Successful Trade Show Exhibits

Nothing lures people into a trade show exhibit more than fun. Okay, handing out hundred dollar bills does, but even that won’t guarantee they’ll stick around.

The key is to involve people, to make them part of the exhibit. There’s nothing like seeing a crowd being active and having a good time to make everyone else want to join in.

So how do you do this? Two words: hands-on experience.

Get their hands on your products.
Don’t just display your products in your exhibit booth, put them out so people can use them, feel them, touch them, try them out. Set it up so they can do fun things with your product.

If you sell cameras, hang humorous or exotic backdrops so visitors can photograph each other standing in front of them. And be sure to give them something to walk away with to remember your product by.

Take them to the movies.
Show them a film, create a theater, make it 3-D, interactive, or just immersive. Above all, make it entertaining.

Show the crowd how people use your product.
When people see a crowd, they stop to see what’s going on. If they can’t tell, they move on.

Put up angled overhead mirrors so people can see how those in front are checking out your product. Focus video cameras on them and display it on monitors above.

If people can see what’s going on in your exhibit booth, and it looks like fun, they’re going to wait for their turn.

Make it a game.
Freestanding kiosks and touch-screen displays are a great way to set up interactive games that are fun as well as informative. Make it a quiz. Turn it into a game. Or just use that touch-screen to make it interactive.

As long as it gets people involved, it will keep them in your exhibit, learning about your product while attracting even more visitors.

Make people part of the action and the action will be at your trade show exhibit!

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• Attract a Crowd Before the Show Even Starts
• Honey, I Shrunk My Trade Show Exhibit!
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Your work doesn’t stop just because your trade show exhibit is all set. New graphics, attention-getting design, a flashy presentation, and effective hands-on demo are all great at drawing the people in. That will attract visitors at the trade show – but why leave it to the chance of them making it to over to your exhibit booth? With a little advance work you can make them seek you out. Here are some ideas:

1. Send out a press release – Think of it as free advertising, because that’s just what it is. First, you need to find your angle. Make it something special, different and newsworthy. Maybe you’re introducing a new product or service, or you’ve added something to your trade show exhibit, like a new hands-on demo or a multi-media presentation.

Write it up like a news article and send it to all the trade magazines at least three months in advance. If you need help, ask around for a referral or check the directories for a trade show public relations agency.

2. Promote it on your web site – Create a special page on your web site (or a section if you’re that ambitious) for each trade show you’ll be exhibiting at. Make sure you include your booth number, a map of the trade show floor, a picture of your trade show exhibit booth, and of course the information from the press release you wrote after reading item one above.

If you get the page up at least two months in advance you should find your page listed when people search online for information about the show and your company. And don’t forget to put a prominent reference on your Home Page — if not every page! — something like: “We’re exhibiting at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. Click here for details.”

3. Email marketing – Send emails to your customers and prospects giving them compelling reasons to stop by your trade show exhibit. Thanks to online services like www.constantcontact.com and www.mailchimp.com, it’s now easy and inexpensive to send out good looking emails while keeping your contact list up-to-date.

You upload your existing email list, choose a template, add your logo, then fill it in. Using those cost-effective, easy-to-use services you can send a professional looking email that will be viewed the way you expect and not wind up in your customer’s spam box. From then on the service takes care of adding, changing, or dropping subscribers. Don’t forget to include a link to the web site landing page you created for that particular show.

4. Include coupons and offers in all of the above. Everyone loves a gift, so why not offer your visitors an incentive to drop by your trade show booth? Maybe you give them a promotional freebie if they turn it in. Or you could give them half of a discount coupon and they get the other half when they stop by your exhibit booth.

Be sure to mention this in the press release, post it on your web site so they can print it out, and send it out in an email! It’s a great way to track how well your promotional efforts are working, too.

More from ProExhibits

• BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME?
• Trade Show Exhibit Tip: Attractions… Attract
• Need Recession Help? Consider a Trade Show Display Rental
• What is the Right Type of Exhibit Booth for You?
• Avoid These Trade Show Display Storage Blunders

There are a lot of reasons why a trade show display rental might make sense—you only exhibit at one or two shows a year, your booth space requirements change from show to show, or you just don’t want to make a big capital outlay at the moment—but one thing keeps holding you back. Won’t a rented exhibit look like, well, a rented exhibit?

