This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
10 | THREE WISE (WO)MEN


FEATURES


www.opp-connect.com |MAY 2013


PP believes in shows and exhibitions as sales and brand building tools. Of course, they cannot be your only sales tool but - well chosen and well used - they can help most companies a lot. Surprisingly, there are still huge numbers of developers and agents who have never exhibited at a show of any kind, whether in their own country or overseas. There is even a (much) smaller number who have never attended an event, even as a visitor. Over the last few months we have brought you a series of articles about events and exhibitions, the fi rst written by event organisers and the second by those who are experienced old hands when it comes to shows. What works? What does not? What have they learned over the years? What


Exhibition newbies O


tips can they give to others? This month we thought we would ask the newcomers: those who have either not previously attended or exhibited at any event or those who have some experience but have never exhibited at an event of this particular type. Which event did they attend? What did they think? Was it well organised? Were the organisers helpful? How do they measure the success of an event? Was this one successful for them? What did they do right? What did they do wrong? Would they go again? These and other questions should help our readers decide whether events are for them.


NEXT MONTH: Damage limitation


Hectic | The most prestigious events are packed with visitors


Victor Webster is in partnership with Gallo Case International. They are based, sell and develop property in Calabria, Italy. Website: gallocaseinternational.com. webstergv@hotmail.co.uk www.gallocaseinternational.com


Was the event well organised? Yes - these people know what they are doing. We were very impressed. What do you think you did well at the event? Our stand worked. It was not sophisticated but, strangely, that seemed a good thing. I don’t think people are attracted by glitz or hard sell any more. Our brochures were also good but, perhaps, the most important thing was that every person on the stand really knew what they were talking about and really knew Calabria. We had English speaking Italians and English people with a deep knowledge of the area. We were also all enthusiastic about the area and what we were doing.


Which event did you attend? A Place in the Sun Live, London Did you attend as a visitor or exhibitor? We attended as exhibitors. What were you trying to achieve by being there? We dropped out of the industry a few years ago, when the market crashed. We thought there was an opportunity to get involved again and we thought that this event would be a good way of testing the water. We were trying to do two things. First, we wanted to test how much demand there was in the UK for our products in Calabria. Calabria is not a well known destination in the UK. It was just starting to get popular and then along came the crash. Second, we wanted to see whether other, well established, UK based agents would be interested in working with us to sell in the UK. How did you measure success or failure? A combination of hard numbers - the number of buyer enquiries and the number of agents who seemed interested in working with us - and a gut feeling of whether it felt good. Was the event a success? Yes, on both counts. Why? We generated over 50 buyer leads and received approaches from a number of potential agents. Of course, only time will tell the outcome of these enquiries but it felt good and other exhibitors said the same. Were the organisers helpful? Very.


What could you have done better? Our stand layouts could have been better. Would you attend again? Yes.


How much do you think it cost you (travel, hotels, stand etc)? I don’t know. The cost was paid by my Italian partners.


Attending an exhibition for the fi rst time is a major decision. It involves investing both time and money and being absent from the offi ce for quite a long time. To make matters worse, you are never sure whether your investment will be justifi ed. We thought we would ask some recent fi rst-timers whether it worked for them


Skiing in Italy | Just one of the joys of Calabria


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72