patience to go into shop after shop looking at televisions or laptops. I want to speak to an expert who knows the products inside out, someone who understands my requirement and somebody who can explain the options available to help me make my purchasing decisions.

But how often do we get the customer service, sales skills and product knowledge we deserve in the high street?

We have the same expectations at exhibitions. The only difference is that here potential customers have gone to a great deal of trouble and expense to attend, in order to find new suppliers and place orders!

A few months ago, with colleagues, I visited ‘EuroShop’ in Dusseldorf Germany. Billed as Europe’s largest exhibition relating to the exhibition, POS and shop fitting industry, this is the place where you would expect to find new products, design inspiration and the latest fashions and trends within our industry. This triennial event is where we meet up with old friends, exchange stories about the industry and reminisce over an Alt beer in Old Town, Dusseldorf.

Our mission was to source 200m2 of modular flooring to increase our hire stock, see what was new in display lighting and to find new products that would be of interest to our customers.

At the end of the first day we met up to compare notes. It was quite clear that we were all experiencing similar problems with the lack of sales skills and basic product knowledge of the exhibitors. What worried us most was the fact that these companies were from the exhibition industry so if they didn’t know how to man an exhibition stand or speak to potential customers then what chance would somebody outside of the industry have?

Some of the basic non-technical questions we asked, which went unanswered were –

Is this product in stock?
Do you have UK distributors?
Would there be a discount on 1,000 units?
Is this the only colour you have?
How much does it cost?
What is the lead time?
Do you have a brochure?

To make matters worse, when we saw exhibitors who did explain their products in great detail and answered all of our questions, they forgot to ask for our business cards or scan in our badge details!

So if you are involved in organising your company’s exhibition programme and your sales team returns from a show and says “Exhibitions are a waste of time” make sure you qualify what they mean!

A fantastic stand alone is not a guarantee of success.

The value of face to face selling at exhibitions is well documented, so in these testing times, where we all have fewer customers with less money to spend, it is imperative that we plan ahead and train our stand personnel to work harder and smarter than our competitors.

The following are a few useful tips that might make the difference and help you realise the true potential of exhibiting.

Agree your business objectives before the show and share with staff.
List the sorts of questions you are likely to be asked by your customers and make sure all staff know the answers or where to find them.
Set daily targets for each person manning the stand and measure their performance.
Give staff incentives to encourage activity and accuracy.

Data collection has never been easier. The latest technology is excellent, but there may be some limitations, so the good old enquiry pad can always help you add that important extra detail about the lead.
But however you do it – do it! There is nothing worse for a customer, who has spent half an hour on the stand explaining his requirement, than receiving a telephone call a week later asking him what he was interested in.

More tips on exhibiting

Peter Bowen

C.E.O.

Access Displays Ltd

http://www.accessdisplays.co.uk/

Isn’t it time you had a Double Decker Exhibition Stand?

2012-01-23T11:42:00.000Z

Many of our clients need a specific area within their exhibition stand to entertain visitors or have private meetings away from the busy exhibition floor where product demonstrations and general enquiries are taking place. One of the ways of doing this is by adding additional floor levels.

Double Deck Exhibition Stand for Chicago Pneumatic

Double Decker or even Triple Decker exhibition stands can increase floor space dramatically. There are obviously budget implications as well as numerous technical issues to over come; in fact some exhibition venues or show organisers won’t even allow this type of exhibition design.

Double Decker Exhibition Stand for SiS

As these exhibition stands are generally over 4 metre high they may be classed as a temporary build and need to be constructed to strict building regulations where planning applications have to be submitted and approved by the Local Authorities in the same way as a house extension or alteration would be. Structural calculations would need to be supplied along with full working drawings, risk assessments making sure that they comply with other health and safety issues including The Disability Discrimination Act. There are also fire regulations to take into account, if the second or third floor of your exhibition stand exceeds a certain percentage of the ground floor space the local fire officer may insist that a sprinkler system and fire extinguishers are installed. Even fire exit signs and escape plans might need to be in operation.

This might sound quite daunting, but here at Access Displays we deal with these sorts of issues every day. We know what the different requirements are in most countries around the world and take all this worry and form filling away by liaising with the necessary authorities.

