THE WINNING PREPARATION
Before registering for a trade show, it is important to target it. Ask yourself the right questions: which visitor profile do you want to meet? In which area (s) of activity? From which geographical sector (s)? Refer to the information provided by the organizers, then seek advice from your ICC. Why not go there as a visitor? Once you have made your choice (at least a year in advance), make a retroplanning with the different stages of your participation.

ONE YEAR BEFORE: A LIVING ROOM IN STAGE WITH YOUR OBJECTIVES
1. Define your goals and the products and services you want to exhibit. The means to implement will result: type of stand, communication media, goodies, presence of staff, logistics, etc. Remember that the show is just one link in a business strategy chain. Be careful to choose your dates, taking into account the possible seasonality related to certain trades (food, recruitment …), the national or international dimension of the show.
ADVICE +: Ask the organizers, check their media plan, consult their website (in principle, you will find statistics on the typology of the visitors …) before establishing your retroplanning.

SIX MONTHS BEFORE: RESERVATION OF THE STAND AND ACCOMMODATION
2. Register as soon as possible to get the right location. In general, organizers open registrations one year in advance, or more for biennial shows. Determine the optimal area to present your products, store materials and welcome your visitors in a friendly space. study possible synergies with neighboring stands. Competition is not necessarily a handicap.
TIP +: Be sure to check that there is no collective stand project (regional or national pavilion proposed by the KICs) that would allow you to take advantage of benefits (turnkey stand, joint communication, etc.). You can also join a company whose activity will be complementary to yours.

3. Book transport and hotel rooms. Hotels near exhibition centers often find it difficult to respond to the influx of bookings at major events or concomitant cultural events, for example. By booking as soon as possible, you will avoid wasting time and energy on transportation.

FOUR MONTHS BEFORE: THE OPTIMIZATION OF THE STAND
4. Define the layout of the stand with the organizer and / or with a stand designer or a specialized communication agency. Remember to give them a specification that will meet your desiderata: type of stand, connecting elements, partitions, lighting, furniture, equipment to store, cloakroom services and drinks, etc.
TIP +: Optimize your space by putting products in motion, by offering demonstrations. Work visuals, use light, color, plants. Finally, choose an open stand for visitors to want to enter.

THREE MONTHS BEFORE: INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION
5. Once your technical file is completed, order invitations, exhibitor badges, stickers, flyers … Then inform your customers and prospects of your participation in the show – mention on your website, letters (or e-mails) -. Send the invitations provided by the organizer by adding the number of your stand. Be sure to finalize the documents intended to make known your products or services: brochures, videos, advertising objects, animations …
TIP +: You can change your voicemail by indicating your next participation in the show, make a checklist of small equipment to provide: business cards, double-sided tape, stapler, small pharmacy …

TWO MONTHS BEFORE: NOMINATIVE INVITATIONS
6. Send personalized invitations to your customers and prospects, confirm the transport of your material on the exhibition site and check your insurance. Gather your teams and plan a schedule of permanences to welcome visitors.
TIP +: Communicating upstream allows you to capture 45% more visitors (source Deloitte & Touche). Privilege nominative invitation: 70% of visitors decide to move after a personal invitation. One-third of salon visitors received a free invitation.

A FEW DAYS BEFORE … AND DURING THE SHOW: HOSTING AND OPTIMIZING TRAFFIC
7. Raise your prospects and, the day before the opening, check that the stand meets your expectations. On D-Day, focus on welcoming customers. Make sure to detect their needs, to keep track of their passage by recording their coordinates. A show can also be an opportunity to offer a moment of conviviality on the stand. The organizers program