Business Shows on a Budget

By Louise Jenner, The Dream Job Coach (Platinum Member)

How to make valuable connections

You don’t need a big marketing budget to make valuable connections at a business show. In fact, sometimes being a visitor can be as useful as exhibiting!

I recently spent a day exhibiting at the Devon Business Show in Plymouth, sharing a stand with fellow Devon Women in Business members.

We had some fantastic conversations, met lots of interesting people and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. But despite sharing the stand, I only managed to explore about a third of the exhibition myself!

Why? Because when you’re exhibiting, you’re there to talk to the people who come to you. And when those conversations are going well, you don’t want to cut them short.

This reminded me of one of the biggest advantages of attending a business show as a visitor.

You get to choose who you talk to!

And when you’re running a small business, particularly in the early stages, that freedom can be incredibly valuable.

1. Start by visiting – it’s often free!

Many business exhibitions offer free visitor tickets, although it’s always worth checking whether you need to register in advance.

You can spend several hours meeting business owners, discovering products and services, learning about your local business community and making connections without paying a penny for exhibition space.

You don’t need a stand, a pull-up banner or boxes of promotional materials. Just a little preparation, a willingness to start conversations and some comfortable shoes!

Think of it as one enormous networking event.

And unlike a traditional networking meeting, where you don’t necessarily know who’s going to be in the room, business shows often publish their exhibitor lists well in advance.

2. Do your homework before you go

Before attending, visit the organiser’s website and look at the exhibitors.

Ask yourself two questions:

🤔 Who might need what my business offers?

🤔 Who might be able to help me grow my business?

That second question is often overlooked. Perhaps you’re looking for an accountant, solicitor, HR consultant, marketing specialist, business coach or web designer.

Maybe you need someone to help with your finances, employment contracts or next stage of growth. Rather than choosing someone from an online search, a business show gives you the opportunity to meet potential suppliers face to face.

You can ask questions, discover how they work and get a feel for whether you’d enjoy working together. Of course, you’ll still want to check their credentials and suitability before making any commitments. ✅ 

After all, people do business with people they know, like and trust. And a conversation is a wonderful place to start building that trust.

Make a shortlist of the businesses you’d particularly like to meet, but leave time to explore too. Some of the most valuable connections are the ones you never expected to make.

3. Go with an intention, not a sales pitch

There’s a world of difference between attending a business show hoping something interesting might happen and attending with a clear intention to make valuable connections.

You don’t need to know exactly what those connections will lead to. But knowing who you’d like to meet, what you’d like to learn and what you’d like people to understand about your business can make the experience much more productive.

And please, don’t walk around handing out leaflets to everyone you meet! Remember, exhibitors have invested time and money in being there to promote their businesses.

You’re visiting their stands, so show genuine interest in what they do. Ask questions. Listen. Be curious. You might discover a potential customer, supplier, collaborator or referral partner. Or you might simply have a lovely conversation with someone whose business interests you.

Not every conversation needs to result in a sale.

Don’t go looking for someone to sell to. Go looking for people worth getting to know.

4. Make yourself memorable

You don’t need to exhibit to raise awareness of your business. Wearing a branded T-shirt or hoodie can help people remember who you are and what you do.

And business cards still have their place! Keep a few handy so that when you meet someone you’d genuinely like to stay in touch with, you can exchange details. Remember to connect on LinkedIn there and then too. Download the app on your phone and have your QR code ready!

Many exhibitors organise activities on their stands, from demonstrations and games to competitions and business card draws. These can be great conversation starters, so don’t be afraid to get involved.

Just be selective about where you leave your contact details. Check whether you’re agreeing to receive marketing communications, because you probably don’t want your inbox overflowing afterwards!

The aim isn’t to collect as many business cards as possible.

It’s to make connections that matter.

5. Make sure people can recognise you afterwards

Imagine meeting someone at a business show, having a fantastic conversation and deciding you’d love to work with them.

You look them up on LinkedIn afterwards, but their photograph looks nothing like the person you met. 😳

Or their website describes something completely different from what they told you. 😳 

Or you can’t find an obvious way to contact them. 🤯  Suddenly, what felt like a promising connection becomes a little more complicated.

It’s a reminder of something I often talk about in my coaching work:

Consistency is key. In person. On paper. Online.

• Before attending a business show, check that your LinkedIn profile, website, business cards and other marketing materials all tell a consistent story.
• Make sure your photographs are reasonably current, your information is accurate and there’s an easy way for someone to get in touch.

You’ve worked hard to create a positive impression in person. Make sure everything they discover afterwards reinforces it.

6. Follow up while the conversation is fresh

The business show might finish at 4 pm, but your networking shouldn’t!

Afterwards, go through the connections you’ve made. Send a LinkedIn message to people you’d like to stay in touch with. Mention where you met and something you enjoyed discussing.

If you promised to send information or make an introduction, do it. And if you’ve met someone whose services you might need in the future, keep their details somewhere you’ll be able to find them.

You don’t need to turn every conversation into an immediate business opportunity. Sometimes a relationship develops over weeks, months or even years.

But a thoughtful follow-up can make all the difference.

7. When you’re ready to exhibit, consider sharing a stand

Of course, there may come a point when you’d like to exhibit your own business. Having a stand gives you a dedicated space to showcase what you offer, attract visitors and have conversations with people who are interested in your products or services.

But exhibiting can be expensive. 

By the time you’ve paid for exhibition space, promotional materials, travel and time away from your business, the costs can feel prohibitive, especially when you’re just starting out.

That’s one of the reasons Devon Women in Business offers members opportunities to share exhibition stands. Rather than one small business taking on the full cost, several members share the space, the expense and the experience.

And it’s not just about saving money.

When three or four businesses exhibit together, there’s a wonderful buzz around the stand. We support each other, introduce visitors to one another, share ideas and help conversations flow. There’s still plenty of opportunity for meaningful one-to-one conversations, but nobody has to do everything alone.

It’s a great example of Together Everyone Achieves More – TEAM! 🤩

And sometimes the relationships you build with the other businesses sharing your stand are every bit as valuable as the connections you make with visitors.

8. Put the next business show in your diary!

We’re fortunate here in Devon to have business exhibitions taking place throughout the year.

There’s BizFest South West at Westpoint in Exeter in the spring, Riviera Connect in Torbay towards the end of the summer, and the Devon Business Show in Plymouth and West Country Business Show in Exeter in the autumn. There are also events in North Devon and neighbouring Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset.

Wherever you’re based, it’s worth searching for business shows within travelling distance and putting the dates in your diary.

The next West Country Business Show takes place in Exeter on Tuesday 10 November 2026, and Devon Women in Business will be exhibiting. Members sharing our stand this year include: Holly DeGavre Design, Dr Kiri from Elite Lifestyle Medicine Ltd and Jo Douglas, Tropic Ambassador from Inner Wellness Circle CIC  

If you’re planning to visit, do come and say hello!

One final thought

Whether you’re just starting your business or you’ve been running it for years, business exhibitions offer something that’s increasingly valuable in a world of emails, algorithms and online advertising.

The opportunity to have real conversations with real people. You don’t have to spend a fortune to benefit. You don’t even need to know exactly what you’re looking for.

But you do need to show up, be curious and make the effort to connect.

Because your next big business opportunity might begin with a conversation you haven’t had yet.