This is the third  article in a series I have written aimed at exhibitors at We Mean Business, an exhibition organised by the FSB that takes place in Croydon today.  The article has been adapted slightly from the original, so that it is meaningful for whatever exhibition you might be attending. 

So, it’s exhibition day.  Your stand is all set up and looking great.  You’ve invited all your customers and prospects to attend and have given them a compelling offer or reason to come along.  The show’s organisers have been busy promoting the event to the wider business community.  Everyone’s expecting lots of visitors and a busy day.

You may think that your promotional work is done, and all you have to do is speak to the visitors that come to your stand.  But there are still plenty of things you can be doing to promote that you are at the show and to promote your company in general.  Your efforts may act as a timely reminder to some of your contacts to attend.  And if all the exhibitors chip in and do a little event promotion, it will cause a collective buzz about the event and perhaps attract some new interest.

So, what can you do on the day – and more to the point, in the early part of the day – to promote the exhibition and your attendance at it?

1. Email
   Hopefully you will have been reminding your customers and prospects to come along, but take the opportunity to send one final email, reminding them that the show is today and why it would be of benefit to them to come along, however briefly, and see you and what you have to offer.
2.  Photos
   Take a photo of your stand, first thing, and then later on during the day when there are people there. You can add the photos to Flickr, Google+ and Facebook, and tweet them too.
3. Twitter
   Considered the most immediate of all the social media platforms, Twitter can be used to great effect for a live event.  You can tweet regularly throughout the day about:
   – How the show is going
   – Visitors and companies that you’ve met
   – Fellow exhibitors
   – What you’re offering/exhibiting
   – Any special offers or competitions you’re running
   – Pictures of your stand

   Follow the show’s official Twitter account and other exhibitors’ Twitter accounts.  Retweet their interesting news and posts about the show.  Make sure you use the show’s hashtag on all your tweets, so that anyone following them will see your tweets too.  If enough of the exhibitors tweet during the day, you might jointly be able to get your event trending!

4. Video
   Make a short video of your stand, or the show, or you talking to camera or to customers and upload it to YouTube or Vimeo, then publicise the video via your other social media like Twitter and Facebook.
5. LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+
   If you have profiles or pages on any of these networks, use these in the same way as Twitter to publicise your attendance at the show.
6. Blog
   Write a short blog, or a couple, about the show and publish them, along with your photos and videos.
7. PR
   If you wrote a press release to accompany your presence at the exhibition, make sure it’s added to your website on the day of the show.

Finally – in between all this and talking to prospects and customers, and having a look around the exhibition yourself, and attending a workshop, presentation, panel event or some networking – make sure you keep all those leads nicely logged and safe, and don’t forget to grab someone from the organising committee so that you can reserve your space to do it all again next year!

Have a great show.

Other articles in this series:

Article 1 – How to plan effectively so We Mean Business is a great success for you

Article 2 – How you can promote your stand at We Mean Business so that it attracts a high number of quality visitors