7 Strategies for Boosting Exhibitor Symbiosis

The success of a trade show isn’t just about attendee satisfaction; it’s also about creating an environment where exhibitors can thrive. Traditionally, this depends on your ability to attract qualified buyers and get them to engage with your exhibitors. After all, buyers are there to learn and simplify their sourcing and exhibitors are there to fill their sales pipelines.

While this is generally true, it may be a narrow view that sells the value of your show short.

• How is your show’s value to an exhibitor impacted by the other exhibitors you choose? 
• How does the power of event networking extend beyond the buyer pool?

In this article, we’ll explore how your exhibitor choice can be a value proposition in and of itself. While it may not be possible to offer exhibitors a competition-free environment, you may be able to compensate for that with a bit of exhibitor matchmaking.

What Is “Exhibitor Symbiosis”?

At its core, exhibitor symbiosis is about being intentional in the way you select exhibitors and facilitate engagement with them, but also between them, in order to boost the value they get from your show.

For example, placing complementary exhibitors next to one another can improve their lead generation. It increases the perceived value of their offerings by helping attendees to understand how each fits within their partner ecosystem. Imagine you’re hosting a tech-focused trade show. Grouping cybersecurity vendors next to cloud storage providers and IT management software exhibitors not only enhances attendees’ understanding of the tech stack but also positions these exhibitors as essential components of a cohesive solution. The juxtaposition gives attendees a clearer understanding of how these products interact, which makes it easier for exhibitors to deliver their messaging and, in turn, can drive higher sales. 

Did you know? Stova’s Exhibitor Resource Center (ERC) offers expanded functionality to streamline exhibitor management. This end-to-end portal allows exhibitors to easily manage resources, content, and processes, ensuring a seamless experience for both organizers and exhibitors. 

Pre-Event Exhibitor Networking Sets the Stage for Collaboration

Another way to tap into exhibitor symbiosis is to facilitate networking between exhibitors both before and during the event. Your event should be a hub for both innovation and collaboration where businesses can forge partnerships, team up on solutions, and share valuable insights.

The months leading up to an event are critical for maximizing these strategic relationships, especially where they might lead to co-authored content that may take several weeks to produce.

Use your event app and virtual event platform to prompt exhibitors to engage with each other. The most straightforward, low-lift ways to do so are through scheduled emails and targeted alerts within the platform. 

But features like AI-powered matchmaking can also be used to pair exhibitors with complementary offerings or shared target audiences. 

An event platform that can handle pre-show communications, custom connection recommendations, and real time virtual meetings can help you to position your event as a cornerstone for your exhibitors’ partner strategies.

Depending on how many exhibitors your event showcases and how active you’ve been in curating them, you might even go as far as to host pre-event virtual meetups where exhibitors can introduce themselves, share their goals for the event, and explore potential collaborations.

Collaboration can take multiple forms:

Collaborative Panels. Advertise opportunities for exhibitors to participate in panels or workshops and encourage them to suggest co-hosts from among their peers when they pitch topics to you. This not only strengthens their connections but also enriches your event’s programming.

Co-authored Content. Even if exhibitors opt not to speak, suggest collaborative efforts such as joint research studies, white papers, or industry surveys that can be launched at the event. This kind of partnership showcases thought leadership while leveraging each exhibitor’s audience for the other’s benefit.

Tag-team Pitches. Exhibitors that complement each other might benefit from coordinating aspects of their pitches and demos. Doing so would not only help each to refine their messaging, but would potentially allow for greater exposure at the event if the visitors to one booth were recommended to visit the other. Exhibitors could even consider a referral bonus program.

Onsite Exhibitor Networking Extends Relevance Beyond Sales

The live event provides a perfect backdrop for exhibitors to deepen their connections. By offering curated networking experiences, you can help exhibitors build strategic relationships that outlast the event itself.

