This week we sat down with Jeff, our Events Logistics Manager. His team are always working on something exciting in the UK and Worldwide and we wanted a piece of that action, even if it was only for an hour!

Jeff was very clear from the outset that what is done in Event logistics is not freight, “We are in the exhibitions industry, we travel the world and see good and bad practice from exhibitors.”

For the benefit of our readers we thought we’d tap into his 34 years of experience in the events industry and collate our Top 10 Tips from an Exhibitions Addict.

1) Set your objectives and make them achievable

Be clear on what it is that you want to achieve by exhibiting and make those objectives reasonable.

2) Choose the right exhibition

Do your research and make sure that the event you attend is the right one for your market. Organisers provide a lot of data to help you decide which event is right for you.

3) Book early

Location matters. You can have the best stand in the world but if it’s in a part of the hall that no one visits then you’ve wasted your money. So, book early to get a prime position.

4) Design your stand to meet your objectives

Speak to your stand designer and use their knowledge in helping you achieve your goals.

5) Have a system in place for separating the wheat from the chaff

Many people will pass your stand so it’s imperative that you have a system in place for separating those you need to talk to from those you don’t. Start the conversation with an open-ended question to ascertain whether they have potential business for you. If you think they have then pass them on to someone else on your stand to dig a little deeper and get their details and follow up afterwards, don’t do it then. Speaking to them for too long runs the risk of letting that major potential customer pass your stand.

6) Don’t do the “Win a free prize”

You know the one where if you drop your business card into the bowl you could win a free prize? People who do this think they end up with lots of sales leads, you don’t, you just end up with a lot of business cards (you’ve also got to be mindful of GDPR and PECR). Whilst we’re talking about sales leads/business cards, take them back in your hand luggage, don’t send them back with a courier as they could go missing and with them the whole reason for you attending the event.

7) Tell people you’re attending

Tell your current customers you’re attending and invite them to come along. Put it on your emails, letters, website, sales brochures and your social media channels, start doing this at least six months before.

8) Staff your stand sufficiently

Standing on an exhibition stand all day is tiring, have a rota to give people a break and make sure that there’s fresh water available, it really does stop aching feet.

9) On the stand on the day

Don’t; use your mobile, eat on the stand, sit down, turn your back on the aisles, have a messy stand or have tacky give-aways. It’s potentially cost you a lot of money to make a good impression with your stand, so you don’t want to undo that.

10) Finally choose the right logistics company

Using a specialised Exhibition Logistics Forwarder, particularly if the event is overseas, will pay dividends as they will have the specialist knowledge of getting goods through customs, into the hall and onto your stand. We would never recommend using a courier company for exhibitions as these companies are great on a standard commercial delivery, but exhibitions are much different.

What else would you add? Because we want to make sure it’s “All Event and Correct”.

If you would like to talk to us about our exhibition logistics service please contact showfreight@ltsglobalsolutions.com T: 0121 753 0080 option 1.