The 10 commandments for a successful trade fair presentation
Of course you can send a prayer to heaven and hope that your next trade fair presentation will be a complete success. But it is probably much more effective if you simply follow the ten commandments for successful trade fair presentations. So if you're currently preparing for top trade shows like Fakuma, K, Bauma, InnoTrans or Hannover Messe, be sure to take the following tips and tricks to heart.
Hallelujah, it does exist, the magic formula for a successful trade show appearance. And it can be a real game changer for companies - after all, for many, participation in a trade fair is one of the most important marketing and communication tools for making contact with existing and potential new customers. However, before we reveal the ten most important to-dos for a successful trade show presentation, here is an essential tip: The classic trade show presentation runs on a continuous loop. It is therefore important to structure it in such a way that it is interesting and comprehensible at all times - regardless of whether the visitor pays attention to it from the very beginning or joins in the middle. And one more thing: At the end of this blog, in addition to the 10 trade show commandments, you'll find another magic formula guaranteed to take your next trade show presentation to the next level!
Watch out, these 7 deadly sins will make any presentation unprofessional!
The ten commandments that matter for trade fair presentations
1. You should prepare
A trade fair presentation is neither a company presentation nor a sales pitch. For this reason, it is essential to create your own presentation that is tailored to the needs of the trade fair visitors and the conditions of the trade fair. Optimal preparation tailored to the trade fair is therefore a MUST!
2. You should define a goal
Without a goal no result! Therefore, define in advance exactly what you want to achieve with your trade fair presentation. Do you primarily want to address new or existing customers? What content or new products do you want to present? The goal you define consequently also determines the presentation type, technique, design, sequence and content of the trade fair presentation.
3. Thou shalt not bore
You should take this commandment particularly to heart, because in order to be convincing at a trade fair, you have to generate attention - from the first to the last second! Keep in mind that countless presentations and events are vying for the audience's favor at the trade fair at the same time. Show exciting or unusual images, ask unusual questions or make a promise that is meaningful to your target group.
4. You should keep it short
As already mentioned at the beginning, you should not tell multimedia novels in the course of your trade fair presentation, but get to the point in a short and crisp way. Therefore, use a maximum of 7-10 slides to arouse your target group's curiosity.
5. Thou shalt focus
Remember that there is no beginning and no end to a trade show presentation. This means that ideally, you should make your message clear on every slide. Short texts, crisp headlines and frequent repetition without being boring (you remember commandment #3 & #4!) are the key to success here.
Außenwirtschaft Austria relies on the interactive application and tracking options of our trade fair app for their touchscreens.
By the way, presono offers the possibility to design interactive presentations that trade fair visitors can consume independently and according to their respective interests via touchscreen. You can then evaluate the click behavior in detail.
6. Thou shalt address customer problems
Tell your customer not what you do, but how you can solve his problems. If you manage to convey this in a few words and slides, you have a good chance of winning his heart.
7. You should deliver a clear benefit
Besides fun and entertainment, one thing matters most to trade show visitors: a concrete benefit or useful information - after all, that's what they came for. Always keep this in mind when creating your trade fair presentation.
8. You should generate attention
Your trade fair presentation is competing with a loud, lively environment. Therefore, rely on spectacular eye-catchers and, above all, on movement (presono offers various types of multimedia animations and video formats for this purpose).
Keep in mind: The majority of passing trade fair visitors will only take a fleeting glance at your display. If their interest is aroused, the person will remain standing for a maximum of 30 seconds on average. If the display is not appealing enough, the visitor will move on.
Here are the most important Dos & Don'ts for exceptional slides.
9. Thou shalt build relationships
Naturally, you want to keep your trade show visitors in front of your presentation for as long as possible. However, the ultimate goal is to get into a conversation with the prospects - because only then will you find out what their problems and needs really are. To do this, for example, pose a question that will prompt the visitor to start looking for a solution. You can also entice them with a promise of a world first. Or you can formulate a clear call to action, such as "Talk to us and we'll show you the solution to your problem!"
The toolmaking specialists at Haidlmair use the multimedia capabilities of presono to go into depth during customer meetings.
10. You should love your tools
... or at least master them confidently - and it doesn't matter whether your software is called Keynote, Prezi or presono ( find the best PowerPoint alternatives here!). After all, these media tools are your most important helpers in arousing interest and attracting potential customers to your trade show booth. As commandment no. 9 already states, personal contact is the decisive goal of every successful trade show presentation. At best, a personal meeting offers the opportunity to learn all about individual wishes, needs and concerns, to build trust and to establish a personal relationship.
presono supports you in intensifying this personal relationship. For example, you can send your customers and prospects your multimedia presentation with in-depth content with just one mouse click after a trade show conversation and then evaluate the recipient's individual click behavior in detail. The perfect preparation for a follow-up conversation and an intensification of your customer relationship after the trade fair!
Technology connects! EREMA's plastics recycling specialists click through their presono presentations on their own, even between customer meetings.
Your trade fair advantages with presono
A trade show usually brings with it the requirement for a digital solution in the form of an app. This means that you have to purchase a web app, touch app, autoplay presentation or other custom solutions so that your presentation can also be used at online and hybrid trade fairs.
With presono, this becomes much easier and more sustainable!
With our tool you can create fully interactive presentations and prepare them with multimedia - and this for face-to-face presentations as well as for online meetings or classic trade fairs. The best thing about it: You have all the changes in your own hands! That means you decide whether you want to hire an agency for the implementation or whether you want to design your (trade fair) presentation yourself and then maintain it. Short-term changes before the trade fair are possible with just a few clicks and the subsequent use of the prepared content for further presentations is also easy to implement.
In addition, presono is continuously being developed and can be used easily and efficiently for all types of presentations throughout the year. Due to our central data management, you also have access to the latest versions of your slides and presentations at any time.
Here is an overview of your three major presono benefits:
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design interactively & reuse content.
From image galleries and automatically animated videos to interactive menus and the integration of PDFs, you can map everything with presono. Once prepared, content and slides can then be used in other areas - such as sales and training - or, if necessary, adapted for them with just a few clicks. If you don't have a knack for layout and design, you can use our professional templates.
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use offline & concentrate on the essentials at the trade fair stand
Internet connections at trade fairs are still often overloaded. The presono app is offline-capable, so you can use all the options at your trade fair stand even without the Internet. The kiosk mode acts as a plug & play solution for your time savings.
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precisely evaluate interests of leads, partners and customers.
After the trade fair, our Analytics module allows you to evaluate the information materials sent out, as well as the use of presentations on site. Find out with just a few clicks which services and products were particularly in demand!
Finally, as promised at the beginning, we would like to tell you the magic 4 steps that will guarantee an optimal setup for your next trade show presentation:
- Name the customer problems
- Show how your customers will benefit once the problems are solved
- Describe how or with what you can help your customers
- Inform them about what they need to do now
We hope that with this guide and the 10 commandments in hand, you are well prepared for your next trade fair presentation.