Last week I attended Kent's flagship business exhibition, 2020 Vision, organised by Business Link.  The day got off to a great start with a talk from travel writer Simon Calder, forecasting great things for Kent as we prepare to welcome families staying for holidays in the UK and visitors from overseas flocking to spend their cheap pounds.   I then did my stint on the Chartered Institute of Marketing stand, but as I wandered around through the course of the day I was struck by the really positive buzz from everyone there.  No signs of doom and gloom - it seems that Kent businesses are rising to the challenge with gusto!

I really hope that everyone who invested the time and effort to attend got great results (and if you were there and want to let us know you can leave a comment on the blog on the highs and lows), but I did also wonder how some people would judge their success.  And how many of them had set clear objectives for their presence and investment on the day.

The simple answer of course is that they wanted more business/sales of whatever they were offering.  But a business exhibition is not generally about direct sales.  Many of the stands were overwhelming with the number of messages they were trying to deliver - with the likely result that potential customers were scared away rather than attracted to make an enquiry.

And why so many sweets?  Who decided it is mandatory to have sweets on your stand and that they will attract the right punters? I suspect they are really there to keep the exhibitors blood sugar up during what is certainly a very long day.  I am also puzzled about how well the universal champagne prize draws work.  Once you have a random bunch of business cards what are you going to do with them?  There is no easy way to tell if they are really in your target market.  Once again, leave a comment and let us know if this worked for you!

The time and cost of exhibitions can be great so it is important not to forget the fundamentals of marketing in the excitement of a live event!  Set clear and specific objectives up front.  These might be around branding, visibility and awareness, market research or sales leads, but the clearer the focus on a particular segment of the audience with a strong and direct message then the greater the chance of success, and that you will know how well you have done.  

One great example of enterprise was the group of businesses from Tunbridge Wells who banded together to take a large, well-positioned stand under the billing of the West Kent Partnership.  The nine complementary businesses had a more spacious, flexible and cost-effective presence than they could have achieved separately, particularly as they were able to support each other in directing enquirers to a colleague who could also help!

All in all I found 2020 Vision an uplifting experience and I'm already looking forward to next year, which can only be better as we hit the promised economic recovery in 2010!