Do Ecotile Value Exhibitions?
Having recently experienced disappointment at the turnout for their latest exhibition visit, the team at Ecotile are questioning the modern business benefits of attending exhibitions.
We have been attending exhibitions and business conferences for many years and, while there is a lot of enthusiasm from the event holders and exhibitors many events have sadly turned out to be a bit of a damp squib.
The Benefits of Exhibitions
For many years, attending exhibitions has been a useful marketing tool for many businesses, increasing sales and allowing for deals to be sealed there and then. The benefits of attending exhibitions include:
- Increased sales
- Speedy sales process
- Increased brand awareness
- Allows for B2B interactions
- You can feel part of a working community
- Possibility to learn from other traders
As a B2B flooring specialist, Ecotile understands the need to meet other business owners face to face.
This provides us with the opportunity to explain the benefits of our products. We certainly enjoy chatting to our clients and meeting them on a personal level.
No Guarantee of ROI
Despite the above benefits, it seems that the large sum of money paid out by businesses doesn’t guarantee that there will be a good return on investment.
It certainly makes sense to thoroughly research exhibitions and trade fairs to ensure that they are well suited to your business prior to attending, but what else can be done?
When registering to exhibit, you are putting your trust in the hands of the organiser to make it a success and draw in potential clients for businesses.
Plan ahead
With this in mind, it is important to set the following objectives when planning to exhibit:
- Realistic sales goal
- Stick to your budget
- Send an expert marketing team to enhance your chances of securing deals
- Make a solid plan that includes a seamless follow-up process for deals that are not closed on the day
- Ensure you gain contacts as well as sales
- Make sure you have a debrief on what worked well and what could be changed for future events
It may also be fruitful to look at what other businesses are attending the exhibition before you sign up, as larger brands may attract more visitors via their own marketing of the event.
It is also worth eyeing up the competition beforehand, so, for example, if there are many interlocking flooring brands attending, then we would typically do something special to capitalise on our USPs and product benefits.
If you are a company looking to invest in Ecotile flooring and attending exhibitions is not the way that you want to do business – contact us today to talk to one of our expert advisors. Alternatively you can view our full range of products and services.
CEO and founder James Gedye has established Ecotile as the leading provider of interlocking floor tiles to the UK and around the world. Founded in 1996 from his bedroom turned office, James has built Ecotile into a multi-million-pound business, with sustainability still at the heart of his vision.
Based in Luton, Bedfordshire, Ecotile remains a privately owned UK manufacturing company, precision engineering all products in a purpose-built ISO accredited factory.
Leading the company to 2 prestigious Queens Awards in 2017 for Enterprise for Innovation and International Trade, these accolades underline James’ desire to create the highest quality products and fly the flag for British manufacturing. Working directly with leading businesses for over 25 years, James’ Ecotile brand has become synonymous with trust.
Used by 1000s of leading businesses, trusted by the MoD and specified by contractors, Ecotile floor tiles can be found across the world.
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