Cost implications

Obviously there are serious cost implications to take into account when thinking about using a Double Decker Exhibition stand. Steel girders required for strength can weigh many tonnes and everything we use in building Double Decker Exhibition stands is bigger, stronger and heavier than traditional exhibition stand builds. This could mean higher transportation costs, additional man power and equipment costs and longer build times. That is why we look at each Double Decker Exhibition Stand project separately. As well as purchase we can offer the hire of a Double Decker Exhibition stand to keep costs down. If your exhibition is in another country we will almost certainly look to using one of our overseas exhibition partners so that we can source your Double Decker Exhibition stand locally. An advantage of this is that local exhibition contractors know the local exhibition rules, speak the language and have experience of working at certain venues and in some cases can get in early at no additional costs to the client.

If you would like to talk to us about your Double Decker Exhibition Stand requirement then please contact us.

Nigeria LNG Double Deck Exhibition Stands

Free hire equipment at The Business Show Swindon 2012

2012-01-19T11:23:00.001Z

The Swindon Business Show

1st February 2012

If you're attending this FREE event come and visit our stand. If you haven't booked, why not book today to secure your place!

Date: 1st February 2012, 9am - 4pm
Venue: STEAM Museum

Access Displays Ltd
Stand number: 26

As well as over 80 exhibitors from a range of business sectors and sizes, there are also free speed networking sessions and a conference cafe for networking, refreshment and one-to-one meetings available.

FREE HIRE EQUIPMENT FOR EXHIBITORS

We are offering FREE hire equipment for exhibitors at The Business Show Swindon this year*.

To be eligible for this offer you must follow @AccessDisplays on Twitter and post the following tweet:

RT @AccessDisplays Exhibiting at The Business Show Swindon? Follow us & RT to be eligible for FREE hire equipment. http://ow.ly/8yRT2 @swindonbizshow

* Free hire equipment is limited to our folding display boards, panel and pole and pop up displays only and subject to availability. Carriage will be charged for unless collection is possible for the equipment you require. Please call us on 01793 613088 for further details.

Links to free hire equipment:

Folding Display Boards

Panel and Pole Stands

Pop Up Displays

Access Displays offer an extensive range of Modular Display stands, Display Boards, Pop-up Display stands and Banner Systems and a range of exhibition furniture. We are a global supplier of exhibition panels and display equipment and have over 3000 different consumable items for both the trade and end users, including shop fitting, signage and retail displays.

For the more seasoned exhibitor we provide total customer Project Management from the initial FREE Exhibition Stand Design to installation anywhere in the world. With our own production facility we build Custom Made and Modular Display Stands, award winning exhibition stands and display equipment, all to the highest of standards. Shop fitting and reception design is part of our special projects portfolio.

The smarter way to improved efficiency and better value

2012-01-13T14:03:00.000Z

At the recent 2011 ESSA (Exhibition Stand Suppliers Association) G50+ conference, keynote speaker, Tony Wallis of Toyota Material Handling UK, delighted delegates with his presentation of business practices (as defined by the Toyota Production System), as part of a continuous improvement programme.

The inspirational presentation struck an important chord with long time ESSA member, Peter Bowen, CEO of exhibition specialists Access Displays. Peter explains, “The information coming across formalised some of the ideas we were trying to implement at Access Displays and I felt that we needed to know more.”
Access Displays expanded its relationship with Toyota, subsequently, when Production Director, Emma Thatcher, accepted a place at a TPS master class.

(The Toyota Production System empowers team members to optimise quality by constantly improving processes and eliminating unnecessary waste in natural, human and corporate resources. TPS influences every aspect of Toyota’s organisation and includes a common set of values, knowledge and procedures. It entrusts employees with well defined responsibilities in each production step and encourages every team member to strive for overall improvement.)

And what of the master class? Emma explains, “It highlighted many of the issues important to Access Displays, including service and teamwork.
I enjoyed, particularly, the practical elements, where the role play emphasised the major benefits to be achieved by setting clear goals and giving relevant training and instruction.”
But will this experience influence future plans? Emma believes that it will and envisages challenges ahead to ensure that any manpower changes are linked to improved process implementation, consistency of operation and optimum stock holding.

Peter Bowen agrees and concludes, “Involving staff in the decision making and jointly agreeing procedures to improve efficiency, is the smart way to reduce waste and give customers better value and service”.

