Taking the plunge to exhibit at education trade shows such as BETT can be a big decision for some school suppliers, especially those that aren’t multi-national conglomerates. It can be the make or break of your marketing budget, and trying to work out if it’s the right decision for your company can be a hard one to call.
To give you a bit of a helping hand, away from the hard pressing sales men and women bombarding you with reasons as to why you should exhibit, we’ve asked Sandra from Fantasy Couriers to share her experiences of this year’s event.
Name: Sandra Patterson
Position: Managing Director
Company: Fantasy Couriers
What is it that you do?
It’s an Online Business Simulation Game, set in the Courier Industry so it’s very accessible for all students. Students start as a “white van man” and then have to grow their business, take on employees, vehicles, premises, even buy out competitors. It is a web based game, and so can be played from anywhere, and uses a competitive fantasy league environment to keep up the competitiveness and the fun.
Is this your first year exhibiting at BETT?
Yes
What were your overall impressions of the event?
Very well organised, very well marketed, worthwhile and value for money. We are Scottish based so the costs for us would be higher than most when travel and accommodation etc are all included.
Would you say the event represented good value for money?
We chose London over the Scottish learning Festival (Scottish Equivalent) in SECC, as the space prices were virtually identical, but London has a far larger footfall, and more exhibitors. A far better event.
What sort of response did you get from potential customers?
Very good, positive feedback, good interest, a large number of enquiries and demo account requests.
Will you be exhibiting again at BETT?
Probably. As the game has a number of different markets we need to advertise into we just need to make sure that other advertising for the non-school side of our business doesn’t require more funds/attention.
What was the approximate total cost of the event?
We had a total budget of £5k. Approx £3k of that was the stand & space, other costs were the internet connection, printing, furniture hire, LCD hire, accommodation, food, petrol, parking etc.
What would your top three tips be for anyone planning to exhibit in the future?
- Comfortable shoes
- Don’t lose your voice on the first day
- Buy all of your food from the little Turkish sandwich bar over the road from the main entrance, much cheaper and much friendlier.
For more information on Fantasy Couriers, an Online Business Simulation Game please visit the website: www.fantasycouriers.com
admin Industry News, Supplier News BETT, BETT Show, Education Exhibitions, Education trade show, Exhibiting at BETT, exhibiting at events
