Trade Show Display Tips And Tricks
“Go big or go home” is the opinion of many trade show veterans; this philosophy is intended to convey a message if you aren’t willing to spend the money to make a huge splash at a trade show, you’re not going to get traffic to your booth.
It’s not true. There are many ways to build traffic to your booth, capture a steady audience, and communicate the message about your product or service on some level.
Eliminating what “won’t work” at a show is the easy part; think back to trade shows and booths you have walked past. They all had something in common. Enlarged photos on backdrop curtains and a table of literature. This concept won’t draw anybody to your booth.
Overall, you want your exhibit to be “interactive”, and that doesn’t mean a large expense and fancy technology, it just means giving people a reason to approach you and a motivation to stay for a short time so that you might engage them.
One of the most successful traffic builders is a pleasant aroma from your booth, and a simple food offering can accomplish that task.In the morning, consider offering the ‘heat and eat’ cookies that convenience stores often have – who can resist the delicious aroma of a fresh baked cookie? For afternoon sessions, an old time popcorn popper, constantly churning out fresh batches, delivered to attendees in bags imprinted with your company logo on them is a great traffic builder.
“Interactivity” is another way to get people to pause. This can be as simple as a live or video demonstration of your product, or as elaborate as a custom large screen video game that incorporates elements of your company offerings. It can be a simple game, it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and “winners” can be awarded ‘nicer’ versions of whatever promotional products you are distributing.
Technology is everywhere today, and huge conventional halls are no exception. As technology has evolved, so have our needs at trade shows. Remember the days of standing in line to make a call to the office? Those days are gone as everyone at a trade show today has a phone in their pocket. What they might not have is access to a signal or charging, and providing these services are two great ways to get and retain traffic to your booth. Set up a mini wifi spot, using your mobile device as a “hot spot”. Most recent smart phones have this feature, and in cavernous halls, wifi signals can sometimes be a problem. “Free wifi” at your booth will get show participants to stop, pause, and you have the opportunity to prospect them.
In a similar vein, you can purchase inexpensive universal charging outlets, configured to handle multiple devices and they come with six, ten, or more outlets. Smart phones exhaust batteries, get a lot of use at trade shows, and having a ’emergency charging station’ is going to make you one of those most popular displays at the show. If you choose, have your promotional product be an assortment of mobile phone covers, and attendees will not only stop and stay at your booth for a time, they will leave with your company info, in a form more likely to be retained than a hastily exchanged business card.
Brainstorm ideas ahead of time, and create a welcoming and hospitable display for your trade show.