Although Fairs and Exhibitions are one of the best opportunities for building your clientele and reaching other businesses that can benefit you, it is up to you to make an impact on the day. There is a great deal that you can do before, during and after an event to maximise the investment you have made in your stand. Whether you are an experienced exhibitor, or are new to the exhibition circuit, the following marketing tips may be of benefit to you.

Before . . .

Be clear about your reasons for exhibiting. Do you want to achieve new sales? New contacts? New resources for your business? Make contact with existing customers in order to retain future business? Whatever your reasons, be clear about them: make a list of Aims, Goals and Objectives and then work out how you will achieve them.

Give clients and potential clients an incentive to come and visit you at an event. Offering a discount on selected products or services if they produce a voucher or quote a code is good way of encouraging people to make the journey, as is a 'New Product Launch'. People like to have a reason for going somewhere and they like to feel it was worthwhile. Take the time to offer an incentive and give your clients a reason to visit you and spend money at your stand. You want your clients to feel they will be missing out if they stay at home!

Be pro-active, don't just cross your fingers and hope! The most successful Exhibitors are those who take the time to email as many customers and prospective customers as possible prior to a show. This is worth it, both from your point of view and that of your customers. If you run your business primarily via the internet, your customers do not get the opportunity to meet you often. People like being able to 'put a face to the name' and they like making contact. If your customers can get out and meet you (and bring a friend or two into the bargain) you have much more chance of retaining their business in the future.

Prior to an event, plan your stand. Exhibitors who plan how their stand will look before they arrive at an event have a much easier time on the day. They are generally far more efficient and far less flustered when it comes to setting up than exhibitors who do not. By planning in advance, you will be far clearer about which items of stock you will be taking with you.

If you use any electrical equipment on your stand, such as lighting, a laptop or a CD player, make sure that it is in good working order prior to the event and that it meets with all the requisite safety standards. This is also true for any extension cables or adaptors that you use.

During . . .

Return to your list of Aims, Goals and Objectives because your stand should be the result of these ambitions. If it is not, you will find it difficult to achieve your objectives.

Make sure your display is safe and stable. Visitors do not tend to think in terms of knocking things over or disturbing your display. Be sure that any potentially breakable items are at the back of your display and are centrally placed. This makes them harder to knock over and damage. You also need to think of your visitors' safety - do you display anything that could potentially injure someone if they knocked it over and / or it fell on them?

Your stand should be visually striking. It needs to stand out to people from a distance so that they are attracted to it as they approach. If it does not grab their attention, they will bypass you in favour of one that does. Make sure that you give plenty of thought to the appearance of your stand. Would your layout make YOU want to visit it if you were a potential customer? Your stand should be organised, inviting and just plain irresistible!

Your stand should be self explanatory. That is to say, visitors should not have to try and work out what you do or sell, it should be obvious. If they have to think too hard about it, they will move on to another stand. Visitors should not have to keep asking you what you do. If this happens to you a lot then you might consider changing your presentation.

Have plenty of cards and literature available for people to take away. Exhibitions can result in sensory overload and short concentration spans. The minute people have left your stand for another they can forget that they were ever there in the first place. Make sure they take something that ensures you remain memorable. Also, make sure that your literature is well displayed and accessible. Most stationery stores stock small literature displays and these are far more practical than having your leaflets scattered over your table space and they look professional too.

Be original. When visitors have fifty-something stands beckoning, having something a little different can be a godsend. Let your imagination take over and try out a few ideas before the day. Ask for the opinions of friends and family (or better yet, customers) and go for your best judged idea.

If you can afford to give out a few freebies, do it! A free sample if you 'spend £X' or 'buy Y' can boost your sales by a worthwhile percentage.

Consider keeping a Visitor's Book on your stand, or at least some photocopied pages on a clip board so that people can leave you their details - you'll need them after the event. Also, you could add a space to your form that allows visitors to note their opinion of your stand as these are the people you need to listen to.

Don't overstock your stand. You don't want items competing for attention because visitors just end up seeing nothing. Go for 'boutique' rather than 'junk shop' - it works!

Don't use your stand as something to hide behind! People need to be able to see you - be accessible. If you are manning your stand with a colleague, having one of you behind it and one in front can work well.

Be happy that you're there! You would not believe the number of visitors who bypass a stand because the exhibitor did not look friendly or approachable. Having accomplished a stunningly visual, well organised, irresistible exhibition stand, you don't want it to be you that puts people off. Look alert, look helpful, be confident, look like you are enjoying yourself and people will be drawn to you.

After . . .

Email everyone who left their details in your Visitor's Book or on your contact sheets. Make sure you keep them interested in what you do by sending regular product or service news. You might consider offering them a Visitor's Bonus in the shape of some sort of special offer. This may encourage them to visit you at more shows in the future.

Analyse your performance at the event. Did you do as well as you hoped to? Did you achieve the sales you had anticipated? If not, why not? How can you do it differently next time? You have to be honest here. It's no use just blaming the organiser - it is only the organiser's fault if everyone did badly.

Keep in touch with the other stand holders from the event. Between you, you're an incredibly valuable resource for each other and you're all in it together.