Optimal preparation for boot Düsseldorf

boot Düsseldorf is the leading boat and water sports trade show with around 340,000 visitors offering excellent opportunities to show off what you manufacture and to develop new markets. On the other hand it is not easy for a company to make themselves stand out in this multiplicity of offers. Abdul-Rahman Adib, Project Manager of boot Düsseldorf has been interviewed about optimal show preparation:
What do you recommend to exhibitors?

The first thing to do is to ask- where should I really locate myself in the show to have the optimal chance of hitting the right customers for me? This is solved by the halls being split into various sections. We advertise these sections from the very start and it is helpful to structure the show as a series of shows within a big trade show in order to ensure that each sector is going to achieve the best target visitors. It works for both buyer and seller, so that they can link up as fast and efficiently as possible.

It is always best to contact the boot team with stand enquiries. It's the job of the appropriate colleagues in the project team to advise the customers and tailor a stand position to their needs. In such conversations many problems are not only solved but many other potential queries are avoided at an early stage. Where am I, and where are my competitors? Is the stand easy to see and easy to reach? What health and safety issues must I pay heed to when erecting the stand? He who answers these questions early is off to a good start.

Important of course is the stand design itself. A welcoming and cared-for stand with an animated and engaged team on it will draw in the visitors. This need not be tied in with huge costs. We also offer advice here. We have design professionals who are happy to help put a company and its products into the best possible light. Courtesy costs nothing and welcoming a visitor onto the booth with a warm handshake is a no-brainer. Finally, a good position and an attractive booth will only come together when there is an equally well targeted group of visitors, achieved through advertising and PR activities.

Let's stay with your work with the media. How can an exhibitor make use of boot's powerful media contacts for his own ends?

With well over 200 registered journalists from 35 countries boot is truly a top notch media event. All groups from the media are represented, from international business papers to financial and dailies to the electronic media in order to draw attention to the show and create a positive vibe for the event. Roughly 3000 reports with a readership of 90 million copies and 3000 broadcast hours ensure that every water sports enthusiast know each year that it is "Time for the boot show”. New components, information from the different sectors, the great and the good from the worlds of economics and sport and much more lie at the heart of these activities.

It's really worthwhile for exhibitors to get noticed by the international press at the shows. The press centre at the show offers a great deal of support in this respect. They compile lists of the relevant top journals. They also ask for any news on new products and developments that might then be disseminated to the press. They organise the press conferences and list appointments and arrange the publication of their results. They also look after the press release sections in the centre where companies can place their own publications and materials. These services are free for the most part and are also recommended to be used copiously in the run up to the show too.

You spoke of the technical assistance given at the design stage of a booth. Many exhibitors cannot afford limitless design concepts. Do you also offer anything for those on a smaller budget?

It need not necessarily be a big commitment tied in with huge costs. We also offer so-called system solutions that are linked to the needs of the various customers. The stands are built ready and come with all the shell scheme components (from lights to shelves) to start you off. Over and above that we can offer services such as catering and personnel for the booth. The exhibitor can arrive only with the materials for the booth if he so wishes it. There are considerable cost savings to be had doing this.

Another topic is the advertising of the exhibitors themselves at the show. You offer ways of doing this - do you think they are being used to their full potential?

Sadly, this is only used by roughly 25% of the boot exhibitors. We offer an advertisers package with excellent possibilities to make customers aware of their products at boot and to secure good visitor numbers. It comprises posters, maps of the grounds, logos, visitor brochures and many stickers that can be used for all types of purposes and hardly cost a cent. An invitation sent out at the right time with a floor plan and a clearly labelled stand position and number as well as a well placed advertisement in the business press also carrying the stand number both advises the customer and helps him find his way to you well in advance of the show.

Why not also flag where you are in the hall with a "Welcome to our booth!” poster. If you want more you can have more tailored solutions - e.g. free passes and catalogues for special customers. There are also a host of other opportunities to advertise on the boot online service on www.boot.de with cost free opportunities, such as listings, product areas, news and many offers tie into things happening throughout the show and links to the homepage. It's the mix of these activities that makes for the best preparation for a show to ensure the maximum success.

Source: boot.de

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