Getting your business brand out there and notices is vitally important if you want to ensure that you are always ahead of the competition. Grabbing the attention of your potential clients is not always easy, especially in such a competitive market place which seems to be the case these days, but remaining productive and successful should be your driving force. The best way to get your company ready for the various upcoming 2013 expos is to ensure that you have all the gear for an eye-catching and professional display. At Scan Display we can assist you with this and will ensure that you are not only presented with the best products on the market, but are also guaranteed affordable rates.

At Scan Display we have a number of years of experience behind us which means we have been watching as the trends change and differ from year to year. We have an understanding of various markets and will be able to provide you with useful information and advice when it comes to presenting your brand at an exhibition, expo, and trade fair or similar. Investing in the right products is absolutely essential and if you choose wisely and ensure that they are well looked after, you can expect to be able to use them numerous times in the future too.

With our assistance you can shop online and have a complete stand made up, fully branded and ready to wow your clients and target audience. When browsing through our extensive product range you will find items such as roll up banners, show cases, brochure stands, poster displays, folding systems, outdoor displays, portable stands, drums, furniture, audio visual systems and so much more. What’s more is that when purchasing these items you will have the option of having them branded with your company details so that your clients can see where you are and what you are offering from anywhere in the exhibition or expo area.

If you are looking to get your company ready for the 2013 expos that are coming up, don’t waste time. Make sure that your order your outdoor and indoor advertising items as soon as possible and work with our designers to ensure that your printed materials are eye-catching, though provoking and effective. At Scan Display we will be able to advise you professionally and ensure that you are presented with options that you will be proud to advertise and market your business and brand with.

Essentially that is all that branding is as mentioned on https://www.scandisplay.co.za; a way to create a lasting impression on people so that they always see you in the places that they expect to see you and they think about you when the time is right. If you take coca-cola as an example, when you sit down at a restaurant and you are unsure what to drink when the waiter arrives to get your order, the first thing you usually think about is a coke.

As strange as that may sound, it is often quite true and people generally have no sensible explanation why they do it. The answer to this great mystery lies in the branding of coke, and how they have managed to get themselves positioned and advertised in just about every corner of the globe. In fact, you’ll be surprised to know that Coca-cola doesn’t even make coke anymore, they outsource all of their production to other companies and then they focus entirely on marketing the brand.

How Branding Fits Into Your Marketing Strategy

If your potential customers don’t know about you or where to find you for that matter, you are going to have a hard time trying to generate business. You will effectively spend most of your time trying to get the people to come to you, instead of letting them come to you on their own. Not only do you give yourself much better awareness, but you also have a much easier job trying to sell stuff when the people are coming to you for your products and services.

The whole purpose of marketing is to give people the necessary information they need to make an informed buying decision before or during the process of purchasing your products or making use of your services. If you want to be the first thing people think about when they need a product or service like yours, then you need to have created enough awareness and impact on the people that would most likely be paying attention. You need to create informative and effective marketing communiqués that will stick out when the time is right.

The process of developing a marketing strategy usually entails defining who your potential customers, how they think and what makes them decide to buy a particular product. That usually falls under consumer psychology and understanding the decision making process in people, but at least it is usually included in most business management training courses so the people dealing with it will know exactly what to do.

When you are formulating your strategy you have to keep all of that in mind, so that when the time comes for you to start creating your marketing messages, they will have the impact necessary.

Create a Brand for Yourself So You Can Get Recognised

A brand is just a name that differentiates your own company from all the rest. You need to be able to show people that you are different and you have nothing to do with all the others on the same bandwagon. You need to place yourself in places where you can get noticed and you need to do it often enough for people to realise who you are and that you actually mean business.

Instead of just sitting around and hoping for people to notice you, or actively going out to find business you can work on getting people to find you instead. That means that you just have to put in a bit of effort in the beginning to make sure that you are visible and that you stay visible, and you can sit back and watch as all the new sales and new clients start rolling in to your doorstep, looking to do business with you.

This year Scan Display will be among the 1 800 exhibitors at Euroshop, the world’s leading retail trade fair. The show will run from 26 February to 2 March 2011, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Justin Hawes, MD of Scan Display, strongly agrees that Euroshop is the ‘premiere’ trade fair of its kind. He says: “No other retail show is as big or as globally inclusive as Euroshop. Exhibitors and visitors from around the world attend it. This creates a unique opportunity to network, see the latest products and technology, and get an injection of creative inspiration – all in one space, on an international scale.”

In previous years, members of the Scan team have attended the show, but this will be the first time the company showcases itself on the Euroshop platform. Scan will co-exhibit with German partners, Mo Systeme, the creators of the Modulbox, a portable marketing system. Scan manufactures and markets the Modulbox locally, and this inspiring tool will form the basis of the Scan-Mo Systeme exhibit.

Justin strongly believes that exhibiting is a valuable marketing tool, as it is the only medium that allows for face-to-face interactions with key industry players. He says: “The opportunities that come out of exhibiting at Euroshop, such as new business partnerships and exposure to new clients, represent a huge return on investment on the cost of exhibiting.”

Euroshop is only held every three years, and 2011 will be its 17^th incarnation. This year 104 000 trade visitors from 93 countries are expected to attend, while the exhibitors will be representing 50 countries and filling up a floor space of 200 000m².

For more information about Scan Display, visit www.scandisplay.co.za or contact Justin Hawes on +27 11 447 4777 or justin@scandisplay.co.za.

