" />Any construction brand – whether it’s big, bourgeoning, or just beginning – should consider exhibiting at industry events. Regardless of your market pedigree, these occasions present you with a rare opportunity to put yourself in the middle of a room packed wall-to-wall with potential customers.
The construction show calendar seems to get busier every year, playing host to a huge variety of expos across the country, so there’s no shortage of options. The real challenge is making yourself stand out from the crowd. You might have the best product on the market, but quality alone won’t start the good conversations. You need to get the word out long before the panels go up.
This is exactly what our Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Lucy Moore, talked about during a panel she joined at the InstallerSHOW exhibitor day at the NEC in February. The big event is still a few months away, but anyone attending would be wise to start thinking about it now.
Refresh has been exhibiting at the show for a decade, and in that period, we’ve seen exactly what works best and how companies can truly capitalise on their presence at construction events and expos.
Here are some of the insights Lucy and her fellow panellists shared on the day about ensuring a successful exhibition.
It’s all in the prep…
Remember there are three parts to every show: The pre-event, the day(s) itself, and post-event.
Construction expos don’t start on their scheduled date. Preparation for these events should begin from the moment you book your spot and confirm your attendance. Rather than simply turning up and hoping your attractively designed stand does all the hard work for you, take the time to consider what it is you’re trying to achieve by exhibiting.
Are you looking for leads? Trying to boost brand awareness? Launching something new? Make a list of aims and channel this into your show strategy – this will ultimately influence what materials you bring along and ensure spokespeople are peddling the right messages on the day.
Whatever your aims, you need to make sure you get the right team in place for an event: Including colleagues and external partners.
Anyone working on your stand needs to maintain high energy levels across every day of the expo – so consider what motivates them to do their best. What rewards will work as an incentive? Will you treat them to some time off as a “thank you” or take them out for a meal and drinks when the show’s wound down? You know your team better than anyone else – so consider how you might be able to get them as excited for the occasion as you are.
You may also consider working with industry ambassadors and influencers – which can bring credibility to your brand. These individuals often have engaged audiences and many of them can be very cost effective. Plus, if you pick the right partner, your content will work harder: Being seeded out through multiple channels in various forms.
Make the most of it…
Many shows will follow a tight agenda so you can plot effectively long before you arrive – and when you do get there, try and become as familiar with the layout (and whereabouts of your targets/customers) as soon as possible.
Typically, you can expect a construction event to kick off from around 10am and run until around 5pm, taking place across two or three days. The time always goes far too quickly, which is why you shouldn’t focus purely on what’s happening inside the four walls of the venue.
All the people you want to speak to are in the same town for a few nights: So, use this opportunity to assemble your own gathering before/after the main event! The upcoming InstallerSHOW, for example, will see thousands of installers descending on Birmingham for around 72 hours. If there was ever a time to try and set up a group meeting, this is it.
Media will also be busy on the day, so use the evenings to take them for meals and drinks. All of this can bolster your presence and the captive audience that shows bring.
Finally, don’t forget to keep it fun. People will naturally gravitate towards your stand and brand if there’s good vibes going on around it.
The show must go on…
Your brand name will enjoy a surge of momentum during a show, and it’s vital to keep riding this wave as long as possible when the main event is over.
Act fast on follow-ups to get the most from your leads. You need to allocate resources to this and be strict – the post-show follow ups can be where you do, or don’t, hit those KPIs. Even the lukewarm leads are worth pursuing. You never know how vital that new relationship could prove to be, so stay in touch and keep communicating. Categorising can help – for instance, hot leads might get a direct mailer/box of goodies whilst colder lead receive a follow-up email. It’s all about being tactical.
Lastly, use your website and social channels to really hammer home all the learnings and takeaways you got from the event: Roundup blogs, reels, images, videos all work. If you’re using brand ambassadors/influencers, urge them to support you across their channels in the aftermath of the show – tagging your targets and following up with anyone who might have engaged with their content.
If you need any other advice and guidance about exhibiting at events, Refresh can help. We’ve been doing this for 15 years, so we know our stuff.
We'd be delighted to offer support!
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