Five things every SIAL Paris exhibitor should do before the show
SIAL Paris is one of the world's largest food and drink exhibitions, bringing together buyers, distributors, manufacturers and other industry professionals from around the world.
If you're exhibiting this October, you may already be looking forward to getting your products in front of such a large international audience. But with thousands of other exhibitors competing for attention, simply booking a stand and turning up isn't enough. You need to think about how you're going to stand out, reach the people who matter to your business and get a return on the investment you've made.
I've worked on international trade shows and conferences for more than 20 years, both for exhibition organisers and for companies exhibiting at major events. There is a great deal you can do before an exhibition to give yourself a better chance of achieving your objectives.
With SIAL approaching, here are five things I would be thinking about now.
1. Be clear about what you want SIAL to achieve
Start with your business objectives.
Are you looking for new customers or distributors? Do you want to meet existing customers face-to-face? Are you launching a new product? Do you want to build awareness of a new product or service in a new market? Are you exploring opportunities in a new market, looking for potential partners or researching competitors?
You may have several objectives, but decide which matter most.
That should influence the people you want to meet, what you communicate before the show, what happens on your stand and what you do afterwards.
It also gives you something meaningful against which to assess the value of the exhibition once you get home.
2. Don't wait for the right people to find you
SIAL is a huge exhibition. Even a very good stand cannot guarantee that the people you most want to meet will happen to walk past it.
Think about who you want to meet at the show.
Let existing customers and contacts know you're exhibiting. Identify prospects you'd particularly like to meet and contact them in advance. Connect with them on LinkedIn and let them know you'll be at SIAL.
Look at the conference programme and speakers too. Is there anyone participating whom you would particularly like to meet? If so, consider contacting them before you arrive in Paris rather than hoping you'll bump into them at the show.
Consider whether targeted advertising or other pre-show promotion could also help you reach the audiences you want to attract.
The exhibition organiser has done the work of bringing a large international audience together in one place. Your job is to make sure the people who matter to your business know you're going to be there and have a reason to find you.
3. Give people a reason to visit your stand
With thousands of companies competing for attention, think about what will make someone choose to spend time with you.
A new product launch is an obvious opportunity. If you have something new to introduce, SIAL gives you a reason to contact customers, prospects and other relevant audiences before the exhibition rather than simply announcing that you'll be there.
But whatever you're promoting, make the reason to visit clear.
What will someone discover, see, taste, learn or discuss when they come to your stand?
And don't keep that information until the doors open. Use your own communications channels and the promotional opportunities available around the exhibition to start building interest beforehand.
4. Make sure everyone is communicating the same thing
The people representing your business at SIAL are an important part of how your company and products will be perceived.
Before the show, make sure everyone understands what you're trying to achieve, who your priority audiences are, the key messages you want to communicate and what you want people to do next.
If you're launching a new product, for example, everyone should be able to communicate clearly what it is, who it is for and why it is relevant.
Think about the call to action too. Do you want someone to arrange a follow-up meeting? Request further information? Speak to a distributor? Book a demonstration?
You only have a few short days to make an impact. Make sure you and everyone representing your business are prepared and communicating consistently.
5. Decide what happens after SIAL before you arrive
Don't leave the follow-up plan until everyone gets back from Paris.
Think beforehand about what information you want to capture during the exhibition, who will be responsible for following up and how quickly that should happen.
The show can also provide valuable market intelligence. If competitors are exhibiting, make time to see what they're doing. Look at new products, positioning and developments within the sector, as well as new and emerging trends. Think about what your team should be learning as well as who they should be meeting.
There may also be content, conversations and other opportunities generated at SIAL that can continue to be useful after the exhibition has finished.
A successful exhibition should have value beyond the days the doors are open.
Could you be getting more from SIAL?
These are five areas I would encourage any business exhibiting at SIAL to think about, but every company's objectives, market and plans are different.
There may also be PR, media and communications opportunities around your participation that you haven't considered.
My Trade Show Healthcheck is an independent expert review of your plans for an upcoming trade show or conference. I analyse what you're planning and identify practical opportunities to help you attract prospects, raise your profile and get more from your participation before, during and after the event.
If you're using SIAL to launch a new food or drink product, I also offer an F&B Launch Communications Review, looking at the wider communications around your launch, including positioning, messaging, PR and marketing priorities.
