Exhibitor Tips

Making the Most of Your
Women’s Expo Experience

...Also see Tips for Speakers

For Exhibitors  (printable version - pdf)

You have paid your money to exhibit at The Women’s Expo. There is 6 weeks before “show time.” How can you spend that time so that your experience of the Women’s expo will be the best possible?

It is important to not just plan how your booth will look or what you will offer at the show but also how you are going to let others know you will be there. If all of the exhibitors put effort into marketing this event, we will all greatly benefit.

Why Are You Exhibiting

There are some basic reasons we all decide to participate in an event like The Women’s Expo.

• To generate sales and sales leads
• To add to our contact list
• To enhance our image and visibility
• To establish a presence in the marketplace
• To improve the effectiveness of our marketing efforts
• To reach a specific audience
• To practice self-promotion
• To introduce a new product or service
• To recruit distributors or salespeople
• To demonstrate our product or service
• To educate the public

Whatever your reason it is important that you are clear on why you want to be there. What are your expectations? What will a successful show look like to you? Then you need to plan so your expectations can be met.

Pre-Expo Planning

It is important that we all promote the Expo. Ways to do that:

• Tell your clients & potential clients. Ask them to come and support and/or meet you. Do this via email or snail mail.

• Send an announcement (or two or three) to your local database. Ask them to pass it on.

• Make copies of the small Women’s Expo flyers and put one in every piece of mail you send out locally.

• If you have a website, put a banner on your home page with a link to the Women’s Expo site. If you don’t know how to do that contact the Expo webmaster Deanna@biznessconcepts.com. 

• Put a signature line at the end of your email that says “Come see me at The Women’s Expo March 11th & 12th with a link to the website www.WomensExpoMd.com.

• When you attend any business or personal function, take copies of the Women’s Expo flyer with you. If you have a chance to introduce yourself to the room during a networking meeting mention that you will be exhibiting at the Women’s Expo.

• Consider purchasing tickets to the Women’s Expo and give to your favorite customers. Check first to be sure they will be able to use them. Tickets are only $6 ($5 if purchased through the Women’s Expo website).

• Do you have connections to local publications that might give you some press? It is a great opportunity to get a story published about your business and promote the Women’s Expo at the same time.

• Contact your colleagues and friends in other companies and ask if you can fax them a flyer for their bulletin board. Check out community bulletin boards in your neighborhood to see if you can put a flyer there.

• Submit information on your business and a photo if you wish to the webmaster Deanna@biznessconcepts.com.

• Decide if promotional giveaways are right for you. Gail Industries, a Women’s Expo exhibitor, offers those items. To see their special offers for Women’s Expo exhibitors go to Exhibitor-to-Exhibitor.

• Submit your materials for the Women’s Expo Promo Bags and the Women’s Expo Gift Basket. Contact Kim at kurtkim1@comcast.net.

• Spend some time looking at the Exhibitor List on the Expo website. Is there anyone on there you would like to network with before the show? Then give them a call.

• Advertise in On Purpose Woman Magazine. It is the official program guide for the Expo. Due date for ad copy is Wednesday, February 8th. 15,000 copies will be distributed in the Baltimore metro area and surrounding counties. In addition, a magazine will be handed to every person who comes to the Women’s Expo. If someone doesn’t stop by your booth they can still go home with your business info. This is also a way to let people know you will be at the Expo. Your ad can reflect that. You can also offer something to those who stop by your booth. Advertising rates are quite reasonable. For information contact ginnyrobertson@comcast.net.

If you are speaking or doing something else interesting from your booth you can take advantage of our “What’s Happening at The Women’s Expo” pages. This is the place you can advertise your special event. You can have up to 25 words for a cost of only $20. These will be combined in a kind of fun collage to generate interest in all that is happening at the Expo. All you have to do is send us the words. We’ll do the rest. Please also let me know if you want magazines delivered to your place of business.

• Consider attending the PreEvent Workshops for Women Who Want More. This is an informal kick-off for the Women’s Expo and a way to start drawing attention to the event.

Planning Your Booth

Planning your booth in advance is very important. If you set up without a plan you may feel frustrated when it doesn’t come together and you may be missing some things you need. Here are some things to consider when planning your booth:

• Be clear on your intention for participating. What image do you want to project and what do you want the focal point to be? Then work from there.

• Don’t get locked into the idea that your booth will be a table in front with info on it. Get creative. Bring another piece of furniture to add to your space. (Be sure it will fit in the space allocated).

• Color is good. Black and white can make a statement too. If you are using color, pull your colors together so that it looks planned and not thrown together. A rug can be used to pull your colors together and it helps your feet and legs not get so tired. Be sure your clothes don’t clash with the colors in your booth.

