10 Tips for Succeeding at Exhibitions

May 20, 2025

Exhibitions are great places to show your brand, find new customers (leads), and build lasting connections. But just turning up isn’t enough. You need a plan, a stand that grabs attention, and you need to be active to get noticed and get value for your money. Whether you’ve been to many shows or this is your first, these 10 tips will help you do better and ensure people remember you.

You need a plan that covers everything to get the best results from your next trade show. Think about it all, from your first ideas to what you do after the show ends. Here are ten key tips to help you get great results.

Here’s how you can boost your presence and results from exhibition appearances:

1. Embrace a Sustainable Exhibition Stand

Consider a sustainable exhibition stand before you think about your goals or how you’ll promote your stand. This is the main thing people will see. Nowadays, how companies act towards the environment affects what people think of them. Showing you care about being green isn’t just a nice extra – it’s good business sense. A green approach makes your company look better. It can also attract customers and partners who care about the planet.

How can you achieve this?

At Avondale Exhibitions, we specialise in bespoke stands in the UK that adapt to different spaces and show formats without starting from scratch every time. Our design team partners with you to build a long-reaching exhibition asset that provides various functions without sacrificing style or consequence.

Pick Good Materials: Try to use sustainable stands. You can also choose materials you can recycle or ones that grow back naturally (like wood). Good choices are wood from managed forests, aluminium (you can recycle it repeatedly), or fabric signs made from recycled plastic. Stay away from plastics you only use once, and things that harm the environment.
Design Stands You Can Use Again: Get a stand built in parts. It means you can change its shape and size. You can then use the same stand for different events. It creates much less waste. It also saves you money in the long run because you don’t need a brand-new stand for every show.
Make Less Waste: Print fewer flyers. Instead, use digital ones, such as QR codes that link to websites or screens people can touch. Think hard about any gifts you plan to give out. Don’t choose cheap items that people will throw in the bin soon after.
Choose Partners Carefully: Work with companies (like Avondale Exhibitions) that prioritise being green. Look for partners who use eco-friendly materials and ways of working and manage their waste well. Ask them what they do to protect the environment.

2. Define Crystal-Clear Objectives

Now, let’s think about why you are going to the show. You won’t know what to focus on if you don’t have clear goals. You also won’t know if the show was a success later. Fuzzy goals like “making people more aware of our brand” are ineffective in getting real results. You need exact targets you can measure. It helps your team know what to do and shows why spending the money is worthwhile.

Think about setting goals like these:

Get good leads from people who might buy from you.
Book meetings for your sales team during the show.
Launch your new product well. You can measure this by showing it to important potential customers.
Get more useful contacts for your mailing list.
Make pounds in sales directly from the show (if you sell things there).

Decide on these goals right at the start. They will help you decide how your stand should look, what you should say, what your team should focus on, and how you check if the show went well afterwards.

3. Get a Stand That Makes People Stop and Look

Your custom exhibition stand design and build at the show is like your shop window in a hectic place. It needs to stand out and attract the right kind of people. A stand that looks old or boring can put people off. It might make them think your company isn’t modern or doesn’t care. But a smart, interesting stand makes people want to come closer. It gives a great first impression.

Work with good designers to make a space that:

Clearly Shows Your Brand: Uses your logo, company colours, and main messages everywhere.
Looks Great: It has eye-catching pictures and good lighting, and it feels open and welcoming, not messy.
Makes Talking Easy: Has areas set up for welcoming people, showing how things work, chatting, and easily getting contact details.
Is Easy to Use: Think about how people will walk around. Has enough space to store coats and bags. Make sure you can easily plug things in and get online.

Your stand needs to show people quickly what you offer and why it’s good. Consider paying for a great stand as an important investment, not just a cost.

4. Promote Your Presence Before the Doors Open

Don’t just hope visitors find you by chance. You must tell people you’re attending the show long before it starts. Get them excited and make sure the right people know where your stall is located. Telling people beforehand brings interested visitors straight to you.

Use different ways to tell people:

Emails: Send emails to your customers and people who might become customers. Tell them your stand number. Maybe offer a small gift or a special demo if they visit. Give them a little clue about what you’ll be showing.
Social Media: Use the show’s special hashtag (#) online to get people talking. Share photos or short videos of you getting ready. Tell people about any extraordinary things happening at your stand. You could even use paid ads to reach people you know are going to the show.
Your Website: Put a clear message about the show on your website’s main page. Include the show’s details and where to find your stand.
Your Sales Team: Ask your sales team to personally invite important clients and contacts when they talk to them.
News Releases: If you’re launching something big, send a news announcement to magazines or websites covering your industry, which will be on the show.

Get people excited so they plan to visit your stand.

5. Train Your Stand Team So They Shine

The people working on your stand are the face of your company at the show. Their energy, what they know, and how they talk to people affect how visitors see your brand. It also affects whether you reach your goals. Just sending staff without training them first is a bad idea.

Spend time training your team well on these things:

Know Your Products/Services Well: Make sure everyone can explain what you offer simply. They should know the benefits and be able to answer usual questions easily.
Know the Goals: Make sure the team knows precisely what you want to achieve at the show (Tip 2). They need to understand how they can help reach those goals.
How to Talk to People: Train them to be friendly and upbeat when approaching visitors. Teach them to ask questions that get people talking (not just yes/no answers). Show them how to listen. They shouldn’t just stand there quietly or be too pushy trying to sell. Practising conversations beforehand helps them feel confident.
Spotting Good Leads: Explain what makes someone a good potential customer (a ‘lead’). Train staff on how to quickly get the correct details from them (see Tip 7).
Acting Professionally: Remind them how they should look (smartly dressed). Tell them to avoid distractions like checking their phones all the time. They should look friendly and easy to talk to. They also need to keep the stand looking neat and tidy.
Know Who Does What and When: Give people clear jobs on the stall. Use a timetable (rota) so staff can take breaks and stay fresh and focused all day.

