Fair-weather business!

ADVERTISING is an important function for most corporates, a necessary medium to present their products to the world and specifically target certain key customers. In fact, advertising can play a major role in improving a company's fortunes. The varied advertising media now available only make the process more effective. Trade fairs, exhibitions, business conventions, are one form of advertising that provide opportunities for business houses and traders to showcase their products, build a network of clientele, and even develop business contacts.

Trade fairs can be likened to a storehouse of resources that are at the disposal of the user (the business person), to make the best use of. These trade fairs are like providing visitors a snapshot view of the organisation. A lot of effort is often expended in making the most of these `experiences.' If you're totally new to the whole experience and are planning to make a foray into this form of publicity and business interests' promotion, here are a whole lot of nitty-gritties that go into transforming an ordinary trade fair experience into a winning arrangement.

Research

Explore your options before you actually choose to exhibit at a trade fair. Check out trade magazines and business journals, and contact trade associations to find out venues and trade fairs that are in the offing. Contact the state industry departments to find more about other similar conventions. Tap industry resources, business acquaintances, websites, newspapers etc to gather more information.

Ditch the popular vote

Don't go looking for the most popular place in haste. Pick, sieve, and choose well. Spend time to pick a place that is convenient and suits your needs rather than just going by popular vote. Personally visit the place, find out what kind of business houses and traders are going to participate, and what kind of turnout is expected.

Look around, network with clients and customers. Find out where they are most likely to visit or shop around for products such as yours. Conduct an informal survey about exhibit preferences. Find out the popular, probable, least likely, unusual and exciting places.

Info-quest

Gather as much information as possible - about the venue, the arrangements, the stall placements, the duration, the number of sales people allowed per stall, etc. Pay a preliminary visit to the chosen venue and get a `feel' of the place, compare the prices with market rates and find out how the booths will be placed.

Picking the right stall

The placement of the booth or the stall is very important. Leverage the first mover advantage and hire the best stall. Ensure that your booth fulfils two important criteria - visibility and accessibility. It's always best not to skimp on these aspects.

Staffing

An attractive stall teamed with suitably qualified volunteers is a must. People your booth with staff who are knowledgeable about the product, are smart and can articulate, interact and network well with the visitors. Ensure that the booths are never left unattended. Make a note of peak visitor traffic hours and have more staff present at that time.

Display

Product display is the next important thing that draws people to the stalls. Ensure that all the products are well presented. Seek the help of a professional if necessary, e.g., a professional window dresser, to give your booth an attractive look and feel. This is bound to at least register a few `eye ball' hits. Include a few attractive offers, gifts and deals with the products; have attractively designed brochures, and handouts about the company and its products.

Post convention

Post-convention follow-ups are important to transform potential sales leads into loyal customers and clientele. To ensure a good follow-up, every visitor to the booth at the convention must be treated as a potential customer.

First impressions last long, so make the best attempt you can every chance you get. Business conventions and trade fairs are opportunities to make an elusive real-time contact with your customer.

SAMYUKTA KODA

samyukta.hyd@cnkonline.com