Many thanks to Paul Scott for last month’s contribution. Paul was one of the many people I met at last month’s Stone Show at Excel.

For me, and many of those I spoke to, it was a successful show. It was great to see so many old contacts and former colleagues and also make some valuable new connections.

I was there for all three days because my other business,

Trans-European Stone, had a stand as the UK commercial agent for a range of Belgian Blue limestone quarried by Pierre Bleue Belge. Although the business is still in its infancy, we thought it was important to exhibit at the Natural Stone Show.

So this month I’m taking a break from my ‘marketing essentials’ theme to comment on exhibitions as a marketing tool.

Exhibitions have long been a key marketing element for many companies in the construction industry.

I noticed several companies at the Stone Show that rarely invest in other forms of marketing. And while I would always advocate spreading your marketing budget across different channels, trade-focussed exhibitions like this are great value and offer a unique opportunity to actually meet both existing and potential customers face-to-face, which can really improve future relations.

From my perspective, the show gave Trans-European Stone exposure to potential customers that it could otherwise have taken months to break into. And they came to us!

We’ve got some great new leads from architects working on live projects, stone contractors and distributors interested in taking in stock.

Our stand was small but underlined our commitment to growth and, I believe, gave customers a degree of confidence in the company.

Of course, it will all come to naught if we neglect to follow-up the leads.

So, whether you were exhibiting or visiting, put that pocketful of business cards you collected to good use by connecting with your newfound contacts on LinkedIn. That way, when the business card is long gone the connection will be maintained.

to see me on my stand at the Natural Stone Show who I have been able to find on LinkedIn will have received a connection request from me since then.

And even if we didn’t meet at the Stone Show this time, if you’re on LinkedIn and you read this column, feel free to connect with me.

Alan Gayle has worked in sales and marketing roles in the construction industry since 1993. Following a successful career with some of the UK’s leading building product manufacturers, he has worked in the stone sector more than a decade. He now runs keystone Construction Marketing, a marketing agency specialising in the construction industry. The agency works with building  contractors, subcontractors and building product suppliers to help them increase their sales and improve their margins.