At a trade show, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. There are so many booths, so many people, and not enough time to see everything. It would be best to have an exhibit that stands out and catches people’s attention.
If you’ve ever exhibited at a trade show, you know that it takes hours of planning, preparation, and hard work to produce a standout trade show exhibit. There are ways to make your booth stand out and ensure every visitor is impressed with your brand. This article will show you how to do just that.
Invest in an Interactive Exhibit
Think about the last time you saw an exhibit at a trade show. What do you remember about it? If your answer is “not much,” you’re not alone. The problem with most trade show exhibits isn’t that they’re poorly designed. They don’t engage visitors enough to impact their brains.
People will quickly forget a dull exhibit as people move on to more exciting things, like taking photos of each other in front of the booth or talking about yesterday’s sports game over lunch with co-workers. An interactive exhibit will keep people engaged and entertained long after leaving your booth.
Create a Pop-Up Shop
A pop-up shop is a great way to create a unique and memorable experience. You can use the space to highlight a specific product or service, offer special discounts or promotions, and more. The key is that your pop-up shop should be unique and different from anything else at the show.
For example, if you’re launching a new iPhone app that helps people find their next career move, your pop-up could focus on highlighting this unique app feature. It can be done by having an area where visitors can take personality quizzes to find out what careers would suit them based on their natural talents. Or maybe you could have swag like t-shirts or hats related to what you do; in this case, it would be pretty easy for people who walk by your booth to say, “I want one!”
Use a Professional Exhibit Designer
Once you’ve determined who your target audience is, what kind of message they want to receive and how they want to be approached by vendors at a trade show, it’s time to decide whether or not hiring an exhibit designer will help you achieve your goals. A professional designer can help you create jaw-dropping trade show exhibits at a trade show and stand out from the crowd.
They know what factors contribute to making an attractive display booth. These include lighting, color scheme, and materials used in construction. And depending on their industry experience or training in designing displays for trade shows or exhibitions, they may have access to additional resources that can enhance the overall look of your booth.
Try a Photo Booth
Have you ever walked by an exhibit, stopped looking at the booth, and quickly moved on? It’s not uncommon for attendees to walk by a booth without stopping. And if they do stop, getting them over the threshold of asking for information or making a purchase can be challenging.
Photobooths are a great way to engage with attendees and collect data about your audience. You can use a photo booth as marketing collateral (like handing out branded frames) or collect more valuable data (like contact information). Plus, using photos from your event will help promote your brand after the show ends.
You can also use photo booths as an opportunity to collect testimonials from happy customers or referrals from other exhibitors who want their products or services featured at future events.
Invest in Visual Branding
When you’re attending a trade show, you compete with other exhibitors for your audience’s attention. Whether in an industry with hundreds of products or services to choose from or just one, you want them to notice yours. Your visual branding will help get their attention and set yours apart from the competition.
Visual branding helps you stand out from the crowd by flagging down potential customers with a strong logo or advertising image so they can easily find your booth in a crowded convention center floor space. It also creates an opportunity for people who may not know what they need until they see it, which means more potential sales leads than ever.
It connects with attendees on an emotional level as well because it gives them something fun to look at while walking around the convention floor looking for vendors who fit their needs best. You’ll want something eye-catching enough so that even if someone isn’t interested in visiting with any particular vendor just yet, they’ll still take notice enough times throughout the event.
Create Pre-Show Buzz
One of the best ways to build excitement about your trade show exhibit is to get everyone talking about it in advance. It would be best if you started promoting your upcoming event on social media and with email blasts at least three months before the show. Post photos of your setup, and share anything else that might be interesting beyond the usual details. Use a hashtag for your event so attendees can easily find what they’re looking for on social media.
Even if you have some big names scheduled to speak at your trade show booth, don’t forget that everyone’s attention is still on their favorite influencers, the bloggers who post about products and services all day. Invite top influencers from each industry sector related to yours along with the media.
Lastly, don’t forget that your booth is only as good as the staff you have staffing it. Ensure that all your employees are appropriately trained and know their product and goals for the show. Also, ensure that you have plenty of people available to work throughout the show. Nothing is worse than having a great booth with no one there to man it.
