10 top tips for effective networking at the Kent B2B exhibition

*Keeping engaged with the event will:

1 .Keep you up-to-date with all the latest news about the event.

2. Offer you tips and advice to ensure your attendance is a success.

3. Show you how to promote your presence - in local media, online and with existing/prospective clients.

*Keep in touch with us:

4. Join our Kent B2B LinkedIn group we post all the latest event news there, as  well as lots of useful advice from our blogs. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Kent-B2B-Exhibitions

5. Follow and like us on Facebook www.facebook.co.uk/kentb2b - share and comment on our updates.

6. Follow us on Twitter - @KentB2B and #kentb2b - join in the conversation.

*Social Media:

7. Increase your activity across your social media channels.

8. Tweet your plans for the event - a countdown and how you are preparing for it, thank clients that have agreed to come, mention businesses you are looking forward to meeting, speakers or workshops you are planning to visit and retweet our tweets.

*General:

9. Change your email signature to include a message about the event and  encourage people to attend the event.

10. Update your website with the event details, perhaps a banner on the landing page that links to content explaining why you are attending.

Kent businesses report healthy growth through 2014

Kent businesses report healthy growth through 2014

As a growing centre for businesses – of all shapes and sizes – Kent firms are reporting strong trading conditions and burgeoning order books. Its proximity to the Continent coupled with strong transport links to the rest of the country and closeness to the Capital make Kent a great place for producers, manufacturers and retailers along with the leisure, tourism & service industries. With the economy growing well once more it seems that  businesses in the South East are reaping the benefits of this renewed confidence.

A sure sign that businesses are feeling more confident is reflected in the numbers of exhibitors at the next Kent Invicta Chamber B2B on the 8th July in Ashford and the good news stories that they report. Whether businesses are opening new facilities or developing their offering these businesses are certainly feeling the positivity that is being played out across the rest of the economy. 

The Kent B2B is an event that at its heart aims to connect these businesses enabling them to meet new contacts, suppliers and peers – ensuring that the growth of business within Kent continues and is sustainable. The exhibition and conference attracts a diverse range of local, county–wide and national businesses – all of whom have growth and development stories to share.

Positive changes for many businesses in Kent 

For example, The Kent Event Centre in Detling, near to Maidstone has recently opened the Maidstone Exhibition Hall a brand new 3,000 square metre building.  The building offers excellent facilities to exhibitors including a higher height level and of course has state of the art technology including fibre optic WIFI and hard wired points. Equi-Expo and the Kent Garden Show have both used this new structure and the centre has another eighteen bookings through the rest of 2014. An investment of this scale enables the Kent Event Centre to offer a wider range of large scale events, exhibitions and conferences in Kent and the South East.

Chegworth Valley, an organic farm growing fruit, vegetables and salads and producing award-winning farm pressed apple and fruit juices is exhibiting for the first time at the Kent B2B and are excited at the opportunity the event represents in raising their profile amongst the other exhibitors and delegates. Having recently added a delivery service they are keen to make new contacts and show the service and quality of produce that they supply. 

Buckmore Park is a regular exhibitor of the B2B events. Their recent expansion has included the opening of a new Paddock Circuit that provides Turn Up 'n' Drive Karting during most weekends and school holidays. Other key events for them in the coming months include a special Hungarian Grand Prix event being held on July 27th as well as many more individual and team karting events throughout the year - great for friends, colleagues and individuals.

Local company with far reaching ambitions

The diversity of industry in Kent is amazing too - an interesting example of this comes via Zein Marketing who have recently been working with an exciting aviation project based in Lydd. 4x4 Aviation is a local firm looking to revolutionise the transportation of freight in countries with poor infrastructures - a truly innovative venture that could offer huge benefits to developing countries. 

With the range and nature of businesses around the region continuing to grow, events like the Kent B2B have become increasingly important - as an opportunity for businesses to meet and network as well as an opportunity for business owners to hear from industry leaders and take part in informative workshops. These great resources are all delivered in a way that ensures lessons can be implemented immediately, offering useful strategies and plans. The Kent B2B is truly the place to meet for those in business. 

