Welcome to the heartbeat of human connection: the UK events industry. From the bustling stages of trade show conferences to the intimate boardrooms hosting crucial business seminars, trade events are the invisible infrastructure that moves our world. We’re talking about an industry that’s more than just logistics and planning – it’s about creating experiences that resonate, inspire, and fundamentally change how we interact.
Yet, exhibiting is no simple task. Every year, dozens of exhibitors start limiting their participation due to poor results. Complaints about decreased return on investment (ROI) are more common, and many companies are left wondering where it all went wrong, despite others having succeeded.
As it turns out, there may be some hope after all, so gather around and be prepared as we unpack what it takes to succeed as an exhibitor in the UK events industry and why that’s important. You don’t want to miss these tips!
Why Is The UK Events Industry Worth It As An Exhibitor?
Despite a small setback during the pandemic, the UK exhibition industry is back on track and experiencing healthy growth, making it more worthwhile for you to put in that extra effort.
Here are some key statistics:
- Some 1,016 exhibitions took place at UK venues in 2023 (a new high since 2017).
- Almost 7 million people visited these events in total.
- More than 80% of these UK business exhibitions were consumer or trade shows.
- One in five of these events fell under the UK leisure sector.
- Corporate events generated the most revenue, followed by sporting events, music festivals, and other outdoor shows.
- Almost half of all 2023 UK trade shows (49%) were held across four national event venues: the NEC, London Olympia, ExCeL London, and the SEC.
- March, September, October, and November were The busiest exhibition months for the UK in 2023.
- The UK corporate events industry contributes £10.9 billion to the UK economy.
Seven Rules For Exhibition Success
We’ve compiled these seven rules you should follow for greater success as an exhibitor in the UK events industry:
- Plan your exhibitions properly
- Define your event objectives
- Invest in pre-show exhibition marketing
- Design a captivating exhibition stand
- Learn how to engage visitors
- Improve your selling techniques
- Master the art of closing your leads
1. Plan Your Exhibitions Properly
Nowadays, many companies decide to dive headfirst into an exhibition without any prior planning. Not only will this strategy make exhibiting more stressful, but it will also set you up for failure before the exhibition has even started.
Although it may seem daunting at first, creating an effective exhibition plan really isn’t too challenging. In only a few pages, you should outline everything you want to achieve at the exhibition and how you plan to achieve it. Your exhibition plan should also take note of all the potential challenges you may face during the exhibition and what you might do to mitigate these issues. You should also take time to designate the staff who’ll work at your exhibition booth on trade show day, taking note of their readiness and level of training.
Finally, you shouldn’t neglect to include some form of budget in your exhibition planning. Taking the time to record your costs will help you keep track of your spending money; this will assist you significantly in tracking your ROI after every show. Any wasteful expenditure will only hurt you in the long run, so it’s best to prevent this before it becomes a real threat to your performance.
2. Define Your Event Objectives
Many exhibitors proudly proclaim they have only one event objective: achieving lots of sales. While ambitious, this approach is too vague. It won’t lead to more successful exhibitions either.
In reality, “exhibition objectives” should be much more specific. Vague aspirations, like those to achieve greater sales, are better described as goals that you can achieve by meeting certain objectives along the way. Each objective should be specific and quantifiable, allowing you to track your progress and quickly adjust things if they don’t go according to plan.
In viewing objectives and goals as different but related concepts, it becomes possible to target growth in other areas. Indeed, not all of your trade shows may be purely sales-oriented; you may choose to pursue other objectives instead, like market research, improving brand awareness, or gauging product feedback from demonstrations.
Success as a business depends on multiple factors, not just doing one thing correctly. In adopting a few key event objectives and a main goal for every exhibition, you can expect to see greater growth as you navigate B2B exhibitions.
3. Invest In Pre-Show Exhibition Marketing
What good will your exhibition planning be, if your target attendees don’t even know you’re going to be there?
Enter the world of B2B exhibition marketing, a cornerstone of every successful exhibitor in the UK events industry. With the rise of social media, there’s no longer an excuse not to keep your potential clients in the loop regarding when and where you’ll pitch your exhibition booth. From Instagram tag campaigns to LinkedIn updates and comprehensive email marketing, there’s a lot you can do to generate publicity around your event participation.
Still, with so many platforms available, it’s easy to get confused. The key to success lies in choosing a platform that works for your target audience to maximise returns. Don’t forget about tried and tested offline channels either; you should be looking at both online and offline channels to help boost visitor numbers. Balance your platform usage correctly, and you too can expect to experience better results as an exhibitor.
