The danger zone of event exhibitor management

For any events team, shaping a well-curated, exciting list of exhibitors and sponsors is the driving force behind creating an incredible exhibition, convention or confex. Once the contract is signed, sales teams naturally turn their attention to the next opportunity to continue building that great list of exhibiting names. Whilst they’re doing that, Marketing is focused on bringing the best visitors there to see them… so who is looking after the exhibitors committed to taking part?

The foundation of the NPS score an exhibitor will give an event organiser begins here. A specialised team, like ours at Ways & Means, will use this time to continue to build upon the relationship that sales have started; guiding exhibitors and sponsors towards understanding and success. By leaving an exhibitor or sponsor to bide their time, plan their stand, and potentially get in touch again closer to the show, you will have created a danger zone in terms of managing an exhibitor’s expectations and ensuring they have a favourable experience

Danger ahead

Whilst the organiser has marked them as ‘closed-won’ on their CRM system, an exhibitor, especially if they are a small business or new to events, could begin to see buyer’s remorse. The chances are that they’ve just committed a huge portion of their marketing budget and, for want of a better phrase, are FREAKING OUT about whether it was the right choice. Whilst you expect they’re merrily preparing for the show, they could be losing sleep thinking about how the light in the venue will hit their stand, how many staff they need to bring, or which format their banners need to be designed in. 

Building on the foundation of the sales journey, good exhibitor management should start immediately. That’s what we at Ways & Means recommend for the clients for whom we do Exhibitor Management. Even if it’s a simple introduction so they have a point of contact moving forward, transitioning an exhibitor or sponsor into the next stage of their relationship with you as the event organiser is essential. 

After that, things can get tricky. Exhibitors or sponsors onboarding at various stages in the event cycle can mean lots of emails, phone calls, conversations and levels of panic. Whilst you know that, with good planning, things always come together on the day, an exhibitor may feel like their world is crumbling if they’ve missed deadlines, don’t know how to arrange deliveries, are unsure where they can park or don’t know where to start when it comes to designing a stand. 

It’s not (just) what you say, it’s how you say it 

Your inbox may be overflowing, but every exhibitor or sponsor needs to feel like they are important and that they can trust that every question or concern they have will be answered timely and with ease. Having worked across the full spectrum of event planning for decades, the team behind Ways & Means have this complex but important web of communication down to a fine art. 

Setting up systems of contact, rather than sporadic communication, is key to what we do and how we do it well when it comes to exhibitor management. By creating a journey across our communications strategy, exhibitors or sponsors are never overwhelmed by information and know exactly what is required of them and when. 

It’s not just what is said but how we say it that matters. Deadlines are shared clearly (and multiple times), and we never forget the why. This is why we need this information and need it by this date. This is why meeting this requirement will result in you having a better show. Ultimately, the answer to why we do what we do is so that the exhibitor or sponsor will enter a show with clear expectations, understand how to make the most of their time onsite, have as smooth an experience as possible, and jump to re-book for the next edition of the event. 

If you’re an event organiser wanting to outsource or overhaul your exhibitor management and communication strategy, Ways & Means would love to support you. Get in touch today for a chat about how we can guide this crucial element of event success, or manage it on your behalf.