Exhibitions: Objectives,

Characteristics, Planning,
Follow-up and Evaluating
Read this article to get information about the objectives of exhibition, its
characteristics, planning and follow-up actions.
Exhibition is the only promotional tool that brings buyers, sellers and the
competitors in a commercial setting. Since customers have to spend time and
money in attending an exhibition, customers who attend an exhibition are
interested in the product.
In that sense, exhibitions as a promotional tool is very targeted, i.e., only the
intended audience gets the message. Exhibitions are usually designed to
create a form of mass hysteria. Some exhibitions are annual affairs and attract
a lot of media attention, which helps in attracting more customers and also
more exhibitors.
They are very expensive as only a small numbers of customers can be
accommodated in an exhibition. Also, space is very expensive in popular
exhibitions and there is lot of expenditure in logistics.

1. Objectives of exhibitions:
An exhibition is an important part of the promotional mix of industrial markets.
Exhibition is an important source of information in industrial buying process,
and is second only to personal selling, and is way ahead of direct mail and
print advertising in terms of providing information to the industrial buyer. The
number of exhibitions, exhibitors and visitors is growing.

i. An opportunity to reach an audience with a distinct

interest in the market and the products on display:
Though organizers of exhibitions insist on creating hype so that numbers of
visitors to the exhibition increases, it is always better to have customers who
are genuinely interested in the product even if they are small in number. The
cost per customer is very high in exhibitions. It is very important that
personnel in the stall handle only genuine customers and their contact time
should not be wasted on casual visitors.

ii. Creates awareness and develops relationship with new

prospects:
There is face-to-face contact with customers and the marketer has an
opportunity to apprise the customers of the companys products. The marketer
should qualify his visitors in terms of their interest in the product so that they
can be pursued after the exhibition.

iii. Provides product demonstrations:

The customer has an opportunity to see the product in operation. He can
determine if it will be useful to him. He can also seek clarifications about the
products features and benefits.

iv. Determines and stimulates needs of customers:

Product demonstration is a very effective method of stimulating needs. When
a customer sees the benefits of a product, the needs that he might have been
suppressing or those that he was not aware of, can become manifest. Many
visitors who may have walked in with only casual interest become genuinely
interested in the product. Since customers come in direct contact with
marketers, it is possible to judge the intensity of customers needs.

v. Gathers competitive intelligence:

Competitors products are also displayed in the exhibition and it is easy to
study the features and benefits of their products. It is also possible to meet
employees of the competitors and learn more about their marketing plans.

vi. Introduce a new product:

Exhibition is very good place to get customers feedback about a new product.
Customers can use the product or see it in operation and provide immediate
feedback to the company. The company can also find out how the new
product compares with competitors products.

vii. Recruit dealers or distributors:

Distributors interested in handling the product inevitably attend the exhibition.
Manufacturers can establish contact with them at the exhibition. This is
especially important for new manufacturers who do not have much idea of the
market and hence are not aware of the distribution arrangement of the market.
Even for established manufacturers, exhibitions are a good place to recruit
new distributors.

viii. Improve company image:

The company comes in direct contact with customers and distributors.
Company has an opportunity to impress its customers and distributors with its
preparation and arrangement of the event and demeanour of its employees. A
shoddy and mismanaged stall will leave the customers and distributors
guessing about the competence of the company.

ix. Deal with service and other customer problems:

The customers get an opportunity to apprise the company of their service
requirements and specific problems that they may be having with the product.
Since senior executives of the company are present at the exhibition, this is a
good opportunity for them to get first hand feel of customers woes and
worries.

x. Make a sale:
An exhibition is always a good place to book orders from customers, though
this may not be a major objective of the company. They pay more attention to
educating their customers and getting their feedback.
In no other mediumadvertising, publicity, sales promotion or product
demonstrationsdo sales staff, key management personnel, present
customers and prospects join together in a live event. An exhibition offers the
company the opportunity to impress customers with its operations and
products.

