If you’re a part of the reptile keeping community (and a lot of our customers are), you will know that exhibition shows have historically played an important part in reptile keeping. They are still a core part of the community now, extending into amphibians and inverts alike and with so many shows it can be difficult to navigate the best way to communicate which ones you or your team are attending. In this month’s shop talk we will discuss some best practices when exhibiting at events and communicating your presence via social media channels.
Groundwork
First and foremost, you must ensure your space is eye catching whether you have a small square footage or a massive space, you can make your stand a destination.
Put a good deal of planning into your stand by asking yourself or your team questions and brainstorming ideas. Can you offer an experience? A tutorial? Something to stand out from the crowed of exhibitors that will engage attendees and help spread the word about your business. Word of mouth is still one of the most effective business strategies employed today, people trust the people they trust.
As an exercise let’s say you decide to hold a competition on your stand that makes people want to come back to see their results. The idea: Can you build a HabiStat Clear Home for an invert in the quickest time using all the elements needed to successfully keep and enrich a mantis kept as a pet? (Substrate, décor, feeding and lighting).
Keep a visible record of the competitors (maybe a score board), time them accordingly and make sure to clearly display or communicate the rules of the competition. Have two or three set ups side by side (depending on your exhibiting team size and ability to “reset” and reuse the materials from each Clear Home after they’re finished) The winner receives a voucher to use at your store or wins the items used in the competition. This is merely an example of something interesting you can do to promote your stand and helps you build your coverage from here.
