“A man who does not plan long ahead will find trouble at his door.” ― Confucius
Create your own exhibiting project plan. Register here for our free online guided session.
Why plan?/What could possibly go wrong?
Successful exhibiting requires all the elements that deliver your stand and audience to fall into place at a specific point in time. There are no extensions. If you are not ready then you will have wasted a lot of your company’s money.
Delivering an exhibition campaign for your company can be a complicated project and, like any project, its successful delivery is governed by how you manage the 3 interdependent variables of:
· Time
· Cost
· Quality
If you give yourself the right amount of time to plan and get things done then you should be able to procure at a reasonable level of budget for the quality of outcome you are striving for.
If you don’t plan with enough time for all the work to be done, you risk a reduction in the quality of your exhibition presence, failure to attract your target visitors, and an increase in cost. Squeezing timelines can mean some of the things you set out to deliver just don’t get done, and mistakes are made as there is less time for people to turn jobs round. You are also likely to have to pay a premium for shorter delivery times.
How to create an exhibition project plan
Delivering a successful exhibition presence involves the timely delivery of many interdependent tasks. This requires a well scoped out project plan that is meticulously delivered.
You should start planning at least 6 months out from your event but preferably 12 months.
The following steps will help you create and execute a project plan for your next exhibition. If you would like help developing your own plan, please join our ‘Create your own exhibiting project plan’ on our online main stage on Wednesday 8th January 2020.
1. Confirm the date of the exhibition
2. Assign a project leader
3. Map out a vision of what success looks like
4. Identify all the tasks needed to achieve your vision plus
a. The time each task will take to complete
b. What the start of any task might be dependent on
c. The person who will be responsible for completion of the task
5. List out all the tasks in some form of project plan (excel will do as a start. There are online project planning apps) that indicates
a. The time the task will take to complete (add a bit of contingency)
b. The order in which they need to be completed
c. Who is responsible for completion of that task
6. Compare the projected critical task completion dates with actual required completion dates and adjust timings and/or quality of output
7. Host the project plan in a digital space (e.g. Sharepoint, dropbox) that can be shared with all stakeholders
8. Make sure all stakeholders are aware of their responsibilities and timings
9. Plan in regular stakeholder meetings to make sure the project remains on track
Want help creating your next exhibiting project plan?
Sign up now for our ‘Create your own exhibiting project plan’ session. on our ‘Main Stage’ on Wednesday 8th January 2020.
We’ll be guiding you through everything you need to create a solid exhibiting project plan to successfully manage your next exhibition and give you a project template to adapt.
You will:
· Create a vision of your exhibition campaign outcomes
· Identify all the tasks you need to deliver that vision
· Get a pre-filled exhibition project plan to adapt for your next exhibition
· Have the opportunity to ask questions
You can watch the 30 minute video at your leisure during the day and ask us any questions you may have.
Sign up now to make sure your 2020 exhibition campaign is a well planned success.