4. Design A Captivating Exhibition Stand
According to modern research, human beings have around seven seconds to make a positive impression on one another. In a packed trade show hall crowded with attendees and competitors, one aspect is more important than any other: your exhibition stand design.
Exciting colours, memorable design, readable letters, and a welcoming layout are now the bare minimum for attracting the clients you want at any major B2B trade show. Don’t think you can just do this by yourself either; your top competitors will likely court an exhibition stand builder to design an outstanding showpiece.
There’s often a variety of hidden costs to navigate when designing your exhibition stand too. Logistics, storage, and assembly fees can add up quickly if you aren’t familiar with the process. You also need to consider your stand’s materials and design, which can alter your costs significantly. An eye-opening custom trade show stand will attract the most visitors but also carries the heftiest price tag. Re-useable modular booths, on the other hand, offer reliable performance at a lower price point.
Whichever stand type you go for, always remember to keep your exhibition stand ideas in line with your brand image and your broader objectives.
5. Learn How To Engage Visitors
Whether you’re going at it alone or working with your dedicated exhibition staff, knowing how to captivate your audience is another pillar in your journey to exhibition success. Making your guests feel welcome, listening to what they have to say, and maintaining professional standards all form a solid foundation for your business image, leading to greater potential for success.
Working together with a motivated team behind you will also drive visitor engagement, so long as your staff are well-trained and know their roles. It’s not always about having the best salespeople either. Although it can help, what really matters is having motivated people behind you who believe in your company’s success; these energetic individuals are the ones who will carry you forward through long exhibition hours and days.
Start treating your exhibition staff well, and you’ll be surprised how much it can improve your performance.
6. Improve Your Selling Techniques
Around the world and in the British B2B events industry, attendees visit to buy, not to be sold. The single best way to maintain an impressive stream of exhibition sales is to improve your conversational techniques, paying careful attention to what your attendees are saying without becoming overbearing.
Asking the right questions to your guests is another important aspect of this process. Remember to always ask open-ended questions, which allow your visitor to open up and keep the conversation flowing. They’ll appreciate being given the chance to highlight their frustrations, and you’ll gain an opportunity to pitch your solution to them.
Many exhibitors tend to go the opposite route, with predictably poor results. Simple yes or no questions like “can I help you” do little else than kill confidence and drive sales down. Take time to consider what kinds of questions you’ll ask your guests, ensuring your exhibition staff are also well prepared for speaking to potential clients. Besides achieving higher sales figures, approaching your exhibitions like this will help your brand become more memorable amongst attendees too.
7. Master The Art Of Closing Leads
The final rule for finding success in the UK events industry is an obvious one: closing leads properly and following up on them. It sounds easy enough, but this is another thing some exhibitors struggle to navigate.
Closing leads on the trade show floor is the first part of this process. While it can be done by hand, there are newer methods available, like capturing client information digitally or using software to automate the process. No matter which option you choose, you should be prepared for the potential risks associated with each.
For instance, paid software solutions tend to come with a high price tag, and this can badly offset your ROI if you’re a small upstart company looking to get your name out there. Digital solutions, while still manually entered, can become problematic if you experience technical issues. Meanwhile, hand-written data entry can become overwhelming at larger trade events where you tend to receive many attendees.
The final challenge of trade show lead capture is the most important: following up. Leads are both beneficial and lucrative, but they have little value if you don’t use them. Again, it sounds straightforward, but you’d be surprised how many companies out there delay following up on leads until they become useless.
Only by following up on your leads promptly within a few days, can you overcome this roadblock and prevent your hard work from being wasted.
Getting Exhibitions Right, The First Time
The UK events industry is highly lucrative, but you need to know what you’re doing. Trying to succeed as a new exhibitor without any planning or foresight can lead to disaster, with little or no return on your investment. On the other hand, by preparing properly and putting in the effort to improve your performance, you’ll be sure to see better results that make exhibiting worthwhile.
With years of experience in the game and a hassle-free process from the get-go, Booth Exhibits™ is committed to helping you achieve your business goals with an exhibition booth that truly stands out. Book a call with us today, and discover why our clients trust us to guide them through exhibition events in the UK.
Is the events industry growing in the UK?
Yes, the UK events industry is growing and rebounding after a decline during the pandemic.
How much is the event industry worth in the UK?
The combined UK event industry is worth around £40 billion, with corporate events contributing £10.9 billion to the UK economy alone.