5 top tips to make teamwork simple

With the World Cup well and truly underway and England out of the competition after the “winner takes all” match on Thursday, the concept of teamwork has never seemed so important and has never been discussed quite so much. With the strategy of the beautiful game being talked about the length and breadth of the country the concept of teamwork and how to get the very best from them is a hot topic. As important off the pitch as on - for many businesses a team that isn’t working cohesively is simply not working. So, what are the top tips, networking to make sure that your team works well together.

Teamwork does not mean that all members of the group must be interchangeable and able to do each other’s role. True teamwork is more to do with the synergy of the individuals, about the sum of the parts, and, at its best it will empower the team and lead to better results. Great teamwork should enhance the working structures and promote a sense of pride, achievement creating a motivated workplace as well as the ways and means to operate more flexibly. For any team to working effectively there needs to be leader and that leader is often the linchpin in ensuring teamwork happens.

Top tips for making a team work

1. Firstly, consider your position as a leader and the way that you work. Be aware of how you lead and then be flexible with your team - find the individual buttons that switch them to working the best that they can and work with them.

2. Make sure you really get to know your team well, play to peoples’ strengths even if that means changing their role or moving them to a different team.

3. Within the team ensure that responsibilities and roles are clearly defined - although roles aren’t necessarily interchangeable make sure that there is a connection between each of the team and that they are not too disparate from each other. For a team to work well there needs to be a DRI - directly responsible individual – for each task. 

4. Be involved and give feedback regularly - make it proactive, constructive and positive. Deliver in a way that encourages the opportunity to build dialogue within the team. 

5. And finally leading on from feedback comes celebrating and rewarding success. With the recent tough economy many businesses have felt the strain. As the economy begins to blossom once more take the time to acknowledge when things are great – it’s one of the best ways to build loyalty and trust within your team. 

Ensuring your team works well is one of the most important factors to helping a business to succeed, want to find out more about a World Cup winners take on teamwork? Then head along to the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerces’ Annual Dinner on the 8th July - Gordon Banks is the guest speaker. And as it’s on World Cup semi-final night he’ll also be staying afterwards to watch the match. The dinner follows the Kent B2B – the longest running business to business exhibition and conference in Kent offering great keynote speakers – like the Director General from the British Chamber of Commerce, John Longworth, alongside two world leading keynote speakers; Daniel Priestley and Warren Cass. So, come along and find out from the best how a winning team works together. 

Ten top tips to make your exhibition a success

 Keep these top tips in mind and your exhibition is sure to be a success.

1. Be a great networker and you will do well at an exhibition.
You can refresh your skills and learn how to be a great networker at our FREE Maximise your Exhibition workshops held throughout the year (find out more here).

2. Set your objectives - what you wish to achieve. 
Design your stand to meet your objectives and plan your staffing needs early.

3. Train, train, train.
80% of the success of your stand is down to our staff.
 
4. Exhibiting is not just for leads but also to find suppliers and to ....
Develop customer relations, find business partners, research competitors, launch a new product, and get new ideas.

5. Market your stand to both customer and prospects. 
Invite them to meet you at your stand or in the networking area.

6. Messages on your stand.
Should be simple, visual and in LARGE print which stress the benefits - less is more.

7. Can I help you?
Not a good question, ask open questions that require more than a one word answer.

8. Don’t just wait for visitors to visit your stand
Lead generation can be anywhere, getting coff ee, at workshops and speaker sessions. 
Talk to everyone you can wherever you are!


9. Networking is about helping other people
Hard sell is not appropriate and not appreciated and less effective.

10. Don’t ...
Use a mobile, eat on the stand, sit down, have your back to the aisle, have a messy stand
or have cheap tacky give aways.

Remember to... Follow up leads as quickly as possible after the exhibition.