Lindt choose Access Displays Ltd as their exhibition stand contractor

2012-01-12T11:13:00.000Z

Case Study – Lindt

Client : Lindt & Sprungli UK

First Show : P & H Pro Retail – 9^th May, Telford International Centre

Space : 4m x 3m

Background :

In March 2011, Access Displays received an enquiry, on its web site, from Andrew Lightowler, Lindt’s Trade Sector Manager. The enquiry was in relation to two exhibitions that the company was attending. Following receipt of a detailed brief, an initial meeting was set up to pitch some basic concepts and to investigate further, the balance between Lindt, the corporate brand and Lindt, the product, that can often end up in the corner shop.

During discussions, the client outlined the key brand aims to be reflected in their trade show presence, namely:-

- to be regarded as the everyday accessible luxury chocolate brand in the UK.

- to take ownership of the premium chocolate category.

- to create an emotional rather than a functional connection to the brand (ie a love for chocolate)

Brief:

Access Displays was asked to develop a stand design that addressed a number of issues:-

- to reflect the premium nature of the brand and it’s positioning in the market.

- to provide a more controlled approach to sampling.

- to employ reusable stand components with modular elements, so that a variety of size formats could be accommodated throughout the tradeshow programme.

Pitch:

In keeping with the brand values an elegant, contemporary style was proposed. A linking fascia, with high level branding and built in lighting to the underside, would complement the core product displays and would be built in sections to use on different size stands. A sampling table would be incorporated to prevent a ‘free for all’ approach, while a wood effect floor covering would bring through the golden tones of the graphics.

In addition to the design concepts presented, project management and cost visibility processes for the programme, were demonstrated and became important factors in securing the contract.

Result:

The client was very impressed with the initial proposals, particularly with our understanding of their brand positioning. Andrew Lightowler continues, “The flexibility and modularity of the design have created stand solutions that have worked well throughout the year and has enabled Lindt to attend a total of nine, successful exhibitions, in various size formats”.

Client profile :

“Master chocolatier since 1845”

Lindt is the No1. premium chocolate manufacturer in the UK and globally.

Lindt choose Access Displays Ltd as their exhibition stand contractors

Access Displays Ltd donate office equipment to 1244 Squadron (Swindon) ATC

2012-01-10T14:43:00.001Z

1244 Squadron ATC is based in Swindon and part funded by its own charity work. They raise their own funds to pay for their equipment such as their mini bus and activity kits and also raise money for several local charities through assisting local organisations with events and sponsored activities.

For a few years the squadron has been running on 2 very old computers and has considered taking components out of 4 older PC’s in an attempt to create another usable computer.

The computers donated by Access Displays Ltd include 4 desktop computers and 2 office printers. This donation will enable the Commanding Officer to have his own computer for the first time in the squadrons history. The remaining computers will allow the cadets to create a corporate communications section while the younger personnel can help create the squadron website, write newsletters and create posters/banners to help raise future funds. The photocopier and printer will be incredibly useful for this.

1244 Squadron ATC (Swindon): http://www.1244squadron.org.uk/

New sales appointment at Access Displays Ltd

2012-01-09T14:18:00.000Z

Exhibition specialists Access Displays Ltd have appointed Paul Hughes as Internal Sales Manager.

Paul joins the Access team from freight forwarding giants, D.B.Schenker, where he headed up new business development for the Contract Logistics Division, and will bring his wealth of experience in growing business activity to increase the penetration of Access Displays products in the market.

In addition to developing and implementing new strategies to increase sales revenue, the role will encompass coaching and monitoring of sales staff, to ensure the continued high levels of expertise and customer service are maintained.

Paul Hughes, new Internal Sales Manager at Access Displays Ltd

Festive offers on Folding Display Boards and Accessories!

2011-12-01T11:53:00.001Z

With Christmas just around the corner, for the festive period we have reduced the pricing on our most popular folding display boards and also all of the available accessories when you purchase them with one of our folding displays.

Folding displays are ideal for use at exhibitions, presentations and other events including at schools, colleges, art galleries and more.

Our most popular product, the lightweight 6 Panel Folding Display Boards including Carry Bag has been reduced from £129 to just £119 including free delivery to UK mainland.

