7 Tips for Food Manufacturers to make the most of Consumer Events

If you’re a food manufacturer, exhibitions offer a great opportunity to connect with consumers, showcase your products and build brand awareness. These events can be very costly to attend, so you want to make sure you get the most from them!

Read on for 7 tips to help you excel at exhibitions.

1. Set Clear Goals: Before attending, define your objectives and what you hope to achieve from the event. Are you looking to raise brand awareness, introduce new products, or gather customer feedback? Setting clear goals will help you align your strategies and measure your success at the exhibition.
2. Create an Engaging Stand: Your booth is your first impression, so make it count. Invest in an eye-catching display and visuals that effectively represent your brand and capture attendees’ attention.
3. Offer Free Samples: Offering free product samples will not only attract customers to your stand, it will allow customers to experience how delicious your products are first-hand! Goody bags that consumers can take away also work really well.
4. Train Your Team For Success:  Train staff on your products, key talking points, and effective customer engagement techniques. Encourage team members to actively approach attendees and strike up conversations. Their enthusiasm and expertise will contribute to a positive and memorable customer experience, creating a great lasting impression of your brand.
5. Leverage Social Media: Stay active on social media platforms during the exhibition. Use event hashtags, share interesting insights or experiences, and showcase free samples to draw attendees to your stand.
6. Network and Collaborate: Don’t limit your interactions to consumers. Exhibitions also present an opportunity to network with industry peers, potential partners, or influencers. Engage in conversations, attend networking events, and seek out collaboration opportunities that can benefit your business in the long run. Building strong relationships within your industry can open doors to new partnerships, joint ventures, or cross-promotional opportunities.
7. Evaluate and Learn: Once the exhibition is over, evaluate your performance and outcomes against the goals you set initially. Identify areas of improvement and lessons learned for future exhibitions. This feedback loop will help you refine your strategies and continuously enhance your exhibition participation.
   
   

Attending events can be a great way to engage with consumers, however they can be extremely expensive. The Vegetarian Society can help.

We attend exhibitions throughout the year and showcase vegetarian and vegan products which are accredited by our Vegetarian Society Approved trademark.

Vegetarian Society Accreditation costs far less than attending an event and offers many other benefits – from expert support to getting your products in front of a huge veggie and vegan audience.