Expo events are typically held on an annual basis and comprise of industry-relevant businesses and industry professionals coming together to discuss news and insights into the network with one another. In Australia, expos occur all over the country across all different sectors. If you were looking to plan a business expo in Australia, here is your complete guide to insuring you prepare for all bases and put on an expo that supports the growth of your business industry.

Branding your expo

It’s not simply enough to have a phenomenal panel, partners and incredible location – you need to build a brand around your expo so that you can attract attendees. Whether this is your first business Expo or tent expo, ensure that your branding is on point across your advertising, printed lanyards in Australia, tickets, signage and all touchpoints that will guide your target attendees from consideration to attendance. You can either work with the branding agency to pull this design concept together or you can work with a solo graphic designer, but start this process soon as branding your expo is a key consideration.

Acquiring and leveraging partners

An expo is only as good as the partners who want to stand behind it and support the expo. Regardless of your event budget, you want to find great partners who are prominent in the industry but you also want to find partners who can offer something other than financial contribution to your expo. For example, the venue of your expo could be a partner so that some of the cost is subsidised. You may also encourage some or all of your partners to offer something to attendees if they register, like a discount on a training course, or something of that nature.

Plan a compelling itinerary

Now that you have your expo branding and partners in place you want to create an event that is worthy of your ideal attendees. Firstly, you want to plan your expo for a day (or days) and time that your target audience can make, and spread your presentations and activities across an itinerary. Typically you will have more than one space for these activities in one venue, so create a timetable and distribute it as soon as possible so attendees can buy their tickets and nominate the day they attend based on the itinerary. You also want to balance offering an expo that delivers value, without making it too jam-packed that your attendees are overwhelmed and cannot see and do it all.

Quality swag

When planning your business expo, you want to spend some time thinking about the swag your attendees will receive on entry or exit. Usually, there is in an expo bag with free items extended by your partners, but make sure there is value in what you are offering. Times have changed, and no one wants to see a heap of plastic merch in their bag that will end up in landfills, so think deeply about what products will actually add value to your target audience. The team at PromoMerch offer a wonderful range of swag, with quick turnarounds and great pricing.

Think about the impression you want to make. Also, encourage your expo stallholders to offer some swag so that attendees can add it to their bags as they make their way through.

Keep in touch

You want your expo to be top of mind before and after the event. Plan frequent email communications and social media activity that reminds people about who you are and any upcoming events or tasks you need them to complete. Event marketing is important and your strategy will change with the time leading up to and after the expo. You may also wish to release a survey at the completion of the expo so that you can learn what did and did not work for your next expo.

Start planning today so you can work towards a successful business expo. You might also wish to work with a team of sales, marketing and logistics experts on all the fine details of the planning.