Here are ten tips you can do to make your next trade show booth standout in the crowds:
1. Allow Me To Demonstrate: A unique product demo can pull in a crowd, start a meaningful conversation and make your booth unforgettable.
2. Dangle That Carrot: Entice prospects to set-up meetings before the show by offering something of real (not perceived) value – a free, useful gift; exclusive insider information; access to key decision-makers, an invite only party ….
3. Everyone Loves a Deal: Show-only specials and discounts help close the sale. Period.
4. First Impressions: Friendly, out-going, approachable, clear speaking, knowledgeable booth staff make or break the experience. It’s worth the time, expense and training.
5. You Can’t Over Prepare: Make a plan leading up to, during and after the show for social media engagement. This should be assigned to the right person who is social media savvy and dedicated throughout the process only to this task.
6. The Best Swag Wins: Most people get this one wrong. A giveaway (aka your ‘swag’) should be on point, make sense for YOUR brand and should serve a purpose so prospects want it – and want to keep it. For example, if you sell ice-cream, consider a well-made, branded ice cream scooper or freezer bag. Use your imagination or call us and we’ll give you some ideas. And if your good idea is pricey, considering making less and handing them out sparingly to good leads. We just don’t need another stress ball, please!
7. Design Makes All The Difference: Early on, decide who you want to attract to your booth, what message or messages you hope to impart to them, and to what end. Then, beginning with your pre-show marketing (e-blast, invites, personal phone calls, etc.), design everything around those goals. Think “Quality” over “Quantity”. Everything from your booth design, to what your booth team wears to your giveaways should reinforce your central theme aimed at your goal.
8. Strut Your Stuff: Everyone wants to see “what’s new” at the shows. If you truly have nothing ‘new’, how about featuring a product that’s been out for awhile, but never had the spotlight. Maybe we can refresh the packaging to re-launch it. If that’s not an option or something is still “in-the-works” and not ready for a physical sample at the show, how about promoting the prototype digitally?
9. Hands On: A show is a great way to have your customers interact directly with your products in front of you. Give them something tangible to put in their hands. Create a booth that allows them to interact – touch, feel, taste, smell. A cooking station, a touchscreen, iPads, prototypes on display, a chalkboard wall and colored chalk, a Photobooth – you get the idea. We want to play, be entertained, explore, learn. Tell us a story. Answer a question. Let us explore. We will stick around, ask questions, you’ll get our attention and, mostly importantly, we will remember you.
10. Think Outside of the Booth: Think of the all spaces in and around your booth and how people interact with them. If you have no enticing way to move into your booth to look at things, most folks will walk right on by. Make sure you have a meeting space carved out where you can do business. You should have plenty of uncluttered, big, beautiful graphics that brand-build. Think about your demo area if you are sampling – is there good traffic flow? Where will you gather leads? Every inch should be considered and put to its best possible use. Get creative!
We can help you rock your next trade show with our creative designs, inventive ideas, experience and insights. If you are ready to kick your booth up a notch, we hope you’ll call us. If you have a booth that rocks, tell us about it!
~Amy
