Top 5 Tips on How to Make your Exhibit at the Festival Shine

This may be your first time exhibiting, or maybe you are a seasoned festival and expo guru.  Experienced or not, these tips will help you make the most of your exhibit space and help you exceed sales over your exhibit investment.

1. Décor: Less is more. Don’t overdo it with expensive décor and bulky items.  You want to create enough space on your exhibit table to display the most pertinent marketing collateral and products.  You can purchase a custom table cloth with your logo (estimate costs $200-$300) and you can take this item to all future events.  If you wish to add more flair to the table, a table runner or some unscented votive flameless candles are a nice rustic touch.   Some other ideas are foliage or beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers.
2. Sampling: Very important! Everyone loves a free sample and if it’s good, chances are they will buy it. Depending on your brand or service, think about items that attract people to the table.  Do you have a cleaning product? Customers love to see before and after results of real life samples. A live demo is always great.  Do you have a food item? Samples are a very good idea. Make sure to always find out the estimate number of attendees 2-3 weeks out from the event to prepare enough for everyone. 
3. Prepare to sell.  Make sure you have enough product to sell in addition to the samples. The Organic Beauty & Wellness Festival encourages vendors to sell their items, but it’s equally important to have enough to accommodate attendees.  We want our vendors to be successful, but if you aren’t willing to sample items and expose your brand to the best of your ability, then chances are you will not sell very much.  Our most successful vendors prepared enough samples and had extra stock in their vehicles in case they ran out.  If items need to be cooled, make sure to prepare enough ice in coolers and have arrangements made to accommodate these in a larger vehicle.
4. Smiles and booth etiquette go a long way.  I have been to so many expos and festivals in my time (50 in 2016 alone all over the country). I have seen exhibit booth staff unmotivated and on their cell phones the entire time, sitting and looking down, not paying attention to anyone else.  I have also seen people stand up to greet me as I visited their booth and were very excited to speak to me and get to know me.  Greeting someone professionally and sincerely goes a long way. Motivate your staff with a sales reward incentive, provide good training so they can speak intelligently about your company and make sure they are dressed to impress.
5. Don’t leave your booth unattended.  Make sure you have enough people. You may need to stagger times so the booth is never unattended.  Empty booths could result in people walking away and then you can miss out on an opportunity.  It’s important to communicate with colleagues or your staff and let them know to text or call when they want to take a break. Make sure there is always someone there.

We are always here to help 24-7! Just let us know if you need help with ideas, décor, sampling, logistics, etc.  Email the thescoop@obwfestival.com