6 Panel Folding Display Boards including Carry Bag

To purchase this system along with 25 meters of hook Velcro and 2 exhibition spotlights was £165. With our festive deals this is now just £148!*

Hook velcro

Powerspot 50 exhibition spotlight

For this and more great offers to order online or by telephone, visit our Folding Display Boards page today!

*Orders for velcro and exhibition spotlights must be placed at the same time as the order for a folding display board to qualify for the discounted prices.

How to Reduce Your Exhibiting Costs by 30% in a Recession

2011-11-25T11:15:00.001Z

If your marketing budget has been cut and you are struggling to justify the cost of exhibiting before you “throw in the towel” you might want to read my latest posting on how you can reduce your exhibiting costs.

We all know the value of face to face selling at exhibitions so these tips might help you make that exhibition budget go a little bit further.

Trade Association Discounts

Most major exhibitions are linked to a particular trade association or publication. Find out if there is an associated discount scheme with the organiser before you book your space. If your trade association hasn’t got an agreed discount structure in place, lobby them to negotiate on your behalf.

Exhibition stand hire

An obvious way of reducing your spend is to hire your exhibition stand and equipment.

For more information on custom built exhibition stand hire and simple self build modular exhibition equipment see the link below.

http://www.accessdisplays.co.uk/exhibition-stand-hire.htm

Find a contractor who is already building at your show

If you can find a contractor who is already building at your show it may be possible to get reduced delivery and labour rates. If they are already going to your show ask them for a discounted rate.

The Access Displays Ltd website features a list of exhibitions we will be building at. The list can be found on the following page:

http://www.accessdisplays.co.uk/exhibitions-attending.htm

Electrics

Show electrics are expensive so get your ESSA accredited exhibition stand contractor to work out what you need and get them to book them on your behalf. ESSA contractors are experts so they may be able to find ways of saving you money when booking multiple electrical sockets and other services. However you decide to book your electrics make sure you book them on time so you don’t get penalised by a surcharge!

Flooring and platforms

Try and get your stand designed so that you don’t need an expensive platform. Most venues in the UK have electrical service ducts under the floor so you should be able to get power to stand alone displays without a platform with careful planning. In the USA the power comes from the ceiling which is why they don’t generally use platforms.

Carpets and tiles

If you are building your exhibition stand directly to the hall floor i.e. no platform or raised floor, consider using carpet or carpet tiles laid by the contractors who are doing the gangways.

If you do want to use carpet, “cord” is much cheaper than “velour” and vinyl surfaces are cheaper than laminates.

What stand space?

Space only exhibition plots are generally cheaper than shell schemes but you will have the responsibility for supplying any adjoining walls. Speak to your ESSA contractor or the organiser if you are not sure which the cheapest option is.

Graphics

Get your graphic designer to design the graphics so that each panel can be used independently at other events or in your premises between shows. You might want to consider using vinyl lettering as a cheaper way of producing solid colour logo’s or bullet points on your stand.

Fabric graphics or direct to substrate are extremely lightweight, easy to store and transport and are a cost effective way of adding additional dimension to your stand without the need of expensive walling.

The video below shows a stand with simple yet effective use of vinyl logos and the use of fabric graphics as part of the stand structure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lDDdEIwZzI

Investing for the long-term

Sometimes it’s worth investing for the long-term. The example below was specifically design with that in mind. After the initial capital outlay this design was so successful it became a regular feature at both the London and Southampton boat shows. Modular in construction and “set painted” it only needed minimal repair work so the client enjoyed just paying for the “installation and refurbishment” charge for the next ten years!

Custom built exhibition stand

Clearance Items

We have hundreds of exhibition and display items ranging from literature displays to complete exhibition stands on our clearance page at knock down prices. These products have either been discontinued, used on previous hire projects or are cancelled orders. You can even add your own unwanted display items and turn them into cash!

If you can’t find what you are looking for let us know so that we can add them to our wish list.

http://www.accessdisplays.co.uk/clearance-sale.htm

Pre-loved custom displays

Most ESSA exhibition stand contractors will have a whole range of existing exhibition equipment in storage that has been previously used on other stands in the past.

The may include reception desks, bar counters, product plinths and other stand alone features. With a little imagination (and negotiation) you might find that this is a more cost effective alternative to having something manufactured from scratch!

ESSA promote excellence throughout the UK and global exhibition supply chains, benefiting exhibitors, venue owners and organisers.

