Advice to Exhibitors to Help Achieve a Successful Show

Our commitment to you

Holistic and Mystic is committed to creating a safe, honest and ethical evironment that allows visitors to return time and again in the knowledge that they will be treated with respect, that they can trust the advice or service they require and that they will enjoy their day. However our role is also to provide an opportunity for you, the exhibitor to achieve a successful event, whether you are a stall holder, spiritual consultant or therapist. That becomes an easier task if we all pull together and each do the best we can.

Our commitment also includes providing you with a pleasant environment for you to offer your goods and services and to promote and advertise widely and imaginatively and use every available option to bring visitors through the door. However, with the best will in the world we cannot drag them through the door and make them talk to you!!

That’s where you come in because you are the expert in your field.

The following are some ideas and thoughts to help us both achieve our goal because, working with the laws of exchange and attraction, we can do it much better when we do it together!

Before the Show

Invite clients, customers, friends, neighbours, family – everyone you can think of!!! If you can tell 50 people about the event, then between exhibitors alone, an extra 2000 people will know about it- that’s huge!!!

Promote the show on your website if you have one.

Plan well in advance

Sounds obvious but it’s easy to forget the little things

Checklist:

- Think about spare comfy shoes- long days standing up can be a killer!

- Table cloth – paramount not just to hide storage but the foundation to your beautiful stand.

- Layers of clothing to adjust if the temperature is too hot/cold

- Food for the day – if it’s a long one, including travel, you may need breakfast and snacks, although refreshments will be available

- Directions and/or map

- Plan your stock and signage in advance and have everything priced clearly

- Prepare your float money

- Notebooks, stationery, business cards etc.

- Camera – to review for next time and to advertise on your website

- Extension Lead if required.

Your stand is your shop window: -

Arrive with plenty of time to set up – try not to rush, it just makes the day stressful. If it’s not all perfect at first you can always pretty it up gradually – you may even get it spot on by the end of the day!

Stands that are clean, well - presented and not cluttered work best. Storage containers need to be out of sight. Remember that your personal working space behind your stand needs to be organised too so that you can provide a quick and efficient service when customers are queuing 3 deep! Provide a variety of things to touch, smell, see – different levels work well if it’s possible. Clear signage and prices will invite visitors to ask questions and also allows them to be independent on your busier times.

It’s more about YOU!

Think about what you expect when you walk into a shop: -

A friendly, warm, inviting face – not pushy or trying to make a sale at the first contact. Of course, we’re not all natural salespeople but you can create interest simply by engaging with your visitors, offering them help or just chatting generally. Don’t read your book as they walk past!!! Look interested, stand up more than sit down, make eye contact and SMILE!

- Be fully present – not wandering around chatting to other exhibitors (although that’s good for networking in quiet moments and it helps to make friends with your neighbour for toilet breaks!)

- Be knowledgeable about your product and talk about it in terms of how it will benefit the buyer.

- Decide what you want to achieve from the event – sales, networking, new clients, awareness.

- Focus on your own stand, allow your own personality to shine through – people will buy your products and services not just because they like them but because they connect with YOU. Don’t worry what other stall holders are doing, it’s what YOU are doing that counts.

- Give out literature so people can contact you after the show.

Talks and Workshops

Take advantage of these if you feel comfortable, they are a great way of letting a group of people know what you can offer them. Remember though, it’s not a sales pitch. Give people what they want and they’ll want more of it. Plan your talk in advance, prepare any literature you want to give out, take music etc and find out in advance where you’ll be speaking so you can walk in and go for it. It can be daunting talking to a group and you will feel more comfortable if you are fully prepared.

After the show

FOLLOW UP!!! After all your hard work, it’s mad not to follow up on any leads or requests for product. It does happen though and visitors have been known to ring organisers trying to track down exhibitors that they really wanted to buy from but that haven’t contacted them – those are the persistent ones, others just lose interest. Make the most of your time at the event – the point of it is to grow your business, which only you can do when the show is over.

Learn from the experience

What can you improve on for next time? More or less stock? Different stock? Higher or lower prices? Better literature?

Holistic and Mystic will ask for feedback forms after the event so that we too can grow and improve. Any problems you may have on the day, please do talk to us – it’s better to resolve the issue on the day than have bad feeling after.

Most importantly though – whatever happens, you will meet new people, gain experience and learn new things so... ENJOY!!