Section 2 - Choosing the right exhibitions

Which events should you exhibit at?

It depends what you want to achieve. Mission agencies have a range of relationships with Christians they might meet at churches or major events. You may meet the following groups of people:

1. Christians who have never heard of your agency before
2. Christians who have heard your name but know nothing more
3. Christians who know about you from others or through a church event but have never had any direct contact
4. Christians who supported your agency in the past but have drifted away
5. Christians who supported your agency in the past but were put off or antagonised by a policy of yours or offended by your behaviour and treatment of them
6. Christians who are positive to you and support your work but would be able and willing to do more, perhaps to serve in a part / full-time capacity as a mission partner or home staff member or volunteer
7. Christians who already support you as much as they can

Those in categories 1-3 need a good first impression. (You never get a second chance to make a first impression!) Those in categories 4-5 may need to be reassured that you have changed. Those in categories 6-7 need to be encouraged, appreciated and affirmed.

You are unlikely to achieve all of these goals with the same exhibition and promotional materials, so a good starting point is to decide on which of the three categories is your main target. Estimate the percentage of each of these at the event where you are going to exhibit. (The types of Christians who go to Keswick Week 1 are very different from those who go to New Wine.) You may want to concentrate on categories 1-3 and you should choose your exhibitions appropriately.

Consider the following:

• You don’t have to exhibit at any event every year; if you wait a few years between showings you might have more impact. Consider how many of those attending come every year
• Sometimes trying new events can be helpful. And don’t be limited by those events that run exhibitions you might usually attend. What about trying to put up a stand at a church leaders fraternal, for instance? For example, a swimming pool and leisure show was a good cross-over for a champagne company rather than exhibiting exclusively at champagne shows
• Ask about who is likely to be there? If a lot of your supporters are likely to be there, so should you. It may be useful to do a bit of research before applying
• Don’t rule out conferences as they give you an opportunity to talk up close with a smaller number of people - sometimes you have to take the initiative on this front
• How are you going to measure the ‘success’ of your exhibit? How many addresses for your mailing list are you aiming to obtain? Are you selling something? If so, you may work on making a loss in year one, break even in year two, make a profit in year three
• Get a catalogue from a previous exhibition and ask organisations that attended about their experiences
• Look at the motivation for the event. Why is it being put on? What is the purpose of the organisation as a whole? (Spring Harvest is always about ‘Equipping the church for action’ and each year has a specific theme)
• Consider whether is it possible to work together with another agency with a similar ministry or working in the same part of the world to put on a joint exhibition. Churches are drawn to agencies that cooperate rather than compete