More information on ESSA can be found here:

http://www.accessdisplays.co.uk/beca.htm

Please note that all venues and exhibition organisers and contractors have their own rules and regulations so you should always check with them first before carrying out any of our suggestions.

I hope you found this information useful

Happy exhibiting

Peter Bowen

C.E.O.

Access Displays Ltd

http://www.accessdisplays.co.uk/

“FREE DISPLAY BOARD HIRE” for Charities in December

2011-11-09T11:45:00.000Z

My company, Access Displays Ltd offers one of the largest ranges of exhibition display boards and equipment hire in the UK. Throughout the year this equipment is used extensively for product launches, art exhibitions and poster displays.

We all know that funds are tight for everyone, so this year the staff at Access Displays have suggested that rather than sending out Christmas cards, we offer charities FREE use of our hire stock in December.

Our inventory is worth tens of thousands of pounds so we do have some terms and conditions attached but we are genuinely offering FREE hire equipment to Charities this December.

To qualify-

· You must be a UK registered charity.

· You must collect and return the equipment at your expense.

· You must have adequate insurance to cover any loss or damage.

· All equipment must be returned before the Christmas break.

All we ask is that you respect the fact that we will not be able to help everybody and all requests are subject to availability and are at our discretion.

We would appreciate photographs and copies of any publicity to use in our own marketing. Links from your website to ours will be greatly appreciated as well as any ‘follows’ or ‘likes’ on social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

If you would like to find out more or want to discuss a particular project then please email the sales department at sales@accessdisplays.co.uk or telephone 01793 613088.

You can view most of our hire inventory at www.accessdisplays.co.uk

If this venture proves successful then we hope to repeat this “gesture of good will” again in the future.

Thank you for your time

Peter Bowen

C.E.O.

Access Displays Ltd

How To Maximize Your ROI At An Exhibition

2011-11-01T13:40:00.000Z

Peter Bowen, CEO of Access Displays

The value of face to face selling at exhibitions is well documented, so in these testing times, where we all have fewer customers with less money to spend, it is imperative that we plan ahead and train our stand personnel to work harder and smarter than our competitors. The following tips might make the difference and help you realise the true potential of exhibiting.

Think about why you are exhibiting. Is it to sell more products, improve brand awareness, meet existing customers, collect leads for future appointments, find distributors or something else?

What are your objectives for the show?

Think about how you are going to measure success or ROI?
Are you judging success by the number of leads, sales, visitors, conversions, or the amount of brochures you give out?
Set daily targets for each person manning the stand and measure their performance.
Communicate your objectives to the team and most importantly, measure.
Give staff incentives to encourage activity and accuracy.

Do your research about the show

Can the organiser back the visitor numbers up?
Is the exhibition ABC audited? www.abc.org.uk
Is the audience made up of your typical customer?
Speak to other exhibitors before you book.

Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)

Keep your exhibition stand graphics simple. “Who you are” and “what you do” is often missed!
Make your space work for you with plenty of room to meet clients, discuss projects or demonstrate products.
Speak to expert Exhibition contractors. If you are looking for a reliable exhibition contractor who may already be building at your show then make sure you use an ESSA member - www.essa.uk.com

Pre-exhibition planning

Once you have agreed your objectives make sure you explain them to the people that are manning the exhibition stand and make sure that everybody knows who is responsible for what!

Invite your customers and prospects before the show using social media, your web site and direct mail.
Tell them something “interesting” and give them a reason or incentive for visiting.
Remember, most visitors have gone to a great deal of expense and trouble to attend.

Data capture

Whether you use bar code readers or a simple pad and pen, make notes on what your customers were interested in so that you can send them the correct information or speak to them in more detail after the show.

“There is nothing worse for a customer, who has spent half an hour on the stand explaining his requirement, than receiving a telephone call a week later asking him what he was interested in.”

Training

Before the show discuss what questions your customers are likely to ask and make sure you have the answers or know where to get them.

Train your staff on products, availability, distributors, prices, trade discounts, delivery costs, production times, service agreements, returns policy and don’t forget it your customers might want to “know who else has bought your product or service”.

For more tips on exhibiting go to http://www.accessdisplays.co.uk/tips-on-exhibiting.htm

Happy Exhibiting!

Peter Bowen, CEO of Access Displays