Looking for the secret to exhibiting success at a trade show and want some hard and fast facts? And why do you need to power up at live events?

A mighty 82% of marketers say events generate high-quality leads, and 91% of attendees say events have an impact on buying decisions.

Those stats come from today’s infographic, which was compiled by the team at Express Exhibition Displays and includes facts from around the Web on how to make the most of the trade shows.

The graphics also notes that 35-50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first. That’s especially good to know as following up quickly can sometimes be a challenge for busy marketers, as we’ve seen before.

The infographic also explains that 89% of Millennials who attend live events have purchasing influence, and 87% of people keep promotional items for over a year.

We all know, tradeshows pay off for exhibitors, agree? You’d think so, but many marketers don’t know: 71% of marketers don’t measure tradeshow ROI, according to the statistics found.

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We’ve done the hard work for you. We’ve searched the web and compiled our top exhibiting tips to help boost your leads and sales.

After reading these stats, you’ll be ready to hit the show floor with new insight.To see how you can rescue the princess—or, better yet, make sure your event experience is a success. We’ve even made a handy infographic called Power up at Live Events to help remind you of these handy tips nearer to your show.

So if you’re ready to improve your exhibiting game, then read on…

#1 Why you NEED to power up at live events

Exhibiting at live events can be daunting. Especially if you’ve not done it before. There’s so much to think about, so are they really worthwhile?

The quick answer is yes, but here’s the why:

91% of live event attendees say that trade shows impact their buying decisions1.

Not only are events important for visitors to meet suppliers face-to-face, but they are also a healthy source of income for businesses.

Trade shows are a top source of B2B lead generation. 77% of marketers say that exhibitions generate a significant quantity of leads, with 82% saying that they generate high-quality leads2.

With a significant quantity and quality of leads rolling in at events, the question really is can you afford not to be exhibiting?

Not exhibiting can be damaging to your brand. Perception of your brand when not represented at an event deteriorates by 5% – even for global brands1.

#2 Being blinded by your target audience could be harming your sales

One of the biggest mistakes exhibitors are currently making on a trade show floor is underestimating visitors. Or not dealing with them the right way.

Exhibitors are still wrongfully ignoring young visitors when 89% of millennials at exhibitions have purchasing influence1.

Although your key demographic may be a mid-40s MD, you shouldn’t ignore younger visitors. Graduates and junior execs are often sent to events on scoping exercises, to build a shortlist of suppliers.

If your brand doesn’t engage with younger influencers because of the assumption that they don’t hold the purse strings, then you could be missing out on sales.

Equally, you’ll want to spend minimal time with competitors who are scoping out your stand, or students who are there to learn. Treat them nicely, but make sure that you can move on quickly.

#3 Form a great first impression fast to build trust in live events

It’s your sales team that ultimately has the power to convert a visitor into a lead or a sale. To do this, you’ll need them to make a great first impression.

First impressions are formed within 7 to 17 seconds of meeting someone. That means your sales team don’t have a lot of time to mess around.

A first impression is made out of 55% the way you dress and act, 38% the quality of your voice (that means no mumbling!), grammar and confidence and 7% the words you choose to say3.

As long as you can get your message across clearly and with confidence, you’ll be set to leave a great first impression.

Use pre-event training opportunities to reinforce your messages, to build the confidence in your team as well as to set out any expectations for how they should act and dress at the show.

#4 Design your stand to attract the right people in live events

It may hurt to hear this, but not everybody visiting an event will be interested in your services.

It’s important to make sure that your exhibition stand attracts the right people. People that have buying potential or at the very least have an influence on purchasing decisions.

To attract these people to your stand, use your USPs and evolve them into subtle calls to action (CTA).

For example, where you may traditionally say “Leading supplier of XYZ”, change it to “Work with the leading supplier of XYZ”. Tell them what you want them to do with your USP to get them to perform an action.

Over 80% of exhibition banner designs don’t yet use a call to actions4.

To get ahead of the game, start amending your designs to be more alluring to your target audience and attract more attention.

#5 Leave a lasting impression to boost future sales in events

Live events are fast-paced. Visitors will inevitably see your competitors and they may not always be in a direct position to purchase immediately.

So how do you leave a lasting impression? One way is to leave them with a good promotional product.

87% of people keep promotional items for over a year5. That means that when you’re considering the difference between giving out sweets or something with more longevity, it’s worth thinking about the lifecycle of your average customer and how long it will take them to make a purchasing decision.

#6 Measure your success

Do you know how well your event went? Some exhibitors will argue that live events are immeasurable. That you can’t put define success by a number. The truth is that you can, it’s just sometimes hard to do.

If you live in this camp of not knowing if you’ve had a successful event, you’re part of 71% of people who don’t measure ROI after trade shows6.

If for nothing else, measuring your ROI is important to know that you’re bringing in more money than you’re spending. That’s business 101 right?

Above this, knowing your ROI helps to make sure that you have a benchmark of what good looks like and gives you a platform to create aims and objectives for your next show.

#7 Be the first to follow up to beat your competitors in your events

After the show, it can feel tempting to take a breather. To let your leads come to you.

But did you know that 35-50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first7? This means that you can’t afford to sit on those leads.

To make life easier, make sure you have a process of scoring to help you prioritize when you’re back in the office. It also helps if you have emails waiting to go.