Not only is autumn upon us, but business events are nearly back again.
After a break for most of this year, it can be a daunting task to think about preparing for an event. From deciding on whether you need to get a new modular exhibition stand to deciding who to take and what to promote, it can be a lot to manage.
Whether this is your first event, or you are a veteran at it, getting ready for an event can be a stressful time. Here at Clip we have some tips to help make events easier to manage.
Planning is key
If there is one tip you take away from this post is that planning is key. An organised event is much more likely to be a successful event. Make sure you cover every possible eventuality so that you are prepared for everything. Over preparation is never a bad thing.
But what exactly do you need to plan for?
Display stands, do I need a new exhibition stand?
Your exhibition stand is the first thing that every potential customer or business opportunity will see when they walk into the hall so make sure it is up to date and reflects your brand clearly. If you have an old, outdated exhibition stand that can’t be customised you may want to invest in a new modular exhibition stand.
These are easy to transport, set up and dismantle, can be customised whenever you want to change it and is great to promote your company. Take a look at our events branding page for more about the benefits of modular exhibition stands at events.
Training
A lot of things have changed in 7 months and guidelines for events has changed drastically since the last time you attended an event.
Make sure everyone attending an event is aware of all the new guidelines. It may be worth spending some time with each employee who is attending the event to ensure they know how they are meant to act at the event, from interactions with potential new customers to how to ensure they stay safe in Covid-19.
Don’t forget to make sure they also know how to put up and dismantle your display to avoid any damages to the stand. Whether it is a roller display or modular exhibition stand it is always a good idea to ensure every employee at the event knows how the stands work.
What does a successful event look like to you?
Before attending the event make sure you clearly have set goals. Are you looking at simply raising more awareness of your company? Or are you looking at getting some leads for potential opportunities?
Once you have clear goals set think about how you can measure these. For example; if your goal is to gather customer data for potential leads you could set an exact number you would like to achieve.
This not only gives your employees something to work towards but also helps you to assess afterwards how successful the event has been. This is a good way of making sure you get the most out of the day.
Once you have set clear goals it will be easier to decide on what your modular exhibition stand, or display should look like and the message you want to promote.
Marketing and advertising
Now you have your goals set, the next step is to think about how you will be promoting your attendance at the event. You may want to consider inviting some of your current or potential clients to the event as well.
There are multiple ways you can promote your attendance. Most events offer sponsorship packages where your company name will be mentioned on the site and on some promotional literature.
It is also always worth promoting the event on your own social media channels as well. You may even want to start including the event in your newsletters and promotional emails or add the information into a campaign.
Make sure you include a budget for marketing for the event from the beginning. If you know you want to promote your attendance externally, instead of solely internally or through your social media you need to prepare this in advance.
If you want to encourage your clients to attend, you could even consider offering to share a stand or to have their name mentioned on your modular exhibition stand. This would not only decrease the cost of attendance for your company, but could also increase further, future opportunities with those clients.
Being Covid safe on the day
We couldn’t write a post about preparing for an event without addressing the elephant in the room. Whether we like it or not, Covid-19 is likely to be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future. As a company you need to ensure you are doing everything you can to keep you, your employees and your visitors safe.
One of the key points is to make sure everyone can follow social distancing guidelines at your stand. This may mean you might need to take a larger space for your modular exhibition stand or that you decrease the products or interactive items on the stand.
Alternatively, you could consider implementing a one-way system on your stand to manage traffic so visitors to the stand remain socially distanced. This could be indicated simply with stickers on the floor marking the direction which visitors need to move.
Also, make sure you have enough masks or visors for all your staff on the day as well as plenty of hand sanitiser and antibacterial spray to keep surfaces clean.
To make your stand as safe as you can make it you may even want to consider having a paperless stand. Doing this is not only good for the environment, but also means there is less chance of Covid-19 spreading through your stand as you will not be sharing pens and paper.
There is so much to consider before attending an event, but the stand, a key element of any event, needn’t be stressful. Here at Clip we can provide you with an eco-friendly, sustainable modular exhibition stand which has the added bonus of a lifetime guarantee.
Check out our range of modular exhibition stands and contact us today to find out more about how we can help you run a successful event.