In this issue you can:

• Enter our lucky draw to win tickets to U2’s 360° Tour
• Win a complimentary clip frame and graphics
• Catch up on Scan’s news

Best regards
Justin Hawes
justin@scandisplay.co.za
Managing Director

	Lessons learnt from 2010 World Cup By Scan Display’s MD, Justin Hawes It was fascinating to observe how the World Cup affected business in our industry. Hopefully we have learnt some lessons from the 2010 experience and we can be prepared for next time – the Olympics, maybe? Read more.
	The future of exhibitions: fabric graphics and green power At the August Markex Jhb exhibition, Scan Display used new technology in the form of fabric graphics (called tension fabric systems) and green power. Both of these innovations are expected to become popular choices for exhibitors. Read more.
	Scan’s bold look for Travel Expo Scan Display used its expertise to design and set up the Travel Expo, hosted at Sandton Convention Centre from 23 to 24 October 2010. The show’s look-and-feel was defined by the colourful rolled carpet, which was laid out in bold patterns around the shell scheme. Read more.
	New appointments Scan Display has recently made several new appointments at its Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg branches. Read more.
	SA exhibition industry supports Soweto Sewing Company The Soweto Sewing Company recently benefited from the generosity of the South African exhibition industry. Three exhibition organisers gave the group free exhibition space, and Scan Display provided them with a branded pop-up stand and counter. Read more.

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International exhibitors have often sent their own stand and crew to be on site. However, at AfricaCom 2010, Scan Display’s clients entrusted them with the complete process, with Scan either building from the client’s design or both designing and building the stand. Scan was also involved in providing staff for the stands, and catering and cleaning services.

The foreign investment from these stands amounted to roughly R2.5 million (paid in US Dollars and Euros), which not only provides a boost to the South African economy, but also contributes to job creation.

The brief from Scan’s clients was to provide great value while keeping to a budget. Scan achieved this successfully in spite of building custom stands, which are generally more expensive than modular stands. The stands were uncluttered and elegant, and used lighting effectively to create interest and a flattering look-and-feel. These are cost-conscious solutions that enhance a stand when used correctly.

Scan Display has developed a national team specialising in the design and delivery of award-winning stands. Scan’s international network includes top exhibition agencies and brands, which has led to many successful partnerships on South African projects.

AfricaCom 2010 was a very successful event, experiencing a 41% increase in visitors from 2009. Seventy-five percent of the exhibition stands for 2011 have already been sold.

For more information about Scan Display, visit www.scandisplay.co.za or contact Justin Hawes on +27 11 447 4777 or justin@scandisplay.co.za.

In the Durban office:

• Kylie van Staden has been appointed KZN branch manager
  
• Averil Sander has been appointed production manager
  
• Jarryd Nel has been appointed exhibition architect
  

In the Cape Town office:

• Amy Brown  been appointed relationship manager
  

In the Johannesburg office:

• Pippa Walker has been appointed marketing manager
  
• Thuli Sotomela has been appointed warehouse manager
  
• Pumza Sebenzi has been appointed logistics manager
  
• Martina Ledwaba and Trish Browne have been appointed account executives
  

Scan Display is a specialist provider of exhibition, event and display products and services.

Click here to see a collection of insights I gauged from what I saw, and perhaps some lessons that can be taken away from them. In this way, we can be prepared for next time – the Olympics, maybe?

The Soweto Sewing Company has recently benefited from the generosity of the South African exhibition industry. Three exhibition organisers have given the Soweto Sewing Company free exhibition space, and Scan Display has provided them with a branded pop-up stand and counter.

The three organisers who sponsored the Soweto Sewing Company are: Specialised Exhibitions for Markex Jhb (in August); Wholesale & Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&T Seta) for the Soweto Festival Expo (in September); and  Baba Indaba for their upcoming show in Sandton (in October).

The Soweto Sewing Company attracted the support largely because their story is so inspiring. The group began in 2008, in Braamfischerville on the outskirts of Soweto. The five founding members could not find employment, and so, using initiative in the face of adversity, they decided to create work for themselves in order to support their families.

A few of the women had sewing skills, which they shared with their colleagues and, working from home, they started to craft bags from beautiful African print fabrics. This entrepreneurial spirit has had the beneficial spin-offs of helping to uplift the community and providing positive role models.

A donation of two sewing machines, an over-locker, as well as a space to work in 2009, enabled the group to improve their production base and reach a wider market. They have now expanded their product range and at Markex showcased not only bags but clothing and accessories suitable for corporate gifts. At Soweto Festival Expo they featured household items such as tablecloths, placemats and coasters. New products, including baby bags and blankets, will be launched at the upcoming Baba Indaba.

Judith Thobakgale, who manages the Soweto Sewing Company, is delighted by the marketing opportunities the exhibitions have created for the enterprise. “We are very excited to have these opportunities to showcase our products and meet new clients. Our aim is to grow the Soweto Sewing Company into a self-reliant and profitable company, and these exhibitions are the stepping stones to help us achieve this dream,” says Judith.

Judith adds: “We would like to thank our sponsors whole-heartedly, and will strive to impress them with what we can do.”

W&R Seta’s sponsorship package, which they offered to 200 SMME’s including the Soweto Sewing Company, includes two compulsory workshops in business management. Judith has already attended these and hopefully this strategy will equip the group with the necessary skills to manifest long term benefits from the shows.

You can visit the Soweto Sewing Company stand at Baba Indaba, which runs from the 22 to 24 October 2010 at the Sandton Convention Centre.