Do you show up at business events?

The biggest B2B event in the North

One of the most important business events in Yorkshire has just come and gone. I am, of course, talking about the Yorkshire Mafia event, Buy Yorkshire, which is where the county’s business community get together to network, explore, learn and maybe win some new leads.

Time, energy and boat loads of preparation

I had a great time at Buy Yorkshire and got to meet loads of new interesting contacts as well as many friendly faces who I had already met.

As I wandered around the stands on last week, it was easy to see the enormous preparation that had gone into the event. There was plenty to see and take away; flyers, brochures, lucky bags and some superb banners and videos. And it makes sense. These stands are not cheap.

Yorkshire’s business leaders put a lot of thought in planning how they are going to make their presence felt at the event. This is one of the best opportunities in the business calendar to increase awareness of their brand and maybe win some more orders. 

But the most important asset that any business has is not its funky exhibition stand, finely produced brochure or engaging video. The most important asset is the main reason we go to these events. 

And that reason is people!

People-the main attraction

That’s right. When you strip any business conference down to its bare bones, its most salient feature is its ability to bring the right people together.. 

Consider these questions:

• Why do we want people to notice our stand? Maybe they will come over and we can talk to them.
• Why do we want people to take an interest in our promotional video? If the video grabs them, it may provoke them to talk to us.
• Why do we want people to take away a flyer or leave their details? So we can talk to them later.

Whichever way you look at business conferences, the key to getting the most out of the experience is to mix and engage with people. Great things come from small conversations; new relationships, future orders, business insight and new ideas.

Conversation is the key

The key to effective engagement is conversation.We need to talk to each other and, when we realise this, we realise that the most important exhibits at any stand are the people who are managing it. Everything else is designed to provoke the conversation. If that is not case, why does anyone even book a stand?

Do people really show up?

Despite the evolution of modern technology and the increasingly significant part social media platforms such as LinkedIn play in making business happen, conferences and exhibitions still have a major stake in the marketing mix. They present an opportunity to put faces to names, voices to marketing messages and for building bridges with interesting connections. But one of the things I have often noticed, at the conferences and events I have attended over the years, is the number of people who don’t make the right effort to connect with visitors to their stands. They don’t show up. Here are some of the common pitfalls:

• Making telephone calls
• Sitting down, staring at the screens of their laptops
• Heads buried in mobile devices

Don’t get me wrong. We all get caught off guard sometimes. Perhaps we have to make a call. Business goes on whether we are attending a conference or not. We may have to reply to an urgent message. Not everyone is addicted to LinkedIn! I do believe, however, that many avoid engagement for another reason: fear. Either consciously or unconsciously, they want to remain in the background.

Don’t be afraid to meet people

There are many reasons why people may be afraid to engage at business conferences and similar events. They may not want to appear as though they are pressuring visitors or trying to sell. Business conferences can attract larger than life characters and egos galore. The less confident can feel intimidated.

If you want to make the most out of conferences, exhibitions and other networking opportunities, you can learn the skills to engage confidently with the people you want to meet. Through my iCan Academy, I help people to develop the right mindset to believe in themselves and give them the tools to become effective speakers across a range of platforms.

With the help of my team, I can help you to look and sound better on promotional videos, on the stage, in the boardroom or on the shop floor.

Do you show up at business events? If the answer to that is not a resounding “yes”, then perhaps you should get in touch.