We have been an exhibitor or sponsor/exhibitor at several conferences. Hosting a conference that is successful for everyone involved takes planning. We would like to comment on the role of exhibitors and how you can ensure your conference will be well attended by exhibitors and sponsors alike.

Exhibitors view a conference as a business opportunity. They balance the cost of attending with the benefit of meeting potential clients. The costs of travel, time away from the office, staffing, materials, and the exhibitor registration need to be offset by the opportunities the conference presents. Meeting with new or existing clients away from the hectic pace of an office is a benefit to exhibitors. Delegates, on the other hand, also benefit from this time to acquaint themselves with what’s new in the marketplace.

Exhibitors give added value to a conference. They are a rich source of information and ideas. They can update delegates on new services and products in an exclusive environment. Exhibitors bring an important influx of cash to pay conference costs and reduce delegate fees. They are an integral part of conference activity.

The role of the conference committee is to ensure that everyone benefits. Let’s start with the conference location.

Location Location Location!

The location where a conference is held is an important consideration. Issues like accessibility, services, space and cost are important factors. Locations that require flights, shipping, vehicle rentals, and additional travel time are expensive. Keep in mind this is not a holiday but a business opportunity for exhibitors. The greater the cost in time and effort, the greater the expectation that committee organizers will have done due diligence by organizing an exceptional event.

Upon arriving and preparing for setup, exhibitors will be looking at the layout and assessing access to delegates. Seminar rooms, food service, morning and afternoon break stations, and walkthrough traffic all need to be in close proximity to the exhibits. Give careful consideration to routing delegates, as they move throughout the day, to encourage traffic. This is important to exhibitors.

Timing is everything

Time is a key issue and one that is usually overlooked. Time for delegates to attend the exhibit hall is often allotted to coffee breaks and lunch. As an exhibitor, we have never considered these time slots valuable. Coffee breaks include moving from seminar rooms, a trip to the bathroom, lining up for coffee and a snack, chatting with a new colleague, and moving to the next seminar all in the space of 20-30 minutes. This hardly provides time for delegates, much less the exhibitors. Lunch breaks often include a speaker, followed by the normal hygiene stops before rushing off to the first afternoon session. It’s no wonder exhibitors begin to question whether their presence is valued or whether they are simply viewed as a cash cow.

A social event held the day before the conference goes into full swing usually means that local delegates will not attend, and those coming from afar will just be checking in. This is not viewed as a generous offering to benefit exhibitors, but rather short shrift in an attempt to appear to be doing the right thing.

Some conferences offer a social evening during the conference in the exhibitor hall. No one is rushed; everyone has a bit more time to meet, greet and chat. Work is not necessarily on everyone’s mind, but these events can be profitable as a business development activity.

Keeping your exhibitors happy

Exhibitors have a few suggestions. First, you want your conference to be so valuable that exhibitors and sponsors are signing up a year in advance. You can do this very easily if you follow a few steps:

1. Provide time during the day for delegates to visit with exhibitors. Add 30 minute slots in the conference schedule for exhibitor time. This does not include coffee breaks or lunch time. Overbooking a conference with session after session is just exhausting. Allocating time to visit the exhibit hall takes the pressure off and gives delegates a breather. Exhibitors are a wealth of knowledge and ideas and can be beneficial to all attending.
2. Host a special event during the conference with the exhibitors in the exhibitor hall. The more the merrier is very true.
3. Add the exhibitor hall to the conference evaluation form. It provides delegates with a different perspective and helps them understand that exhibitors are important.
4. If you have promised a delegate list, make it a full list and make sure it is correct. Connecting with delegates is the purpose for attending.
5. Most exhibitors will stay at their booth over the lunch hour. Put out some buns and cold cuts. You would never sit down to eat in your home or office and leave others to stand and watch…would you? Exhibitors have already paid dearly to attend, show a little bit of hospitality. It doesn’t cost that much and it says an awful lot about the organizing group.
6. Ensure there is proximity between where delegates spend their day and where exhibits are housed. No exhibitor likes to feel that they have wasted their time and money.
7. Get feedback from the exhibitors. If something works well, continue it the following year. Using proven methods that have been well received is smart management. Consistency in delivery offers consistency in value.

Where did we get all these outrageous ideas? From experience! We have chaired conferences and tradeshow events and we have been exhibitors, and in some cases, sponsors.

The key to running any event is simply this: ask yourself…if you were one of the exhibitors, would you feel that your time, effort and dollars were well spent?

Sharron Batsch is a partner at Batsch Group Inc., the developer of @EASE Fund Development Software. Sharron has 35 years of experience in information management, teaching software design for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. She has worked with not-for-profit organizations for 20 years and brings a pragmatic business approach to fund development. This past year, she co-chaired a trade show called Life of a Fundraiser for the Alberta Association of Fundraising Executives and the exhibitors were delighted with the results.