Check list of printed materials to be prepared for any trade fair

In the previous article we have revealed the main secret of effective participation in trade fairs, which, although being out in the open, is for some reason not always obvious: you have to prepare for trade fairs in advance.

However, all efforts can fail for one simple reason: potential customers will simply forget about you. Trade fair visitors commonly get much information in the shortest possible time. Therefore, make sure that potential customers remember you. Statistically, a decision to order a product or conclude a contract is made within 3 months after a fair.

Today we’ll tell about printed materials and souvenirs needed for any trade fair. We recommend you to think about such things in advance, up to 6 months before a fair. In practice, there are two options for preparation of printed materials: 4–5 months and 1–2 weeks before a fair. Each option has its pluses and minuses.

4–5 MONTHS BEFORE A FAIR

Pluses:

- You have enough time to decide, what and how many materials to take to the fair;

- You have enough time to develop design of your materials;

- You have enough time to fundamentally change the decision and to prepare in accordance with the new concept.

Minus:

- Even if you have made a final decision, employ the best designer and selected the most professional printing house, there may be some unforeseen event just a month before (such as change in legislation, manufacturing know-how, earthquake, etc.) you have to react to. And then all these printed materials, carefully packed and signed, arranged in alphabetical order in a storeroom, will become irrelevant. — waste of time and money.

1–2 WEEKS BEFORE A FAIR

Pluses:

- In such a short period of time, it is unlikely that any significant event will make your handouts irrelevant;

- During previous months of preparation, your “exhibition concept” will become so specific that you will need much less time for design;

Handouts can be delivered directly to the fair.

Minus:

In case of a force majeure, your contractor can deliver 1,000 notebooks with a wrong logo, general director’s badge with a wrong name, no price lists, and you have no time to put wright the wrongs.

To avoid the above-mentioned problems, we recommend you to consider the concept, confirm the design, select the printing house, print out samples, and put all materials in a desktop folder. If there is nothing unforeseen 2–3 weeks before the fair, you will start printing with one click, email or call.

Now let’s get to the specifics. Here’s a list of printed materials that you need at the fair:

MATERIALS FOR STAND DESIGN

Banners, posters, oracals, roll-ups.

Of course, they are only needed for standard stands with white wall panels and company name in standard letters on fascia.

Banners and posters can be hung by your own; this does not require special skills. Please note that banners require additional fixing and posters cannot be stuck with glue or double-sided tape, which spoils wall panels.

Oracal products look much better, but their application needs special skills. Organizers commonly provide such a service upon prior request.

Roll-ups are very popular. They are easily rolled and stored in a tubular bag until further use. They can be easily carried and mounted without any special skills.

BADGES FOR EMPLOYEES

It is necessary to prepare a name badge for every employee participating in the fair. Your potential customers are much happier to know name and position of a person they are talking to.

HANDOUTS

Handouts are all the things you hand out to customers at your stand. They are prepared for three reasons:

- To make people remember you after the fair;

- To make people remember not only your name, but also activities and products;

- As “lightning rod” for random passers-by. Inexpensive souvenirs or product samples will help to send off-target visitors out of your stand. Your time at the fair is too expensive to spend on looky-loos.

Handouts are commonly divided into informational (mainly paper) and promo (all kinds of useful and not very branded souvenirs).

Souvenir products are pens, notebooks, cups, T-shirts, caps, magnets, etc. with your logo. Branded bag is also worth to be mentioned. It can be made of paper or polyethylene (the latter is cheaper). Unlike a pen or magnet put inside, it is visible to all. Visitors will actually advertise your stand while walking around the fair, going home, and maybe visiting supermarkets next week.

Informational handouts:

- Brief presentation of benefits and novelties (printed leaflets or booklets; link to a file);

- Commercial offers for retail chains and distributors (printed leaflets or booklets);

- Price list;

- Figures and facts related to your company;

- Questionnaire for potential customers;

- Leaflet map showing where to buy your products;

- Business cards (several types);

- Free product samples;

- Magazines, catalogues, albums.

Brief presentation and commercial offer

They can be given to customers as simple A4 sheets or booklets/magazines. Before choosing the latter option, think about paper cost and weight, especially if you’re planning a large circulation.

Both presentation and offer can be performed electronically and uploaded to your tablet to be sent to potential customers via email or any messenger. But you may not remember required information about all sendees after several working days. So we recommend resending all letters and messages to a special email box with a relevant subject: cold/hot lead, supplier/chain/advertising, etc.

Price list is a good alternative to commercial offer.

Price list

As for foreign trade fairs, giving a price list is tasteless. Visitors commonly leave their business cards, and then you email a price list. We have a slightly different situation, and price lists are well accepted. We still recommend printing a sufficient number of price lists in case potential customers are interested in your products and want to buy them immediately or very soon. Even if a visitor simply asks you about prices, you shouldn’t just make a helpless gesture and apologize. Price list should be available anyway.

Facts and figures related to your company

One sheet + link to electronic version is enough for journalists.

Questionnaire for potential customers

In fact, it’s an opportunity to ask 10 to 15 questions that are really important in determining whether or not a customer is yours. Leave some space for affixing a business card. An alternative could be a food tasting survey.

Leaflet map showing where to buy your products.

Specify brick-and-mortar or online store. Yes, trade fairs are B2B events, but do not forget about end consumers, help them to buy products they are interested in after the fair.

Business cards

In spite of overall digitalization, printed business cards is more convenient. Make different business cards: for those who are interested in your company (business cards of a particular employee with personal contacts) and for those who are not very interested but insistently requests any contacts (business cards of your company, with corporate mail and phone).

Free product samples

They are useful for manufacturers of fabrics and garment accessories, baby foods, cosmetics and hygiene products. However, it is possible to prepare a mini construction set or a doll dressed in mini-version of children’s clothing. Free product samples are quite costly (on par with albums and catalogues), so it is produced in limited quantities.

Magazines, catalogues, albums

Magazines and catalogues are multipage materials giving the opportunity to explain more about your products, attract potential customers. Albums are costly and least popular type. They are used specifically for VIPs. They tell company’s history, introduce its employees, and convince of benefits.

When preparing handouts for any trade fair, you have no need to print and produce absolutely everything. Each company chooses “the golden mean” independently in accordance with objectives and budget. Head of marketing department is commonly responsible for the choice.

As organizers of BABY EXPO and Children’s Fashion Fair, we recommend you to have at least two types of handouts: business cards and leaflets or booklets.

We also recommend you to check our previous article Obvious things can be not so obvious. Main secrets of successful participation in trade fairs

In the following articles we will explain how to prepare your employees for work at the stand, how to communicate with visitors belonging to various groups, and how to tell your potential customers about your participation and invite them to visit your stand.