Tips For Trade Show Success

In today’s economic environment, if you are going to spend the money to exhibit at a trade show, then it better pay off. With smart planning and creativity, you can ensure a strong return on investment from your participation. It’s also a great opportunity to gain an advantage over your competitors who chose to stay home this year.

Stay on Budget
Today, every marketer is trying to do more with less. Live events and trade shows are often the first place cuts are made—making it easier to stand out by participating. Your challenge is to work smarter and utilize proven strategies to deliver your marketing message on a budget.

Choose Lighter Materials
Heavy displays hit your wallet in two ways: transportation to the event and drayage (material handling charges by the venue). Both are calculated based on the weight of your exhibit or display. The good news is that there are alternatives to traditional display materials that can reduce heft and save you money, without sacrificing impact. By substituting fabric for heavy board backdrops, you can display bold graphics, but on materials that are lightweight and pack compactly. You can also eliminate heavy woods and switch to modular, lightweight aluminum displays to gain flexibility. Aluminum displays are also a greener alternative because they can be recycled after their useful life.

Drive Traffic Inexpensively
If you decide to exhibit at a trade show, how do you get noticed among all the other vendors? There are many ways to create buzz inexpensively. Consider hiring local magicians, jugglers, and so on, and arming them with a message that engages people, and teaches them about your product at the same time. Imagine how a software company’s message of establishing a reliable infrastructure to support small businesses can be reinforced by an entertainer who builds structures with playing cards. How about organizing a scavenger hunt on the show floor where people bring back the found items to your booth for a small prize? Or, why not appeal to people’s artistic side with a huge paint-by-number picture of your product where each visitor gets to add a color. All of these are low-cost, high-impact options that will increase booth traffic.

Right-size your space
Renting space at shows and events is a large expenditure. Just because you have always had a 20 ft. x 20 ft. space, doesn’t mean it makes sense in these times to continue to rent that large space. Start by assessing how much space you really need. What activities must happen in your booth? Are you planning on doing a demo for attendees? Do you really need meeting space in your booth? By moving meetings to a local restaurant or hotel, or arranging demos after the show, you can reduce your space needs and slash your event expenditures.

Back to the Basics
Do not overlook any details when planning your booth setup. There are a handful of basic tools that you can use to make your business stand out from the crowd.

Lighting
Don’t try to save money by eliminating lighting. The flat, grey lighting in most convention halls will dull your space down. Make sure your booth is bright. Without the proper lighting, you can have a visually grand display and no one will notice. Try using colored LED lights, which can be bought or rented, to add splashes of color.

Height
Taller displays can be seen across the floor and communicate a message of power and position. Multiple tools are available to gain height, including using corner towers, hanging signage, and using large fabric structures. Note that most shows restrict the use of these tools unless you are in an island configuration. Check your specific show’s rules.

Color
Utilizing bright, expressive colors will jump out at attendees. The choice of colors in your space can communicate subtle messages, such as soothing pastels for beauty, spa, and new age products, or bright, primary colors for male-focused products such as alcohol, sporting goods, and colognes. Ultimately, you must ensure that your color choices are consistent with your organization’s “look and feel.” It would be counterproductive to have a conflicting look in your overall message.

Movement
If your booth is hopping, more people will be stopping. Movement in a booth will definitely attract more visitors. Live demonstrations and video are excellent tools to add a dynamic aspect to your presence. However, if your choice does not fit your organization’s global messaging, you should be concerned. When a software company hires a Madonna impersonator to drive traffic, you may be left wondering what Madonna has to do with a software company. On the other hand, when the message is “adding glamour to your technology” it makes sense to have models dress in ball gowns. At the core of every event is a goal and message that must be communicated. Clever ideas that are “cool” might not be right for your company. Take the extra step and connect the message to the movement tool.