With summer looming, the influx of outdoor exhibitions, shows, festivals and events will soon be among us. If your company is signing up to any increasingly popular corporate events and exhibitions across the UK then you want to get noticed! Otherwise it’s simply a waste of your time, money and resources. Maximise your potential and get the most out of each event by perfecting your branding and standing out from the rest of the crowd. Be prepared and understand what will draw passers-by to your stand.

Minimising Risk

Understandably, any outdoor event in the UK comes with a certain element of risk. The weather can be hard to predict even in the summer months and unfortunately is totally out of your control! To minimise potential risk and encourage visitors to your stand, a pop up marquee is an ideal option. Not only does a marquee draw people in, add a certain element of comfort, it can also shelter your guests from any of those unexpected downpours. We all know that the British summer can be extremely unpredictable!

Deliver a Message

As these outdoor exhibitions become more and more popular in both B2C and B2B environments, the variety of products on offer has expanded. Alongside marquees of all shapes and sizes, outdoor promotional materials such as flags, banners and bunting can be used to promote your brand. You should view your stand as your shop front, how can you catch visitor’s eyes? Whether your overall goal is to raise brand awareness, increase sales or sign up new members the bottom line is you need to be seen for all the right reasons. Branding is imperative in all aspects of your business, it should deliver your message clearly and be integrated in all areas of your strategy. Your logo should be used for all elements of your stand and printed on all promotional materials. Using bright colours and bold imagery are effective ways to get noticed, and why not hold a competition or activity to entice passers-by in to your stand area?

Train Your Staff

Whilst you may have all the best promotional materials in the world, a core element of your branding is your own staff. Your message needs to be delivered through not only physical items and displays but points of contact too. Your staff need to reflect your message, brand values and show enthusiasm. It’s also worth researching the event to find out what sort of dress-code is expected of staff – is it a formal event? Should you be more casual or perhaps even wear company branded clothing? Know the event you’re participating in, and make sure your staff do too. No exhibition is worth its while if your team are tired or bored, so why not offer an incentives programme for the duration of the event? Perhaps set targets and rewards to motivate your team and maximise all potential and opportunities. Your image is important and just one minor hiccup could damage your reputation, a smile can go a long way!

Don’t miss the opportunity to interact with likeminded individuals and network with potential clients, exhibitions are ideal for finding new business so think hard about your branding strategy and the results should roll in.