Is this your first trade show or expo and looking for tips and tricks on how to get noticed easily? Maybe you have done this a few times and know how much valuable orders, partnerships, and exposure a good event can lead to but still want to do better next time?
Here’s a list of what you should consider when planning your next trade show booth design:
- Location
Nothing like securing the most strategic location (one that you can afford, of course) is one of the most important things you should take care of. So how do you choose a location if you’ve never been to the venue before? Here’s a piece of advice. Attendees tend to navigate counter-clockwise. Have a look at the venue, imagine people going in circles all day long, think about the counter-clockwise strategy, and pick a spot that looks like the annoying, almost 2-minute long, traffic light.
Pro Tip: You can always ask around partners and vendors to share the costs or offer them to rent a small space in their expo booths!
- Get creative with the layout
This doesn’t mean putting a big screen and tables in front of the booth! No matter how appealing it may seem in your vision, this is the opposite of what invites people in. Instead, you should think about how to open the space so that attendees feel welcome.
- Use natural materials
Using wood, for example, lends an air of warm and welcoming authenticity to your booth. Designers love it, and so do the attendees. This is why using real-world materials wherever possible is one of the greatest and easy achievable trade show booth ideas that immediately makes an impression.
- Ad materials & logo
Investing in materials bearing your logo is a must. These are all the banners, signs, packaging, handouts, follow-up correspondences… All of these instill your brand to the audience. Consider that attendees probably see hundreds of these at a show. What’s important is that most of them will keep those materials and will probably go over them at home. It’s needless to say that the most noticeable ones will be the ones that stand a chance of being double-checked.
- Step-and-repeat backdrop
You need something to make your booth stand out. The best-case scenario is to make people have to reference your booth for directions. Also, it gives a polished and professional look rather than just make it easy for people to find your booth. What you want to avoid is people using the booth next to you as a reference. Be that reference booth and make everyone talk about it, whether they want it or not!
- Snacks and drinks
Walking around at shows could be tiring and overwhelming for attendees. What you can do is offer snacks and drinks, these will be very much appreciated, especially after an hour or two of walking around. Of course, the packaging should come with your branding logo and a business card attached. This applies to all the water bottles, food coverings, etc… Don’t miss any chance to make an impression!
Without a doubt, carrying off a successful trade show involves a great deal of planning. These are just 6 basic points that help but what you need is to form a personal routine for your business. The more expos you visit, the clearer you’ll see things in the future. Good luck!
