What types of events should you exhibit your business at?

All kinds of sources are touting the benefits of attending trade shows and other industry exhibitions nowadays. While this is all very well, it can be difficult to understand which exhibitions you can actually benefit from attending.

Due to the fact that trade show attendance can be both costly and time-consuming, it’s worth doing your research to get it right. By starting off with a focus on your goals and looking at what your competitors are doing, you should be able to optimise your approach.

What are your goals?

One of the first things you need to understand is why you want to be exhibiting at various events. Are you aiming to use it as a marketing opportunity to get new clients? Do you want to forge partnerships with other businesses in your niche? Or are you more generally interested in developing a presence in your niche?

Knowing what your specific goals are from exhibiting at trade shows and other kinds of events is an incredibly important first step. It will allow you to determine what kinds of events are more or less suited to your needs, helping you to find the right match.

What kinds of exhibitions are available in your niche?

Next, you need to do some research on what kinds of exhibitions are actually available for your niche. You can take a look in industry-oriented magazines, blogs, and other digital resources to see where these events are, and what kinds of businesses attend them. 

You’ll likely find a combination of both in-person and online events, and it’s worth choosing a few of each. How you’ll approach these events will obviously differ substantially, but both will come with a range of potential benefits.

How will you optimise your attendance?

You’ll also need to think about how you optimise your attendance at any trade shows you choose to attend. For in-person events, you’ll want to develop some kind of exhibition stand with help from a service like Focal Exhibitions.

Your exhibition stand will be the stage from which you promote your business, and it’s important to put enough thought into it. It can be a costly investment, but it’s well worth it in the long run, and you should be able to use it for years to come.

What exhibitions do your competitors attend?

Lastly, it’s worth taking a look at what events your competitors are attending. Pay special attention to any brands that are currently at a higher level in some way than you, and that you’re hoping to parallel in some way in terms of success.

Of course, you don’t need to follow your competitors’ approaches exactly, and in some cases, it can even be beneficial to forge your own path. It is however a very convenient form of market research, and can give you some excellent pointers as to what you should be doing.

The benefits you stand to gain from event attendance are substantial, and it’s worth getting your approach right. With just a little preparation, you can make sure that you’re getting the most from your investment.

Related Articles:

• Professional Embroidery For Your Business
• Top 15 Print on Demand Business Ideas: Start Your Business