Trade shows can be tremendous marketing and networking opportunities, but results can be difficult to measure. One thing to remember is that you will by vying for attention among hundreds, if not thousands, of other exhibitors and their trade show booths. It can be a daunting task if you’re not prepared.
To stand out, you should have a trade show booth that is inviting, appealing, and engaging. Being unique and memorable doesn’t hurt either. If you’re unsure where to start, think of how much work you put into your apartment the first time you invite a date over. A lot, right? You could do worse than take the same approach when setting up your trade show booth.
No Fluff: What You Need to Know
Creating effective trade show booths doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, even if this is your first rodeo, there are basic principles for designing an engaging trade show booth that can help ensure success. Get your booth right and you’ll find that so much else falls right into place.
Follow the steps outlined below, and you’ll be half-way there. But remember, a trade show booth is more than raw materials and graphics – the people matter too.
1. Create an Inviting Booth
No two booths are going to be the same, but successful booths will all share certain things in common. If you want an effective trade show booth, allow your guests’ needs to serve as your inspiration, and you can’t go wrong. Booths that are carpeted and which have seating available help when attendees have been walking around giant swaths of concrete for much of the day. Think of having waters and snacks on hand for this same reason. Phone chargers can draw them in when their batteries get low. All of these things provide your guests motivation, beyond that which your product or service does.
Of course, lots of booths will be carpeted. That alone doesn’t guarantee attendance. To get your guests’ attention, and to keep them interested, be sure to have visual displays. Though static displays can work, we recommend that you have multimedia assets and digital graphics on hand. A video that quickly summarizes your product or service can be a great icebreaker. Finally, think to yourself, “Would I stop at this booth?” If the answer is “no,” well, then why would anyone else?
To get butts in the seats, as the saying goes, consider this simple checklist:
- Show a video
- Host a game, sweepstakes, or giveaway
- Demonstrate a product or service
- Have food and beverages available
- Be engaging, personable, and friendly
Attendees are going to have hundreds of distractions to choose from. How do you get their attention? Design. Comfort. Incentive.
2. Designate a Seller
Your booth’s design is important, but it isn’t the only element that’s needed for success. People matter. If you have a personable and highly engaging marketing manager within your ranks who’d do a great job at your booth, use that person. Let that person focus on what she does best; namely, engaging vendors and potential clients. Have someone else manage the miscellaneous tasks that will inevitably arise so that she can be the charming people-person attendees want to talk to. It could mean the difference between flying home empty handed and flying home with five or six meaningful leads in your book.
3. Designate a Strategy Expert
The other half of your two-person team (you may have more) should work on strategy. Ideally, this person will have a wealth of trade show experience and be well-versed in industry knowledge. He’ll deal with things like negotiating an optimal floor location, creating an agenda, and ingratiating himself with the event management company, so queries for additional electricity, lighting, or WI-FI access are handled quickly. On the day of the event, he’ll work hand-in-hand with your marketing manager to present a full scope of products and services to trade show attendees. Sales and marketing should always work together since sales can talk numbers while marketing can talk process. Attendees at trade shows are going to ask both types of questions.
4. Plan Ahead
As a company, schedule your trade show events well in advance, so that you have enough time to plan. Ultimately, you want your team to get the most from the experience. Give your team the opportunity to set up the trade show booth at least two days in advance (if allowed). The day before the doors open should be spent addressing any last-minute issues. Check the lights, do an audio and video test run, and make sure that all of your digital assets work.
If you want to build an effective and engaging trade show booth, then you need to build an effective team. Make sure that you give them the time and resources they need to be their best selves.
