Business events come in all shapes and sizes, and they all represent a great chance for you to promote your business and reap some rewards. However, a lot of companies struggle to have an impact at events. Bearing that in mind, this article will help any business owner figure out how to get more from an event. Check out these four ideas:
Dress To Impress
Image is everything in business nowadays. Your parents may have told you never to judge a book by its cover, but everyone does it in the business world. At a business event, your business is the book, and you’re the cover. The way you present yourself and the way you look will reflect back on your business. If you turn up at a professional business event in jeans and a t-shirt, two things are likely to happen. One, you might not get let it, so you better check if there’s a dress code. Two, you’re going to get a lot of disapproving looks from all the other business people in their professional suits. Word starts to go around about what business you’re representing, and people start to judge your company based purely on your choice of clothing. Fair? Not really, but there’s nothing you can do about it other than dressing to impress. If you turn up in a fancy and expensive designer suit, people start to judge your business in a different light and will take you seriously. Likewise, dressing to impress doesn’t always mean you need to wear a suit. This is just an example of a professional business event. If there’s no dress code and everyone is wearing relaxed clothing, then you have a chance to stand out. You could wear branded clothes to promote your brand. The important thing to remember is that your choice of clothes is a very important thing to consider when attending any business event.
(Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/81Zk5M)
Never Go Alone
No matter what type of business event you’re attending, it never makes sense to go on your own. When you’re on your own, then your business only has one representative at that event. But, if you bring along an employee or two, then you have three representatives. Why does this matter? Because while you’re busy networking with someone over in one corner of the room, your staff could be networking in other sections of the room with different people. As a result, you could get a lot more out of the event and start to build worthwhile partnerships all thanks to the networking skills of your employees. As said at the start of this point, it doesn’t matter what type of event you’re attending, the more people you can call upon, the better. This is especially important in convention settings where you have a stall to look after. While you and a couple of employees are busy manning the stall and talking to everyone that walks by, you could have a selection of other employees walking around the convention center speaking to consumers and directing them to your stall.
(Photo: https://flic.kr/p/823tK5)
Bring Branded Supplies
The beauty of an event is that you’re surrounded by lots of other people, which gives you an opportunity to promote your business subtly. The best way to do this is by making a load of branded supplies and bringing them along to the event. There are so many branded supplies you can bring to an event, and you can visit www.lanyardsusa.com/conference-supplies for info on all the different types available. With branded supplies, you get your business out there and ensure that other people see your logo and brand colors, etc. You could be making notes on a branded notepad with a branded pen or pencil. It makes a lot of sense as you’ll probably need the supplies you bring anyway. So, instead of just using any old stuff, brand it, and reap the rewards. Plus, depending on the type of business event, you might have a chance to hand out your branded supplies to other people. For example, if you’re at a convention that’s open to members of the public and they get to walk around and look at different business stalls, this is a great opportunity to offload branded items and help promote your business.
Set A Plan
Now, you could attend a business event without any real plan and just intend to go there and have a bit of fun and maybe learn something. But, this means you’re approaching the event in the wrong way. The only reason you should attend or host a business event is to gain something from it. You should have an idea in your head of what you wish to gain from your event, and that should be your top priority while you’re there. We’ve mentioned conventions a few times already, and there are loads of things you can gain at a convention. It’s a great setting to generate leads as well as being a sneaky place to make a few sales. You should set yourself targets of how many leads you want to create and get people to sign up or leave their details with you. Likewise, think about how many things you might want to sell at your event or how much money you want to make. The same thing applies to conferences and more formal events. Here, your aim could still be about bringing in some leads, but it could be with more of thought towards suppliers, etc. Otherwise, your aim could be to network and walk away with some contact details from other businesses people. By setting a plan, you can clearly create your aims and goals and give yourself something to think about when you’re at the event. Plus, it helps you see how successful the event was for your business. If you met or exceeded your aims, then you know the event was successful. If you didn’t, then you know things have to change by the time you attend another event.
Follow these four ideas, and you’ll have the perfect business event, every time.
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