Why not exhibit at one of our Spring Baby & Toddler Fairs that are taking place across the region in 2010. We will be in Milton Keynes on 21st March, Leicester on 18th April and Oxford on 16th May. We have also confirmed the first of our Autumn Fairs – we will be back in Northampton on the 26th September 2010.
We are not looking to exhibit and run- we want people to come back year after year, so we are working hard to make their experience enjoyable, worthwhile, and hassle-free. As well as the feeding and changing facilities you would expect, we are organising events, demonstrations and activities, including the fabulous Gary Good and his Mad Magic Show, to give our events much wider appeal. We also want the shows to provide a great mix of interesting and relevant exhibitors to parents and parents-to-be, and that’s where you come in.
To ensure we have a wide selection of exhibitors, for the benefit of both exhibitors and visitors, we have a policy of a maximum of two exhibitors who are offering the same products or services. We want our exhibitors to come back to us too, and feel very strongly that this isn’t going to be the case if we have a chorus of music lessons, a length of swim schools followed by several helpings of nappy cakes. It is unlikely to endear us to our visitors either!!
The websites are now live at www.miltonkeynesbabyfair.co.uk, www.leicesterbabyfair.co.uk and www.oxfordshirebabyfair.co.uk If you have a moment to look at last year's Northampton fair which we organised in September then hopefully this will give you a flavour of the event and give you an indication of the amount of exposure we are able to offer our exhibitors. We only use premier exhibition venues with ample parking and great access; so far we have confirmed Stadium:MK, Leicester Tigers and the Kassam Stadium.
Following exhibitor feedback, and from my own experience as an exhibitor, we have made the decision to charge a nominal fee for entry. Pre-purchased tickets will be just £2.50, or £4 on the door (children are free. Free entry that is, we all know they are far from cheap!) and 10% of the price of each ticket will be donated directly to a charity local to the fair, nominated by the public.
We made this decision as, although free events can certainly deliver on footfall (as we saw in Northampton) they don’t necessarily deliver the quality of visitor – we want visitors armed with their wallet, with a dangerous intent to purchase!! As event organisers we are trying to get the right people through the doors; concentrating on delivering visitors who fit your target profile. Our Fairs aren’t just about giving you great exposure (although they do that too!), but to translate that into physical sales/bookings/leads.
As a result, our packages offer more than just a stand for six hours on a Sunday. All exhibitors have a listing on our website that remains live until six months after the event. Your listing also contains your contact details and a link to your own site (if applicable) so in the weeks following the event, visitors can pop back to the site and find “the lady with the lovely nappy bags” or “the chap with those really clever bathing whatsists.....” long after they have forgotten your company name and lost your leaflet! Through the ticket sales on the website we collect contact details (including email) of all our visitors, as well as their due date and names, sex and dob of their children (where applicable) - this list is available to all our exhibitors after the event for follow up (where permission has been given). Finally, we produce 1,000 glossy (well satin finish!) A4 20 page exhibition brochures given free to the first 1,000 visitors. Aside from the additional advertising opportunities this presents (please contact us for details!) all exhibitors receive a tangible listing including their contact details.
We promote each Fair through various streams including 25,000 flyers, 1,000 posters, individual websites, social media and other online forums (including Netmums). We will also be running a sustained press and radio advertising campaign in the run up to the event.
Last but certainly not least, we also provide an exhibitors lounge where you can come for a five minute sit down and a cup of tea, or even a bite of lunch (on us!), before getting back to the thronging masses.
We have a range of exhibitor packages available starting from just £95 – so hopefully there is something to meet your needs, and your pocket.
If you are unable to attend but would still like to be involved, then there are opportunities available for inserts in the 500 free Goody Bags, as well advertisement space in the 1,000 copies of the Exhibition Guide, where prices start from just £25, so please let me know if you would like any further details.