2. The characteristics of a good exhibitor:

i. Exhibits a wider range of products, particularly large items that cannot be
demonstrated on sales call.
ii. Staff is well informed and always in attendance at stand
iii. Informative literature is available for visitors
iv. Seating arrangement or office is provided at the stand.

3. Planning for an exhibition:

Clear objectives should be set when planning for an exhibition. Objectives
may include introducing new products, showcasing the companys range of
products, recruiting distributors, making sales, etc. It is important that
objectives are clear to the executives who are planning to participate in the
exhibition and to the executives who will be manning the stall.
The design of the stall and the choice and conduct of employees will reflect
the objectives that the company has set. For example, if the main objective for
participating in the exhibition is to introduce a new product, there should be
considerable space in the stall for product demonstration to take place.
Design and operations people should be manning the stall who can explain
the new products features and benefits and who can handle queries and
problems of customers.

i. Selection criteria for evaluating visitors should be

determined:
Many types of visitors attend the exhibition. Some of them want to see a
product in operation, some of them have problems with the companys
products that they are using and want to meet executives of the company to
apprise them of the problem, some of them are interested in handling the
companys products as distributors, some of them are on the lookout for latest
technologies and machines which would be useful to them, whereas some
stroll in to see what all this noise and crowd is about. It is important to qualify
the visitors in terms of the purpose of their visit. When the purpose of the
majority of visitors is aligned with the purpose of the exhibitors, it is a
successful exhibition.

ii. Design strategies:

The managers of the exhibition should have a plan as to who will receive the
visitor, who will classify them according to the purpose of their visit, who will
register them and obtain information, who will
direct them, where would the products be placed, where would product
demonstration take place and who would carry it out, who would handle
customers queries, who would maintain the list of leads that have to be
followed, and finally how would the visitor exit the stall.
The managers should have a mock run of the plan to find loopholes in it. A
disorganized stall would leave visitors frustrated as they would not get the
right information. The company would not gain from such an exhibition as it

will not be able to collect the information that it wants and visitors would have
left the stall with a bad impression of the company.

iii. Promotional strategies:

The company should decide as to how it will attract the right type of visitors to
the stall. Pre-show promotions to attract visitors to the stand include direct
mail, telephoning, a personal sales call before the event and advertisements
in trade or technical press.

4. Follow-up:
Exhibition visitors, who are of interest to the company, should be tracked even
after the show is over. The database of these visitors should be developed
when the exhibition is on.
People will visit a booth for many reasons. Some will walk in just to have a
look. Some others might be interested in placing orders. Some will require
information while others will be interested in establishing business relations
with the company. It is important that the company establishes a procedure to
categorize the visitors without antagonizing them. A preliminary talk with a
visitor while being polite will also reveal their intention.
They can then be directed to suitable personnel. It is important that the
company maintains a data of the visitors and categorizes the data according
to the purpose of the visit. Back home, this data should be fed to concerned
departments. The data about prospective customers can be supplied to the
sales department while those of prospective business partners can be

supplied to the purchase department. Following up on this data is as important

as participating in the exhibition itself.
Most of the tangible outcomes from the exhibition will actually come when the
company diligently works on the data generated in the exhibition. Therefore it
is important that participation in an exhibition is not considered to be an
activity of one particular department. All departments should see a role for
themselves in it and draw benefit from it, as most important stakeholders of
the company may converge on its booth providing insights and opportunities
to the company.

5. Evaluating an exhibition:
Quantitative measures should be collected for:
i. Number of visitors to the stand
ii. Number of key influencers and decisions makers who visited the stand
iii. Number of leads and enquiries generated
iv. The cost per lead and enquiry
v. Number and value of orders
vi. Cost per order
vii. Number of new distributors opened or likely to be opened
viii. Worth of competitive intelligence gathered
ix. Interest generated in new products

x. Cultivation of new relationships

xi. Value of customer query and complaint handling