Attendees on a crowded trade show floor are often straining to see the exhibitors with the products, services and people that appeal to their specific interests—the first thing they will likely see when approaching your booth is your backdrop. If you’ve invested in pre-show marketing, prospects might be looking for you specifically, and it will be critical that you are easy-to-find and have informative displays that meet their expectations. On the other hand, if they’ve never heard of your company, you’ll want a booth design that draws a prospect to you, providing your staff with the opportunity to interact and expand your brand.
With all the options and styles to choose from, how do you determine the most effective design for your trade show booth and displays? We’ve assembled a few things that your booth must do to maximize your trade show presence, and considerations to help you achieve your current or long-term marketing goals.
Create an atmosphere with your displays.
Your booth sets the scene for your trade show presence. If your company’s style is more casual and contemporary, your signage and booth layout should represent that vibe. Your themes can be minimalist or complex, as long as they remain consistent with your branding. The décor that you use helps to create an impression of your brand and a sensory perception that will help attendees recall your products or services at a later time.
Parade your brand from top to bottom.
As long as a prospect is in your sights, they should be able to see your company name and the consistent branding throughout your booth. Your backdrop, tables, counter-cards and banners can be integrated for a well-rounded and cohesive presentation that keeps your name in the forefront of a prospect’s mind. To convert those trade show attendees into later sales for your company, your booth needs to be distinct from the conflicting messages, different colors and brands filling the trade show floor.
Clearly tell people who you are and what you do.
A good tagline or graphic can go a long way toward clearing up any mystery about your products or services. This clear message will keep you from repeatedly explaining the basics, so that you can go into more detail with those attendees who are interested in and genuinely want to learn more about your products or services. And although 70% of trade show attendees have planned out in advance which booths they’d like to visit, the other 30% are actively looking for the companies and booths that draw their interest at the show. If they aren’t familiar with your brand and can’t tell very quickly that your company is relevant to them, they might be passing you by.
Be memorable.
Catching someone’s attention is not enough; you need to stand out from the crowd both at the trade show and in the stories told later to colleagues. Now that a potential customer has given you a chance, make a lasting impression with a unique or clever interaction or giveaway item. Take this opportunity to host a game that gets your prospects involved, or do a hands-on demo of your product. Follow up with attendees who visited your booth with an email catered to their interests and show them that you were listening. There’s no limit to potential ideas, as long as you stay relevant to your market and within the rules of your venue.
In putting together your trade show booth, you might also decide that one of your displays should provide a full list of your services, or spotlight a particular product or service that is new, special, or on sale. Another way to maximize the effectiveness of your booth might be to use your displays and giveaways to tie into a current campaign and reinforce messaging that you have presented via other media. Some sections or parts might be static information, while others are constantly changing. When strategizing these methods, you will need to take into account whether or not you will want to use the same display or setup next week, next month, or next year. Even if something is very striking, if it does not resonate with your customers, or is not immediately recognizable as relevant to you or your services, it might not be helping you on the trade show floor or helping to generate sales.
Do your trade show displays have lasting value?
As you consider where you intend to invest your trade show dollars, it will be the pieces that offer the most reusability without sacrificing impact that will make the difference for you in the long run. We can help you design and produce custom displays and trade show booths that will maximize your brand exposure and messaging to create a lasting impression with your prospects.
For more information or to learn more about our Trade Show Wide Format Services, please contact us, at (603) 456-3101 or by email at marketing@rcbrayshaw.com.