Business Expos: What Marketing Materials Do You REALLY Need? And, What’s Not Worth the Money?

Have you had a good year? 

Post-pandemic, most – but not all – businesses seem mostly to have recovered. You and your team may be taking stock and reviewing the past 12 months’ ups and downs. Some marketing initiatives may have struck gold and generated positive leads. Others, not so much. 

What about next year? Presumably, you’re already planning your marketing strategy for 2024 to build on your success. 

Which Side Are You On?

If you’re considering a stand at an industry-specific exhibition, there are things to know and things to do. We’ll explain.

Opinion on trade expos is split, marmite-style: 

Some of us love them – we’re expo junkies, born to meet and greet. Others would rather go for a long walk on a short cliff. If you’re the former, no doubt you’ve already confirmed your bookings. However, if you’re an expo-avoider, then the Xpress Group team would like, if we may, politely to change your mind.

If you exhibit at the right type of exhibition, with the right kind of stand, fabulous branding and marketing, and your best people, your return on investment could be significant. And yes, expos can be costly. Business expos are great money-spinners for the organisers, but they should be for you, too.

You have opportunities to network, build your database, and meet hundreds of potential customers under one roof. 

So, which marketing materials do you really need,  and what may get taken back to the office and gather dust? Here’s your expo essentials guide:

A Superior Stand Design and Brilliant Banners

We’re linking these two, as they can create an exciting and memorable first impression. If you’re thinking of an expo re-brand or are new to exhibiting and want to start from scratch, we can help.

Xpress Group provides customised exhibition stand designs specifically intended to catch the attention of the decision-makers you want to sell to – in the best way possible. We can project manage the entire process, from an initial site survey, a full design service, printing your displays, IT and AV systems, and UK-wide delivery and installation. 

We’ll help you develop a full brief, factoring in your budget, exhibition goals, stand size and position, and how to market your presence at the expo before and after. The groundwork, so to speak. In truth, the more care and attention you focus on preparing for the day, the more likely you are to generate the leads you need.

Banners are just part of the story and come in an incredible range of sizes and styles – not just the traditional pop-up ones. 

Talk to us about graphic pods, light boxes and wall frames; contemporary marketing for the 2020s. No doubt you’ll want to use them again, perhaps on a bigger or smaller stand. So, making them modular will future-proof everything. 

Brochures

Let’s do old-school. Or, what may be considered as such.

Except they’re not. Old-school, we mean. Brochures will resonate strongly with your audience and offer something digital designs don’t: Feel and touch. A well-crafted and beautifully printed brochure is a fine way to express what you offer, and it sets you apart from your competitors.  

They are a must-have for expos. Your prospects can take them away to read at their leisure. And, if you impress them, they will keep it for future reference. 

Xpress Group can create bespoke brochure designs or print from the artwork you supply. We know layout. And, images, copy, white space, headers and calls to action. Our digitally printed brochures offer ultra-high-quality results on a wide range of papers up to 400 gsm.

Do You Need Merchandise?

It’s a thing, or is it?

Chocolates, pens, notebooks, stress balls, pen drives, key fobs, trolly tokens etc. But beware the exhibition scavengers. They don’t want you; they want your merch. Your expensive merch for their children’s school project – none of your cheap, plastic pens, thank you. 

Business Cards

Yes, despite significant progress in QR code technology, we still think you need business cards. 

The digital ones are awkward to use. 

Cards that represent you and your business reinforce the impression you make. They are a part of your personal branding. Giving someone your business card is polite and professional – especially at a busy trade expo. You want to be remembered.

Importantly, business cards hold your essential contact details, such as your email address, phone number, website address and so on. Imagine if someone wanted to contact “that interesting person whose services we need” and didn’t have your business card.

Surely, a sales prevention system like no other.

There’s something very tactile about a business card, so the better the quality, the greater the impact.

In Summary

Spend more, rather than less, on the best you can afford to make it more memorable and create a greater impact. 

Business and Trade Expos are a highly effective way to meet people who could become customers or business partners. With an excellent stand design and relevant, high-quality marketing collateral, your 2024 marketing strategy starts here.