On the weekend we attended the eBridal Wedding Expo at the Claremont Showgrounds. It was the first expo for both the company and myself as a public relations student. Never did i imagine how so many little things, both remember and forgotten, can effect the outcome of those 2 days.
The planning and organising phases of an expo are the most crucial and there is so much to think about. On the day of the expo however, a whole new set of PR skills had to be applied. Having to be there early to help set up and put together the brochures (that got left a little to the last minute), make sure we all knew the prizes, conditions and prices as well as having a walk around to check out the competition. Its a long day stand at the same stand all day trying to get people to have a look at your products, take a brochures and book a package with the company. We composed a possible Q&A's sheet but its very hard to know exactly what the customers are going to ask you so we had to make sure that we had an explanation for pretty much everything although we aren't experts in the field.
Overall, the key things i learnt from my first expo are:
1. Making sure that before the expo, the website is in order and reflect exactly what you are selling and telling people at the expo so that when they follow up the next day, they are still inclined to book with you. People often just walk around and take one brochure from each stall and go home and make sure decision based purely on that brochure and your website.
2. Leaving things to the last minute is a big big mistake. Little but necessary things get forgotten, like tablecloths to cover up the ugly table that displays your products.
3. Following up all your leads immediately after the expo to make sure you keep front and foremost in the minds of customers. Updating the website and blogs immediately to reflect what happened at the wedding expo and keep the leads fresh.
The 2 days gave me a huge insight into just how much organising must go into an effective expo, all points of which im sure i will have to apply in the future.
Regards,
Monique
The planning and organising phases of an expo are the most crucial and there is so much to think about. On the day of the expo however, a whole new set of PR skills had to be applied. Having to be there early to help set up and put together the brochures (that got left a little to the last minute), make sure we all knew the prizes, conditions and prices as well as having a walk around to check out the competition. Its a long day stand at the same stand all day trying to get people to have a look at your products, take a brochures and book a package with the company. We composed a possible Q&A's sheet but its very hard to know exactly what the customers are going to ask you so we had to make sure that we had an explanation for pretty much everything although we aren't experts in the field.
Overall, the key things i learnt from my first expo are:
1. Making sure that before the expo, the website is in order and reflect exactly what you are selling and telling people at the expo so that when they follow up the next day, they are still inclined to book with you. People often just walk around and take one brochure from each stall and go home and make sure decision based purely on that brochure and your website.
2. Leaving things to the last minute is a big big mistake. Little but necessary things get forgotten, like tablecloths to cover up the ugly table that displays your products.
3. Following up all your leads immediately after the expo to make sure you keep front and foremost in the minds of customers. Updating the website and blogs immediately to reflect what happened at the wedding expo and keep the leads fresh.
The 2 days gave me a huge insight into just how much organising must go into an effective expo, all points of which im sure i will have to apply in the future.
Regards,
Monique
No comments:
Post a Comment