Where are the most effective product demonstration locations for 2020?

In the months leading up to the Q2 retail trading period, we are reliably asked “So where are the best product demonstration locations for our power tools this year?”

After 22 years of organising product demonstration marketing campaigns for both consumer sales growth and to discerning trade audiences, you might guess we have run campaigns in every location you can imagine; and a whole load of others you may never have even knew existed!

As the 2019 and also 2018 Gold Award winners for ‘The Most Effective Sales Experience’ at the Field Marketing and Brand Experience Awards, we really do understand what converts demonstrations into measureable sales growth. If selling power tools and garden machinery is on your wish list, read on to explore the options and see which are most relevant for driving your brand’s growth in 2020. 

You’ll find our top five most effective product demonstration locations for domestic DIY power tool consumers and also our top five for trade buyers of power tools too.

Where to engage domestic buyers of DIY equipment

DIY Sheds:

B&Q is still the daddy of DIY with Wickes in a steady second place. The five weekends leading up to and around Easter weekend and bank holidays are when gardens and garages across the UK get their first big clear out of the year. While the sun starts to shine outside, you should to be ready to deploy professional teams of enthusiastic demonstrators in flagship stores across the UK to capitalise on this peak purchasing period.

Brand ambassador demonstrating Gardena product to customer

Home Design Shows

“That Kevin McCloud has a LOT to answer for!” Is a sentence muttered across the country by budding have a go DIY heroes as they mimic the architectural inspiration for their own homes. Grand Designs Live lands in early May at London’s Excel, followed by its autumnal version at the NEC in in October. If you can get moving quickly, there’s still time to organise your plan for The Ideal Home Show too: After over 100 years, it now attracts well over 200,000 visitors over 18 days as is a phenomenal opportunity to sell, sell, sell. If that’s too soon check out the diary of Home Building and Renovation Shows, which has eight packed out events spread out through 2020, reaching right across the UK.

Product demonstration drives sales of Dettol No-Touch at The Ideal Home Show

Gardening and Flower Shows

When the great outdoors calls; the British public come in droves. Whether it’s any one of the 11 Royal Horticultural Society’s upmarket events like the Chelsea Flower Show or their regional equivalents like The Harrogate International Flower Show; they are fabulous locations for reaching affluent AB1s who don’t mind spending a little of their well earned retirement money on having the right kit. Think inspirational usage ideas, pretty displays and premium packaging to get this audience crowding around your stand like nectar to a honeybee.

Engage large crowds at the numerous shows with your product demonstration

Motor Sport Events & Race Meets

Despite Elon Musk’s best efforts, there’s nothing like the roar of a V12 to stir up the senses! Petrol-heads of every age and social group gather in their tribes to drool over their racing heroes, check out the latest kit and get their hands greasy. Take your pick from Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, Super Bikes at Silverstone or brand specific motoring events at Beaulieu. They all allow your brand to reach, demonstrate and sell to your audiences in between the friendly banter, pit stops and race rivalry. Each major event in the season attracts upwards of 50,000 red blooded males who love nothing better than giving your power tools a full throttle demonstration, to make them want one for themselves.

Promotional staff demonstrate the Turtle Wax shine

If you’re interested in exploring options for a product demonstration campaign to DIY consumers for your brand, get in touch with our experiential marketing experts at here

Best places to engage trade buyers of power tools and equipment

Builders Merchants

With B&Q being the daddy for consumer DIY, Screwfix are rulers of the roost for demonstrating to general tradespeople. Chippies, sparkies, plumbers, roofers, plasterers all pop in to pick up their tools, often on a daily basis. Travis Perkins, Jewson, Marshalls and a whole host of regional and trade specific merchants should feature too – according to who stocks your range and how far your budget might stretch!  To make them really pay attention, turn up with a catering kit for free bacon baps and hot drinks; and you’ll literally have them eating out of the palm of your hand.

Trade professionals get hands-on with Worx at Screwfix

Tool Fairs

Right across the country, tool fairs take over regional exhibition halls, football stadiums and conference centres, to cater for thousands of professional tradespeople who come for one reason only: to buy new tools! If you can create a engaging demonstration with a special show deal by adding in spare batteries, travel cases or extra accessories; they’ll be doing the marketing for you when they brag about the amazing package deal they got at the tool fair, to their co-workers for months to come.

GLEE 2020 (Garden, Leisure, Equipment, Exhibition)

Each September, everyone goes to GLEE at the NEC for the UK’s most important exhibition for all things to do with garden machinery and power tools. It’s a fantastic event for reaching new buyers across the UK’s leading retail chains and garden centres, coupled with tradespeople looking for the latest ideas. With an engaging demonstration to bring your latest innovations to life, coupled with a show stopping trade deal; you can make your growth blossom in this industry leading annual event. 

Building and Construction Trade Shows

There’s a lot of choice in this category, so you can align the selection to suit the trades you want to tap into and the geography you can reach. To give a flavour, our top five includes (1) UK Construction Week Show at NEC, (2) Future Build at Excel, (3) National Construction Expo at Arena MK, (4) London Build Expo at Olympia and (5) Professional Builder Live in Manchester’s Event City. Depending on your target audience, you can find similar alternatives for plumbing, electricians or which ever trade aligns best for your tools. These shows are busy, crowded and noisy in every sense of the word. To make your demonstration campaign work, keep your demonstrations quick and your show deal clear, strong and simple, to create cut through and you’ll build a new empire of your own.

If you’re interested in exploring options for a reaching trade audiences for product demonstration campaigns, get in touch with our experiential marketing experts at Link Communication: