Lee Ali’s Post

Excited to be on a stellar panel of exhibition industry experts and peers discussing exhibition performance amongst many other topical issues next week! Looking forward to a great debate.  #exhibitions #tradeshows #MESA

Exhibitions are a powerful way to connect with your audience and grow your business, but they come with their own unique set of challenges. I'm curious—what do you or your clients find most challenging when it comes to delivering a stand out exhibition performance? Grateful for your thoughts below... #exhibitions #tradeshows #performance #businessgrowth

Absolutely delighted to welcome the wonderful Hermione Taylor-Morgan to the Expo Stars Interactive Ltd team as our Marketing and Executive Assistant. She joins us after recent graduation from The Manchester Metropolitan University gaining a Bachelors degree in Business Management. Great to have her onboard and hopefully she will love working in the world of exhibitions and live marketing! #welcome #newhire #exhibitions #tradeshows #talent

Delighted to be included in the 2024-2025 cohort of Export Champions from the North of England. Offering our services globally has always been at the heart of my business strategy from when I started Expo Stars Interactive Ltd so its great to recieve recognition for this from the UK Department of Business and Trade. Look forward to another year of supporting and mentoring exporters from the UK. #exportchampions #exhibitions #tradeshows

I am excited to announce that we will be exhibiting at and sponsoring the EN Indy Expo and Awards 2024 on the 25 October at @Convene Sancroft, St. Paul's in London. If you would like attend the event and meet us, you can register your interest: https://lnkd.in/en4XesMm We will be showcasing our services for exhibition organisers and how they can support their exhibitors to achieve amazing ROI and ROO from their events. See you there! #ENIndys24 #ExhibitionsMeanBusiness #eventprofs #PoweredbyInGo #eventindustry #tradeshows

Wouldn't it be great if...your exhibition leads followed up with you, rather than you chase them? Imagine a world where, after a trade show, your leads are the ones eager to follow up with you rather than your sales team being ghosted. Sounds ideal, right? But what happens in reality? Exhibitors scan a badge and expect people to pick up the phone or respond to our never-ending emails. Here are five things that will make attendees want to reach out to you: 1. Build a Personal Connection: Building a genuine rapport with attendees can make a significant difference. Engage in meaningful conversations, listen actively, and address their specific needs. When people feel a personal connection, they are more likely to follow up. 2. Offer an Ideal Solution to Their Problem/Aspiration: Ensure your product or service is presented as the ideal solution to a problem or aspiration they have. Demonstrate how it can address their pain points effectively. When attendees see that you understand their challenges and can offer a tailored solution, they are motivated to reconnect. 3. Demonstrate Value for Money: Clearly communicate the value and return on investment your product or service offers. Highlight any exclusive trade show discounts or offers. When attendees perceive a good deal and potential cost savings, they are more likely to follow up. 4. Memorable Experience and Curiosity: Create an engaging and memorable experience at your booth. Use interactive demos, live product showcases, and unique presentations to spark curiosity. When attendees are intrigued and remember their positive experience, they are more likely to reach out to learn more. 5. Easy Next Steps and Accessibility: Make it simple for leads to follow up. Provide clear calls to action, such as scheduling a demo, signing up for a webinar, or accessing exclusive content. Ensure your contact information is easily accessible and that you're responsive to inquiries. By focusing on these five elements, you can create an environment where your leads are motivated to follow up with you, reducing the need for you to chase them. Remember, the goal is to build relationships and provide ongoing value, so your leads naturally want to stay connected. Simply scanning a badge does not motivate people to follow up with you. If you would like to optimize your engagement process, please DM me today! (Thanks to Liz Lathan, CMP and Andrew Thorp for their inspiration this week which resulted in this post). #TradeShowTips #LeadGeneration #CustomerEngagement #SalesStrategy #exhibitions #tradeshows

What do you do when you feel stuck? What I do is pick up a book from my bookshelf and read it again to spark inspiration. In my experience, the real "aha" moments come when you read a book for the 5th or 6th time. This weekend, I picked up the timeless classic "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey, and boy this book never disappoints every time I read it. Reading through the book this time, I realised what a gold mine this book is for #exhibitors. The whole chapter on "Seek to Understand, and then be Understood" is a must read for all exhibit planners. Below are some high level tips on how to use the principles in the book for your next exhibit! To learn how we incorporate these timeless principles to optimise your exhibition attendee engagement, DM me. #exhibitions #tradeshows #effectivehabits #eventprofs

