How to Choose the Right Trade Shows for Your Business

If you’re struggling to choose which trade shows to exhibit at, don’t worry, you’re not alone.

In the UK alone, there are over 1000 major exhibitions each year, and across the globe, there are over 30,000! With so much choice, it can be difficult to know where to start.

In this guide, we offer tips on choosing the best exhibitions to attend, considering key factors such as budget, relevance, location, audience, and goals.

Selecting the right events is crucial for gaining a good return on investment from your trade show calendar! When you are not well-aligned with an event, you see lower engagement rates and low return, which wastes time and budget. By researching to find the most suitable shows beforehand, you can reach target audiences, create valuable networking opportunities, and build brand awareness and sales!

As with any good planning, it is best to start with your aims and objectives. While one industry can have multiple trade shows, each one is different and therefore attracts a different audience.

If your objective is to generate leads, you might find a larger exhibition more beneficial as there is higher footfall. On the other hand, if your objective is to raise awareness about your business, you might prefer a smaller exhibition that gives you more opportunities to connect with customers.

Take some time to establish what you would like to achieve in exhibiting, such as:

• Generate leads or sales
• Raise awareness about your company
• Network with industry peers
• Launch a new product or service
• Strengthen relationships with customers
• Make new partnerships within the industry

Once you have outlined your objectives, it’s worth establishing a budget. Alongside goals and objectives, budgets are the foundations of your event planning, giving you the parameters within which you can get into your decision-making and creative event planning.

Not all shows cost the same. Large events with higher visitor numbers often charge £300/ £350+ per square metre, which means even a small stand space could cost upward of £3000.  Smaller events with fewer visitors charge less but draw smaller crowds.

Once you have established your budget, allocating sufficient amounts to the floor space, exhibition stand design, stand dressing, staff expenses and travel, you can narrow your options.

When your objectives are clear and you have a grasp on the budgets, you can begin researching shows.

At this stage, you are aiming to make a list of all the potential types of exhibitions that would suit your business. Trade Fair Dates and EventsEye are good places to start, but you should conduct further research to ensure you are not missing any important and relevant trade shows.

Your aim should be to gather as much information as possible about each expo. This should include the event statistics, attendee numbers, demographics, and previous participants.

As a rule of thumb, it’s always a good idea to look at which shows your competitors are attending and add these to your list! After all, if you’re not there, the business will likely go to them.

There are several ways to go about conducting research. You can use:

• Internet search
• Word of mouth
• LinkedIn
• Industry-specific publications
• Competitor research
• Verified industry review sites like Tradefest
• Subscribe to a venue’s mailing list.

By using your business objectives and budget to filter the results, you should be left with a handful of exhibitions that suit your objectives. You can categorise your list of trade shows by price, size, country, industry, or date to make it easier to decide which one to exhibit at.

When selecting which trade shows to attend, consider your target audience and buyer demographic, as some shows may be more relevant than others!

For example, if you’re offering B2B services that are suitable for any business (e.g. accounting/ workforce management software), then you may not need to target industry-specific events. Instead, you can probably focus on gaining reach or local businesses.

If, however, your services are highly industry-specific, you should focus on industry events. These will give you access to a relevant group of exhibitors!

If you’re new to exhibiting, it can be worth asking your existing clients which shows they attend. Sometimes the best events are a hidden gem!

Finally, don’t just look at audience numbers; also look at the ratio of visitors with purchasing power. Some shows appear greater than others because of their large audiences, but the ratio of people with buying power is actually proportionately low.  If you’re seeking brand awareness, this may not be an issue, but if you’re looking to source buyers, then it may be a point to consider.

We often say that you shouldn’t make a decision on which show to attend exclusively based on the venue; however, it’s essential to note that venues can influence costs and are often associated with the prestige of the event.

You would be forgiven for thinking that ExCel London is the largest venue in the UK. Although popular for its London location, it is smaller than the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. A large proportion of exhibitions take place at one of these two venues, but many are also held at Olympia London, Manchester Central, Bournemouth International Centre, SECC Glasgow and many more.

As well as local trade fairs, consider international events. Remember, most attendees are willing to travel 200+ miles to visit particular trade shows. There are major exhibition venues based across Europe, such as the Hanover Fairground, Messe Düsseldorf, RAI Amsterdam, and Messe Berlin, as well as locations across the globe.

Many of the events running today have a rich history in the events sector, some dating back 100 years! These events have built a loyal following among visitors and exhibitors, and it’s their reputation that keeps people coming back!

While new shows can bring great value, they haven’t yet had the same time to build trust and respect within the industry, which can make them a little riskier. If it closely aligns with your brand, it might still be worth attending, but it is worth conducting some research.

The show history and reputation also extend to the exhibitor lists. Use these to your advantage to find out which exhibitions your competitors, rivals, and target market will be attending.

Timing is often overlooked when selecting a show, but it can actually have a significant impact on trade show return on investment.

Pay attention to when events fall, and check how this aligns with your buying calendar, product launches, and production timelines. For example, Spring Fair, the UK’s largest home and gift fair, takes place in February to allow time for buyers to source products ahead of Q3. This is partly why the event is so popular.

Also, take a look at the other exhibitions taking place at the same time. Since COVID-19, many events have been displaced, leaving large shows competing and overlapping where they never previously did. It’s worth viewing the wider exhibition calendar so there are no surprises on event day.

A great way to narrow your options is to check which spaces are available. Each type of exhibition booth location is different and has a significant effect on the amount of traffic that your exhibit attracts, so it’s worth considering whether the available options will work for you.

If you’re looking at a range of stand spaces across different shows, explore modular exhibition stand options, as these can be reconfigured to suit your evolving requirements.

Some exhibitions bring more opportunities for PR than others, so this is another factor to evaluate when choosing your exhibitions. Some events offer free promotion through their website and social media channels, while others require more proactive efforts to generate a buzz. Don’t be afraid to ask for the press list from previous years to get your foot in the door early.

Depending on how far in advance you’re planning, it can be useful to attend shows as a guest before exhibiting. This will give you an insight into the types of businesses that exhibit, the general audience and expectations, the types of exhibition booth layout, and the flow of footfall.

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to selecting an exhibition, these tips should make your decision a little easier. Factors such as the relevance to your company, the reputation of the show, and the timing of the event can all impact the suitability of a specific exhibition.

Don’t forget, you can always exhibit at multiple shows throughout the event calendar to access a range of different benefits. Modular stands can make this approach much more cost-effective, since with one investment in panels, companies can exhibit throughout and beyond an entire exhibition calendar.

The key to trade show success lies in thorough preparation and planning. Conduct your research, familiarise yourself with the exhibition’s theme, and arrive with a professional exhibition stand. By doing so, you’re sure to achieve great results.

If you would like a flexible exhibition stand design that packs a punch at a range of different events, contact a member of our team. Email our team at design@quadrant2design.com or call 01202 723 500 for a free, no-obligation design proposal.