The use of exhibitions as a strategy to meet marketing or brand objectives and
targets are increasingly globally. Participating in the exhibition is usually guided by
an enterprise’s marketing plan and forms part of its strategies for achieving
marketing objectives such as increasing brand awareness on the market or
launching a new brand. Sometimes an enterprise’s management decides to
participate in an exhibition not because it was part of the marketing plan but
because they feel that it can help them to achieve certain marketing goals which
were not originally planned.
The dilemma which attends such a situation is the exhibition selection criteria.
Here are some of the criteria that you can use to determine which exhibition you
can use to reach out to your target market,
1. Your brand marketing objectives
Exhibitions are excellent marketing platforms but they cannot be used for every
marketing objective. They are very useful for brand launches, brand
demonstrations and increasing brand awareness among other benefits. Before
deciding on participating in an exhibition, ensure that it helps your enterprise to
meet its brand marketing objectives. The more objectives it can help you to
achieve, the better.
2. Exhibition type
Exhibitions differ in their types and purposes. Consumer exhibitions are for
business to consumer type of business while trade fairs are for international
trade. They are excellent for exporting companies which are looking for
customers from other countries. There are special exhibitions for specific
industries such as the ICT Africa exhibition. Ensure that the exhibition which
you select gives you maximum marketing mileage. These bring together
decision-makers in the industries concerned. A perfect match of brand
marketing objectives and exhibition type are more likely to help you to achieve
your objectives.
3. Exhibition relevance
An exhibition should be relevant to your industry. There is no point for a
clothing retail enterprise to participate in ICT Africa as the exhibition is not
relevant to its sector. However affordable an exhibition maybe, if it is not
relevant to your industry do not participate in it.
4. Target Visitors
The whole idea behind participating in exhibitions is to meet customers who can
buy your brand at the event or prospective customers who will buy your brand
in future. If your brand marketing objective is to increase your sales by
recruiting more distributors or agents then you should target exhibitions where
your target visitors are likely to attend in sufficient numbers.
Also, assess target visitors in terms of their quality. If you are an ICT gadgets
distributor you are better off participating in the ICT Africa exhibition than the
Harare Agricultural Show because you are likely to meet decision-makers in
your industry at the former exhibition than at the latter despite the high visitor
turn out at the latter. If you are a first-time exhibitor get visitor statistics from
the exhibition’s organisers and assess them before you make a commitment to
participate.
5. Exhibition organisers
The reputation of exhibition organisers is very important when deciding which
exhibition to participate in. The more reputable an organiser is, the higher the
chances of a successful exhibition. Generally, exhibitions organised by
associations viewed as better than those organised by commercial entities. This
is because associations are deemed to have the welfare of their members (the
exhibitors) compared to private commercial entities which are viewed as more
concerned about profits than relationships with exhibitors.
This is a generalisation. Find out the facts on the ground for yourself and
decide accordingly. Talk to other entrepreneurs who have participated in the
exhibition that you wish to participate in and use their experiences in helping
you to decide whether or not to participate. Book an appointment with the
organisers and meet them. Put before them your brand marketing objectives
and, in all likelihood, they will assist you with information which will help you
to decide whether or not to participate in their event. New exhibitions are
generally a no-no especially for SMEs which cannot afford to gamble with their
few precious marketing resources.
6. Participating costs
Participating fees are also a major criterion in selecting an exhibition to
participate in. An exhibition may have the potential to help you to attain your
brand marketing goals, but if it is out of reach it will not help you. A
combination of high potential and affordability is what every entrepreneur
especially SME ones always wishes for. Some organisers permit exhibitors to
pay in instalments during the run-up to the day of the event. Take advantage of
such arrangements.
7. Timing
When selecting exhibitions, ensure that their timing does not coincide with the
peak period of your business. For example, a school uniform manufacturer may
not be able to participate in an exhibition held in December to enable the
enterprise to manufacture sufficient stocks of uniforms in preparation for the
January school opening’s high demand for uniforms. You can send some staff
to man an exhibition stand while the rest continues with the manufacturing but
this may strain your resources, both financial and human.
8. Juried shows
Some exhibitions are juried which may prevent your enterprise from
participating in such events. A juried show is an exhibition in which prospective
exhibitors must submit their products to a panel of judges who determine
whether they are of acceptable quality and design for exhibition in their event.
The judges normally only accept very high-quality products.
If your products fail to meet the selection criteria this means that you cannot
participate in the show. In Zimbabwe, most exhibitions are not juried.
Establishing whether or not an exhibition is a juried one or not is important in
that it helps you know early if your enterprise qualifies or not.
This list, while not exhaustive, should give you a starting point when you plan
for your next exhibition. The four key factors influencing the success of any
exhibition participation is planning, planning, planning and more planning. The
earlier you do it the better.
