Looking back to last year's blogs on briefing a new stand designer I thought we should look how you choose between them and pick your new partner.
Hopefully by now you’ve had in at least three different stand designs from different companies. They all look great but how do you judge them and decide who to go with? Here’s a few thoughts on the way I’d make a decision:
Stand / Brand Interpretation
It’s very easy to look at a stand design and rule it out because your logo has been placed in a way you don’t like. I agree that it’d be great if any designer could view your website and any branding guidelines you have and be able to interpret them correctly. However, designers are designers because they’re good at extrapolating ideas and taking them further than you could. Hence, I say don’t look at the design as fixed, look at it as a complex set of elements that can showcase what you want and be changed to fit your ideals better. So look at the designs with an open mind. View the overall impression, the way the tall elements bring attention to your brand from afar, the way the demonstration requirements have been designed and the way the look and feel of the quality fits your brand.
It’s easy to score points for design but make sure that you’ve given them the right information to start with.
Experience
What experience have you had whilst dealing with the designers? Were they open to ideas? Did you speak to the designer directly or were your briefs/opinions interpreted and past on by a sales (sorry, Business Development) Manager? Did their values sync with yours? If you were able to visit their offices/view their website etc - how does that make you feel? Do those feelings suit you and your brand? ie don’t expect a basic pre-packed grated cheese if you are a cheese aficionado and hunt out specialist cheeses.
Response Time
Be honest now - are you a demanding customer? Do you expect answers immediately and to speak to the manager whenever you want? We all should expect that level of service so think back to how quickly and in detail you got responses to your questions? If they can’t be bothered to respond quickly when they’re trying to win your business, how are they going to be when it’s contracted?
Price
Last but not least - price. Do check the quote in details - what does it include and what is excluded? How many graphics are shown? What lighting is included? Is it sufficient for your needs? Be very careful here - you may change your mind and need more items afterwards and these could come in very expensive so let’s hope you know what you’re comparing.Can you re-use the stand for less cost next time? What is the cost of storage? How easy will it be to change for the next show?
On the last blog we discussed why you’d want to change a stand designer when you’ve already got one. Now we’ll expand the conversation to look at how you find someone to meet your needs. You may want to use someone with experience of the suppliers but equally you may want to manage this yourself. As ever with marketing, I recommend you start with some questions to make sure that you know what you want out of the designer.
I’ve recently been exploring options for a client who wanted to put his stand design to tender. This is always a fascinating experience as I usually start from scratch. I may know a great bunch of stand designers who can quote but are they the right people for this job. Are they going to provide the right level of service at the right price? Do I need to look further afield and bring in a fresh pool of talent?
You know how when you’re reading about marketing, they’re always telling you to think about "What’s in it for me"? I’ve tried to bear that in mind but haven’t always had it as my main focus. However, today I had a reality check that really made the message sink in.
So when should you start your event and which day is best? Over the years I’ve heard many different event managers comment on this, all with gusto and most with experience to back up their decision. At the end of the day it depends on your audience and your topic - are you aiming for business or consumer and is it something that people want to make time for in their busy days or would they rather team it up with some drinks and make an evening of it? The questions (as ever) are never ending but here’s some thoughts to help you decide.
Technology is moving on fast nowadays. After all we can now talk to our phones and ask them to find a suitable meeting time, then email or text the people to invite them. The only trouble is, we now seem happy to talk to a phone but not to actually contact the person and talk to them about the meeting. OK, that’s taking it to extremes but I’ve had a few instances recently where I’ve been invited to meetings and yet not one person has tried to speak to me. Hence - I haven’t gone along.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’ve changed my Safari home page away from BBC news, and turned off BBC Radio 4 in the mornings. It’s so refreshing!
I’m considering launching my own events and thought I’d share some of the questions that have been running through my head. It’s not an exhaustive list of things to consider but a broad sweep just for starters and it may help trigger some inspiration or encourage you to put aside some time to work on these issues.
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