How To Get The Most Out Of Exhibiting With Us
Spending £25 on a stand to exhibit your products and services at one of our events is not going to break the bank, however we want to share ways to help you really maximise on exhibiting with us. Here is our quick top ten tips to help you get the more out of exhibiting;
1. Know why you are exhibiting. Yes you want people to buy from you, but what else? Signing up to your newsletter? Getting to know you on social media? What actions do you want people to take? And don’t assume anything, if you want people to connect with you on social media, have a clear poster that gives a QR code and says “Use this QR code to keep in touch. (You can create your own QR codes easily, just Google it); 
2. Exhibiting is just that, a chance to create a shop front that enables people to see how you can help them. The full scope of what you do. Think about what are the assumptions that are made about what you do and ask yourself do we address them on our stand? Do we answer the “No’s” that people have? (A top tip here that by knowing and understanding the “No’s” that stop a sale, you can get them into your marketing to break down the No’s. Cool right?)
3. What are the big goals? Okay so you get them to sign up to get to know you on social media, they want to know more and sign up to your newsletter and email campaigns but what would the ultimate goals be? If you sell something what would the follow up purchase be? What else or how often do you want them to buy? Do you tell people about these opportunities when you exhibit?
4. Tell everyone! Okay so with The BWN you know we go out of our way to promote the fact that
you are at our events, however it is not an assumption you can take the risk on taking. What warm leads do you have that you would love the chance to tell them more about what you do? What connections do you have that could also benefit from this event? By spreading the word this can help your event success in a number of ways; firstly you get to spread the word on the event to increase the foot fall, secondly you get the chance to remind people why you and how you invest in your business and the professionalism of your company and thirdly think how much the event organisers will love you for spreading the word. The next top tips share how to do this!
5. Share the link to the event you are exhibiting at on your social media. Include the organisers social media (ours is @BWNcouk in case you were wondering!) so that they too can spread the word on you, promote the event and raise yours and the events profile. The more people that know about the event, the more people know about you and your business.
6. Tell people in your next newsletter or email campaign. Writing a blog article? Add in there something like “If you would like to learn more I will be offering taster sessions/bringing this fabulous product to this event, and it would be great to see you there. Include a link. Remember marketing is about making it easy for people to get involved.
7. If you are networking, add it to your 60 seconds promo slot. The more people you can get to your stand to see what you do and how you help people, the better.
8. What do your guests get? So a freebie chocolate, free pen, pad or entry into a raffle
may get you a smile out of a delegate, however if there are 20+ exhibitors in the room will you be remembered in a weeks time? What can you do to ensure people stay in touch? What about saying thank you or “Hi” on the coordinators social media. Getting in touch after the event. Remember to be consistent, relevant and non salesly. If you have attended an event its highly likely many will automatically have added your details to their data base. The epitome of salesly, no respect for your time attitude that can seriously risk your ability to create and nurture a new relationship that will enable business to happen, so what would work?
9. Think about the delegates event experience. By the time they get to your stand, they’ve been asked maybe 20 times “What do you do?” “What do you think of the event?” “Do you use X?” How can your stand have an impact? How can you ensure people walk away from your stand smiling and thinking “That was good!” rather than here we go again!
10. Don’t stand behind your stand. One of reasons you are exhibiting is so you can expand
on the business card and 60 second promo slot so that people want to buy from you. To do that you want to build relationships either with people that don’ know you or who know you a little. A table is basically a physical barrier between you and the delegate. It can send a sub-conscious message to the brain that says you are unapproachable. When The BWN exhibit, we put the chairs to one side of our stand and encourage delegates to take a seat. Most women are in heels and guess how popular we are when we encourage people to have a seat and tell us about their business and how we may be able to help? By being on your delegates agenda and finding out how you can help them, you can really start a great relationship. And exhibiting is about creating a shop front that people want to stick around and learn more about and then buy. So from today to the event, make the journey into a sale a fun, enjoyable (and easy to achieve) one!
We hope you find these top tips helpful. There are lots more resources on our website under blog and reports and our founder Mandie Holgate‘s Website, who will be selling her books. Ooo did you see what we did there!
See you at Our Big Christmas Events this December!
Ninja, Jayne Lloyd Photography at The BWN
If you are a regular at BWN events you will no doubt have seen me snapping away at the monthly meetings – I’m Jayne Lloyd, and for the last year I have had the pleasure of being the BWN Colchester’s official photographer.