• Your space should reflect who you are and how you do business. If your space looks thrown together and you are giving out poorly copied materials…this sends a message.

• Plan your booth in advance. Lay it out at home. Make sure you have enough space to do what you want to do.

• If you are using a table consider doing things that will give different dimensions. Boxes under materials will add some interest. Tri-folds can be used to enhance a tabletop display with pictures and catchy words. Easels are also a great way to capture attention. Folding screens provide great backdrops, especially if you are backed up to another exhibitor. If you have a banner you want to hang please check with the Expo personnel in advance to be sure you will have a space to do that.

• Fresh flowers are an inexpensive way to add color and beauty to your booth.

• The Expo does not cover your table. You must bring a cover and it must go to the floor. Please stay away from plastic tablecloths and table skirts.

• Sandy’s Party Shoppe, another Expo Exhibitor, has offered free balloon centerpieces to exhibitors. For more info contact Sharon Dick at 410-744-5541.

• Plan in advance what materials you want to give away during the Expo. You may want to save your glossy, full color marketing materials to give to those people you know are interested in your product or service and have your black and white copies available for everyone.

• Decide how to capture business leads. Give attendees an opportunity to sign up for your mailing list or newsletter or give them an opportunity to enter a drawing. If you do a drawing make the prize applicable to your business. Otherwise you may get a lot of people on your mailing list who are not interested in what you offer. They just wanted to win a prize.

• If you make a connection with someone make a note on their business card while it is fresh in your mind.

• Decide what supplies you will need ahead of time, not just for your booth, but personally. Some items you may find handy are tape, Velcro, paper, scissors, glue, safety pins, pens, stapler, breath mints, water, a change of shoes, toothpaste & toothbrush and snacks.

• After you set up your space walk away, check your ego and come back. Take an objective look and ask yourself if you would be attracted to the display or does it need to be tweaked a bit?

During The Event

You and your space need to look and feel accessible and welcoming. Here are some ways to ensure that will happen:

• Stand as much as you can. If you have to sit, try and sit off to the side, not behind your table.

• Stay fully present to what is going on. This means no reading, doing crafts or having long conversations with your friends. This also means no eating, chewing gum or talking on your cell phone.

• Think of some questions in advance that will stimulate conversation. Ask open ended questions that require more than a yes or no answer.

• Listen more than you talk. Don’t give a lot of information until you know what they know. Find out where they are in their knowledge of your product or service. Then have a dialogue. This is not the time to lecture.

• People, especially women, want to do business with people they feel a connection to. Concentrate on what you have to offer them – not what you can get from them. Speak to their hearts and their heads.

• Keep things light. Have fun. Keep your energy up.

• Be generous. Be willing to help the other exhibitors have a successful show. There is enough for everyone and if you come from a spirit of cooperation rather than competition – everyone will win. Get to know the other exhibitors and what they are offering so you can be a resource to the attendees.

• If you have a complaint about anything please take it to someone who can do something about it. Please do not complain to other exhibitors or attendees. Stay positive and away from gossip and whining.

• Keep your space neat. It’s easy for it to start getting cluttered after you’ve been there a while.

• • Make sure your booth is staffed at all times. If you need a break and don’t have anyone with you, find one of the volunteers with a blue apron and ask them. They will find someone to stay in your booth while you take a break.

• Be familiar with the layout of the Expo and the Speaker Program so you can act as a resource for the attendees.

• • Plan to attend at least one talk or workshop. Support your fellow exhibitors and learn something new!
  You can check out what is happening at www.WomensExpoMd.com/speakers.html.

• Plan to attend the Networking Reception on Saturday after the Expo closes. It is sponsored by On Purpose Networking for Women and offers an opportunity to meet other exhibitors. Light fare will be served. Those people staffing your booth are also invited.

• Do not start to break your booth down even 5 minutes early. There will be attendees there until the very end. It is not fair to them or to the exhibitors around you if you start packing up early. Also, packing up early will insure that you will not be asked back to the Expo next year.

After The Show

I have seen people spend a lot of time, money and energy on an event like the Women’s Expo and then throw it all away because they didn’t follow up. This is a crucial step you do not want to miss.

• Follow up with all of your new contacts within a week after the show. I contact people by email and thank them for coming by my booth and signing up for my email list. I then tell them what they will be receiving from me going forward.

• If people ordered product from you put your orders in right away.

• If you said you would send them something…do it. How you handle post Expo interaction will tell them how you do business.

Networking and sales is a process. Do not judge the show prematurely based on sales or contacts. You now have to nurture those contacts you made and turn them into something. Be patient.

Thank you for being a part of The Women’s Expo.

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Information provided by Ginny Robertson, On Purpose