Monday 18 February 2013

Planning & Preparing For A Successful Trade Show (Trade Shows – 1)



A trade fair (trade show, trade exhibition or expo) is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products or services, study activities of competitors and examine recent market trends and opportunities. These events have huge impacts on business. A tradeshow creates a chance to develop and/or expand the customer base, establish partnerships, learn better ways to improve operations and many more methods by which to improve your RoI. It is an excellent opportunity for an organization to boost its profile or reputation and increase sales. There are a few things to be kept in mind while preparing to participate in a trade show:
1.     Proper planning is key to the success of any endeavor.  In this case, planning well means having a creative display, a well-defined budget and a highly trained staff. It is a good idea to take help from professional convention planning experts. Here is a checklist to help you in the preparation:
a.     Have you reserved your booth at the trade show?
b.    Have you set aside your budget for meals, transport and other essentials?
c.     Have you arranged for all the accessories you will need during the show? You may need banners, seating, lighting, etc.
d.    If travel is involved, have you made the required arrangements? Booking flight tickets and accommodation in hotels and arranging for your transport in that city.
e.     Is the promotional material you will use in the show ready? If not, place your order for the brochures and other material. Remember to review it well before it is printed. Proof reading is another important aspect which is often overlooked.
f.     Discuss and finalize your display at the tradeshow.
g.    Train your staff thoroughly. Well trained personnel are crucial to the success of your booth at the tradeshow.
2.     Proper event marketing is essential to the success of your booth at the tradeshow. Remember to use all online and offline resources to advertise your event.
3.     Do you have any new products to launch or any announcements to make at the tradeshow? If yes, the tradeshow can be an ideal platform for you to let your existing and potential customers know about the news.
As any corporate event planners will tell you, there are two main factors for your booth at the tradeshow to be successful:
1.     What you are selling is very important and has to be on par or better than the products or services offered by your competitors.
2.     Whom your customers see at your booth are your staff. They have to present themselves and your goods in a very professional manner.
Plan well so that failure to plan is not the reason for the failure of your booth. You can also get help in your planning by engaging a good event management company, like Plan Ahead Events, who have the necessary experience and exposure to ensure that your event is a success.

Sunday 3 February 2013

How Can Team Building Events Increase Profits?



If you conduct a research into the working methodologies of successful companies, more often than not you will find a hardworking, efficient team led by a manager who understands what makes people tick. In lean times, this manager will organize more corporate events so as to keep employee morale high. Of course he has a hidden agenda – he is building a tough team that will tide through tough times.  The first off-shoot of corporate team building is a group of satisfied, motivated and devoted employees. Let us take a look at how team building events make this happen:

·         Corporate event planners should make sure that each event aims at improving the employees’ communication skills. Anyone who is unable to communicate or express himself well is bound to cause problems wherever he is. A successful team is one that has members who communicate clearly, thus leading to efficient and effective work. This means less wastage of company time and money.
·         Most team building events encourage creative, out-of-the-box thinking. Frequent exposure to such exercises will equip your employees better to come up with innovative ideas to improve customer service.
·         Employees who are given training to cope with different challenges are better equipped to manage new situations at work. They are less prone to panic when faced with disturbing situations than those who’ve never received this kind of mind training. You can safely consider the event management company’s payment as a worthy investment.
·         The ideal team building event will improve interaction between employees. People who can talk to each other without becoming confrontational will be able to take the camaraderie into the office too. This makes for a more efficient team.
·         Team building events usually get employees to form groups that need to achieve a target within a stipulated time frame. This gets the teams to formulate a plan and implement it together. Employees who are exposed regularly to such exercises automatically begin to plan their daily activities. This leads to better individual and team performance, and thus, better profits for the company.
·         Remember to include each and every member of your staff. If anyone is left out, however inadvertently, it may lead to resentment in those left out. This will mar their sense of belonging and make your entire investment a waste.

Every organization, regardless of its size, needs to set aside some amount to invest in corporate team building events on a regular basis. It is not enough to invest only in business event planning although that too is an important aspect of any business.

The benefits of corporate team building events are evident in companies of all genres. These events minimize the expenses and time required to recruit new personnel and to train them. They also are the best method to get team members acquainted with each other. A healthy team spirit will help your employees in facing challenges with unity – leading to lesser wastage of time and money, and in turn, increased profits.
 
Now that the benefits of corporate team building events are obvious to you, find a good event management company, like Plan Ahead Events, who have the necessary experience and exposure to ensure that your event is a success.