I attend most BWN meetings and photograph the events in a discreet, documentary style. 
I always try to capture the feel of the event so that people can get a real sense of what the meeting was like, as well as providing a record of the event for those who were there. After the meeting I process the images and add them to the BWN Facebook page, where each businesswoman is tagged.
It’s a great way to show your Facebook connections what you’re up to and keep the conversation going beyond the event itself, as well as being a great opportunity to add some professional photographs to your online marketing.
I’m really happy for attendees to use the watermarked web copies online – so if I take a shot you’d like to use as your profile picture I’d be delighted for you to do so! I just ask that you let me know, credit ‘Jayne Lloyd Photography’ and include a link and tag where possible.
As an extra bonus for regular BWN attendees, if you would like to use any of the images at high resolution for your marketing materials you can purchase the digital file for a special rate of £15 and use it for all your promotional needs. 
All the images from past events are available to view on my website, where you can order the files directly: www.jaynelloyd.co.uk/bwn
I look forward to continuing to work with the BWN and with all the fantastic businesswomen I meet at each event.
Do come and say hello, and if you’d like to connect in the meantime please feel free to add me on Twitter: @jaynelloyd,
Facebook: Facebook.com/JayneLloydPhotography,
Instagram: instagram.com/jayne_lloyd/ or email me at jayne@jaynelloyd.co.uk
Jayne Lloyd is a freelance photographer based in Colchester, specialising in working with businesses and organisations to create images that communicate their brand visually.
Who Do You Think You Are!
When it comes to a speaking engagement I like to think of my audience, Who are they? What do they want? What do they need? etc., etc.
And as I go through this process it’s inevitable for me that I start to think of my clients. My theory being if is an issue for one person it stands to be an issue for another. So using my anecdotes in key note addresses really connects with my audience….(could be some advice in there about marketing right?)
So as I prepare for a speaking engagement I’m reminded of the number of people that I’ve coached this month who have all in one format or another showed the same underlining issue that is detrimentally damaging their success.
Do you want to know what that is?
Really want to know?
Because when I tell you, many of you will stop, look up as if thinking (because you are thinking) and say to yourself….”Wow is this me too?”
The fact is for so many people in business you have the big goals and ambitions and work hard to achieve them. And then one day (for those this impacts, as if by magic) you start to get results.
And then as your business grows and more people want in, (again as if by magic) you start to get asked to share your knowledge, speak at conferences, comment in the press or head hunted for a great new opportunity.
Business Coach Mandie Holgate and Susan Pattrick from Dancing Giraffe spent time thinking and contemplating…if only someone had told them what to contemplate!
And instead of saying “Wow, well done me, look at what I’ve achieved.”The natural state to rush to is “Oh no, wait until they find out its just me!”
What stops a successful business woman who has achieved so much from not accepting success?
Why do people dismiss their successes and acknowledge their failures?
So I challenge you to be honest with yourself, do you dismiss your successes like you do a compliment? Have you ever said any of the following;
“What this old thing, I’ve had it for years.”
“Anyone could do what I’ve done really.”
“I don’t know why they chose us, just right, place right time I suppose.”
“My competitors are just as good at this really.”
“I don’t know why they asked me.”
“I suppose I was just lucky.”
Then I wouldn’t mind betting that you allow your brain to accept and acknowledge your failures and yet you don’t praise and accept your successes with the same level of passion.
You don’t need a coach by your side to know if you do this and the impact that this can have on your success. Do you worry that you are going to get found out?
I will be honest with you here, its something I too have had to address. For me I always felt like I was a 5 year old in my Mum’s dress up clothes. Even when the Home Office invited me to hear an address by the Home Secretary on Women’s success I asked the lady if she knew it was just Mandie Holgate from little old Mersea island?
Come on ladies, we don’t have to start strutting around like that insurance advert in skin tight demin shorts, swishing our hair shouting “because we are worth it”. However you do need an internal belief, that says “You go girl!” “Yeah Me!” “Wow look what I can achieve!”
I agree there is a fine line between arrogance and confidence, however when there is so much stacked up against you and your success, why add You to the pile of negativity?
I will be speaking at the Big Chelmsford Business Showcase on the 18th November about Making It Happen and The BWN are stand Number 33, So see you there. To learn more book here.