Dedicated networking sessions should be attractive without competing with the show itself. Ancillary events before the show floor opens or after it closes are an effective option. These could be informal gatherings, like a casual breakfast or themed happy hour, or more structured events where exhibitors can meet and exchange ideas. These could include speed-networking events, hackathon-style competitions, or special educational sessions that cover topics like marketing, sales, industry trends, etc.

Onsite matchmaking through the mobile event app can also be an effective way to support exhibitors who want to network outside of a facilitated meeting. This way, those who are looking for future project collaborations or who want to expand the professional networks of exhibiting staff can take their networking into their own hands without having to resort to serendipity. 

Who Benefits Most from Exhibitor Symbiosis?

While any company can benefit from nurturing non-competitive relationships, it’s a significant boon to start-ups, companies with new products or verticals, and companies entering new spaces.

Emerging businesses often lack established industry connections. Exhibitor-to-exhibitor networking allows startups to learn from industry veterans, gain insights on product development and market positioning, and forge referral opportunities or distribution partnerships while they establish their own audience.

Event Tech Live’s Startup Launchpad is an example of this. In this dedicated space, startups offer pitches to a judging panel of peers and get valuable feedback from potential partners, while more established companies can showcase new innovations. In this way, businesses of all sizes thrive.

In an industry like events where mergers and acquisitions have been an ongoing trend for several years, onsite networking also allows larger and more established companies to identify startups that complement their portfolios. Even where this doesn’t lead to an acquisition, it may lead to joint initiatives like research or marketing partnerships.

7 Strategies for Boosting Exhibitor Symbiosis

1. Understand your industry’s ecosystem.
   • Invest time in understanding how your exhibitors’ offerings interact. What partnerships already exist within the industry? Which technologies, services, or products naturally complement one another? Use this knowledge to guide floor plan design and to support recommended connections.
2. Be strategic in your show floor design.
   • Organize the floor in clusters or “neighborhoods” where complementary exhibitors are grouped. For example, a sustainability zone could house renewable energy providers alongside waste management solutions and eco-friendly packaging companies.
3. Make the connection.
   • Don’t just make the space, offer the tools as well. Before the event, use your exhibitor portal or mobile event app to prompt exhibitors to connect with potential partners. During the event, use Stova’s AI-powered matchmaking to use established criteria to facilitate better connections onsite.
4. Facilitate collaboration.
   • Host collaborative workshops or exhibitor showcases that highlight how their offerings work together. Create space for collaborative content through panel discussions and sponsored sessions, which both give exhibitors a chance to work together and bolster the show’s revenue. 
5. Offer interactive educational opportunities.
   • Design sessions where exhibitors can discuss industry trends, share pain points, and brainstorm solutions to create community around your show. Exhibitor workshops are another way for exhibitors to refine their competencies and examine industry-specific challenges while exploring future partners.
6. Engage exhibitors with friendly competitions.
   • Launch contests such as “Best Booth Design” or “Most Innovative Product,” and include categories that reward collaboration, like “Best Partnership Pitch.” These offer a framework for rewarding exhibitors who connect on friendly terms while showcasing their creativity and innovation.
7. Gather feedback and iterate.
   • Just as you would for attendees, collect feedback from exhibitors on the effectiveness of the layout and partnerships fostered after the event to continually refine your approach in future shows.

Conclusion: The Benefits of Strategic Exhibitor Pairing

The role of your event extends beyond serving as a marketplace for attendees and exhibitors. Exhibitors can bolster the value for each other.

When exhibitors are paired with complementary neighbors, their offerings become part of a broader narrative rather than a series of isolated pitches. This added context actually makes offerings more intuitive for attendees, enabling exhibitors to convey their value propositions and overall value more effectively.

But exhibitor symbiosis isn’t just about physical proximity, it’s about encouraging dialogue. Encouraging pre-show connections and offering onsite matchmaking and networking events can spark partnerships and collaborations that allow participating exhibitors to benefit from each other’s expertise and audience. Moreover, when these opportunities are part of the show itself, they can serve as both ways to supplement the content and as channels for additional revenue.

If you’d like to learn more about how Stova can help you deliver more value to exhibitors, feel free to contact us.