Happy Friday! Here's a thought provoking question for my network.... What is the most useful skill or superpower an exhibit booth staffer needs to have in their locker to deliver amazing results? Whilst there are many valuable skills—such as interpersonal skills, product knowledge, and the ability to ask insightful questions—I believe the most powerful one is the ability to LISTEN attentively. 👂 In the hustle and bustle of a trade show, it's easy to get caught up in pitching your product or service. However, the real magic happens when we take the time to truly listen to our booth visitors. Here’s why: 🔍 Understanding Needs: By listening, we gain insights into the unique needs and pain points of our visitors, allowing us to tailor our solutions more effectively. 🤝 Building Relationships: Genuine listening fosters trust and rapport, making visitors feel valued and understood. 🎯 Effective Communication: When we listen first, our responses are more relevant and impactful, leading to meaningful conversations rather than one-sided sales pitches. 💡 Continuous Improvement: Listening provides direct feedback, helping us improve our offerings and approach based on real-time market insights. What if, instead of demo stations, you had "listening" kiosks, how engaged would your audience feel? Let's embrace the power of listening and cultivate these additional skills in both staff to create unforgettable experiences and drive deeper connections at our exhibit booths. What are your thoughts? Do you agree that attentive listening is the most important skill for exhibit booth staffers? #TradeShows #exhibitions #EventMarketing #ListeningSkills #CustomerEngagement #MarketingTips

I am delighted to announce that I will be speaking and presenting again at the IFES - Sharing Knowledge Masterclass, this time in Athens from 6-8 November, joining a stellar list of speakers including my good friends Han Leenhouts and Jan Götze amongst others. My workshop "Advanced Strategies for Mastering Intercultural and Interpersonal Communication," is a follow-up session to our successful Masterclass in Frankfurt. I will be exploring cutting-edge techniques to enhance communication skills across cultures for anyone involved in international exhibition project management. Whether you’re a seasoned exhibition professional or just starting your journey, this session is designed to provide valuable insights and practical strategies to help you succeed in the crazy world of exhibitions. Looking forward to seeing you there! Book your place here: https://lnkd.in/e5sU3_SZ #masterclass_24 #masterclass_europe #ifessharingknowledge #ifes_athens #exhibitions #tradeshows #exportchampions Peter Theodorides Jorg Zeissig Uta Goretzky Eric Grossmann John Pavek Robyn D'Alessandro

Happy World Emoji Day! 🌍🎉 Apparently this is a thing! Imagine walking the trade show floor and instantly understanding everyone's emotions thanks to emoji faces! 🤔😃😱. It would be so much easier to engage and connect, wouldn't it? But in reality, we don't have the luxury of emojis, so how can we read emotions effectively? In our tech-driven world, we've become incredibly reliant on emojis to convey emotions in digital communication. This convenience has, unfortunately, made us a bit lazier when it comes to reading people in face-to-face interactions. Here's how to bridge that gap and improve our human-to-human communication: Facial Expressions: Pay attention to smiles, frowns, and raised eyebrows. These are the real-life equivalents of 😃 and 😠. Body Language: Look for crossed arms, posture, and gestures. They can indicate comfort, openness, or defensiveness. Tone of Voice: Notice changes in pitch and speed. Enthusiasm and confidence often come through in an upbeat tone, while hesitation might suggest uncertainty. Eye Contact: Steady eye contact often shows interest and confidence, while avoiding eye contact might indicate discomfort or disinterest. Context: Consider the situation and conversation. Emotions can be better understood within the context they're expressed. Understanding these non-verbal cues can help you navigate the trade show floor with the ease of reading emojis! Let's back to reconnecting with the art of smiling, reading real emotions and enhance our interpersonal communication skills. 🤝✨ #WorldEmojiDay #TradeShowTips #NetworkingSkills #HumanConnection #exhibitions #engagement