A ready team that feels excited about being there is your best tool on the show floor.

6. Make Your Stand Fun and Interesting

Boring displays get ignored easily at busy shows. You need to draw people to your stand actively. Give them a reason to stop, stay, and talk to you. Do more than just put products on shelves or leave flyers in piles.

Add things that get people involved:

Show How Things Work Live: Plan interesting demonstrations of your product or service at various times during the day. Tell people when these demos are happening.
Use Fun Tech: Have touchscreens so people can look through information themselves. Maybe use virtual reality (VR) to give impressive demos. Or use games like quizzes or contests to grab attention.
Run Contests or Giveaways: Offer a good prize that people would like to win. Ask them to chat with you or give their contact details to enter (but make sure you follow data privacy rules like GDPR).
Make People Comfortable: Have some chairs where people can sit down. Offer phone charging points. Maybe offer free drinks like coffee or water. Little comforts encourage people to stop, relax, and talk.
Focus on Solving Problems: Teach your staff to quickly determine a visitor’s problems. Then, show them how your product or service can help solve that problem.

7. Systematise Your Lead Capture and Qualification

Getting visitors to your stand and chatting with them is essential. But you need a good way to collect their details to contact them later. Collecting business cards in a bowl or writing quick notes often means you lose track or can’t follow up properly.

Use Tech: Sustainable exhibitions stand means a digital-first lead capture and qualification process. Ask the show organiser if they have scanners to read visitor badges. Or use special apps on a tablet or phone to collect details. It’ll ensure names and emails are correct. You can often add notes straight away, too.
Ask Good Questions: Train your team to ask a few key questions during the chat. Find out things like what they need. How much might they spend? When do they need it? Who makes the final decision? Write down this vital info with their contact details.
Do It the Same Way: Make sure your team uses the same method. Ensure they all know the key information you want for every contact.
Add Quick Notes: Ask your staff to jot down a short note about the chat. What did they talk about? What was the person interested in? This helps a lot when you follow up later, making it more personal.

Getting details this way turns a list of names into a helpful, ordered list for your sales team.

8. Meet People All Around the Show

Shows are great for meeting more people than potential customers at your stand. Use the whole event to connect with others in your industry.

Try to meet people like:

Other Exhibitors: Look for companies you could work with, buy from, or who offer services that fit with yours. Chat with them when things are quiet, or when setting up or packing away.
News Reporters and Online Influencers: Find out who from the press or essential online blogs might be there. Try to arrange a quick chat before the show. Or invite them to see your stand.
Show Organisers: Get to know the people running the show. They might have helpful tips or learn about future chances for you.
Speakers: Go to interesting talks during the show. Talk to the experts afterwards.

Be active in meeting different people during the whole event. It adds extra value beyond just getting leads.

9. Follow Up Fast and Personally

All your hard work getting leads fails if you don’t follow up quickly and satisfactorily. Lots of companies fail here. The most important thing is to plan how you will follow up before the show even starts.

Decide these things ahead of time:

Who Will Do It? Choose specific people or teams (sales or marketing) to handle the follow-up contacts.
When Will They Do It? Plan to contact people within 1 or 2 days after the show. People forget quickly, so being fast is key.
How Will They Do It? Sort your leads based on how interested they seemed (use the info from Tip 7). Maybe group them into ‘very interested’, ‘quite interested’, and ‘just looking’. Then, contact them in the right way. It could be a personal email or a phone call, sending specific info they asked for, or adding them to an email list for updates.
What Will They Need? Prepare your email templates, online brochures, or other helpful information before the show ends.

A good follow-up plan helps turn those show leads into actual business.

10. Check Your Results and Learn from Them

How do you know if the show was worth the money and effort? You need to measure your performance against the goals you set in Tip 2. Looking closely at the results after the show helps you see what you got back for your investment (ROI).

Keep track of things like:

How many contact details (leads) did you collect in total?
How many were good leads (people who fit your target customer)?
How much did each good lead cost you? (Divide the total show cost by the number of promising leads)
How many meetings or demos did you book after the show?
How many leads turned into actual sales over the next few months?
Did more people visit your website or follow you on social media during or just after the show?
Ask your team what worked well and what could be better next time.

Make an Impression with Avondale’s Sustainable Exhibition Stands

Exhibitions are your chance to connect with real people in real time. With the proper planning, a bold presence, and brilliant follow-up, you can turn an event into a pipeline of opportunity. Keep your goals clear, your conversations focused, and your brand values front and centre, including your commitment to sustainability.

At Avondale Exhibitions, we help you achieve real results with more innovative, greener solutions. Whether a first-time exhibitor or a seasoned pro, our Sustainable Exhibition Stands and Sustainable Shell Schemes give you a professional edge without compromising your eco-conscious values. Built to last, designed to impress, and crafted with minimal environmental impact, our solutions prove that you don’t have to choose between sustainability and style.

10 Tips for Succeeding at Exhibitions

1. Embrace a Sustainable Exhibition Stand

How can you achieve this?

2. Define Crystal-Clear Objectives

3. Get a Stand That Makes People Stop and Look

4. Promote Your Presence Before the Doors Open

5. Train Your Stand Team So They Shine

6. Make Your Stand Fun and Interesting

7. Systematise Your Lead Capture and Qualification

8. Meet People All Around the Show

9. Follow Up Fast and Personally

10. Check Your Results and Learn from Them

Make an Impression with Avondale’s Sustainable Exhibition Stands

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