If the words “rental exhibit” conjure up images of a funky, beat up, out-of-date booth that looks like everybody else’s funky, beat up, out-of-date rental booth on the floor, then it’s time to take another look at them. Rental booths have come a long way, baby!

Trade Show Display Rental: Time for a Fresh Look?

So whether you are exhibiting internationally and opt for a trade show display rental in the country where the show is located to save the exorbitant overseas shipping costs, not have to worry about storage, insurance, repair, and transportation fees, or just need to watch those capital expenditures, you can still achieve your company’s marketing goals and objectives with a custom designed, personalized trade show booth. One that you rent.

It’s enough to make any CFO smile.

By the way… if you’d like a resource that shows a lot of rental options in one place, check our extensive Trade Show Display Rental portfolio for ideas.

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• What is the Right Type of Exhibit Booth for You?
• Attract a Crowd Before the Show Even Starts
• So You Want to Cut Trade Show Display Rental Costs?
• Trade Show Display Rental Mistakes

The Truth about Attracting People to Your Exhibit Booth

Having a good looking, effective exhibit booth is just one piece of the trade show equation—the best display in the world won’t do you a lot of good if you don’t get people by to see it. So how do you attract crowds to your exhibit and get them to spend time there? By creative trade show exhibit planning ahead of your event.

1. Make it an event
People like to be entertained. It’s not enough to just show them how great your product or service is (even though we both know it’s great!), you need to grab their attention. Think music! Lights! Action! Celebrities are always a big draw, but so are the more affordable celebrity look-alikes, jugglers, clowns, and magicians. Once the excitement draws visitors to your trade show booth, you get the chance to tell them your story.

2. Exhibit booth giveaways
Promotional gifts or product samples are magnets that draw visitors to your exhibit booth (even if what you’re giving away isn’t a magnet). It breaks the ice and gets a conversation started between your staff and the visitors. Then they take the giveaway home where it will be a reminder of your company and product. Check the Yellow Pages or look online for “Advertising Specialties.”

3. Make it hands-on or interactive
Have you ever noticed how when you walk the trade show floor people stop at any display where they can actually do something? A creative, interactive trade show display attracts people because it lets them join in the fun, becoming a part of the exhibit in the process. Done properly, it not only entertains but educates too.

4. Contest giveaways
Everyone likes to win something, which is why people line up for a chance to enter a drawing or contest. Whether the prize is large or small, people will stop by, giving you the opportunity to talk to them. Best of all, you’re adding them to your contact and mailing list.

5. Pre-event online promotion
Not all crowd attracting happens at the show. Start the buzz in advance by creating a special web page for each trade show you’ll be appearing at. And don’t forget to place a prominent link to them on your Home Page. Use e-mail marketing to let your customers know what you’ll be doing. Make it exciting by telling them about the fun things that will be happening at your booth. You know – like all the things I’ve mentioned above.

In future posts I’ll go into more detail about each of these crowd attractors…and give you even more ideas for attracting trade show attendees to your exhibit booth. Remember – it’s important to put the show in trade show.

More from ProExhibits

• Attract a Crowd Before the Show Even Starts
• Trade Show Exhibit Tip: Attractions… Attract
• What is the Right Type of Exhibit Booth for You?
• Trade Show Booth Staff Training: Professional Chops Matter
• Renting is Not a Four-letter Word

If you’re confused about picking the right type of trade show exhibit booth, you’re not alone. Everyone asks me how they can choose the right type of trade show exhibit. My answer is always, “It depends.”

You have choice in exhibit booth types and in how you make that happen – used versus new, rental versus purchase.

There’s really no universal “right choice.” The option that is right for you is dependent on a number of variables unique to your situation, such as: budget, timing, ease, flexibility, schedule conflicts and convenience. With a little bit of information, you can begin planning from a more informed perspective.

The following is a brief overview of each to help you frame up your ideas.

Custom Trade Show Exhibit

The custom trade show exhibit type is built from scratch. Everything is exact–width, height and depth are unique. It’s put together creatively from the ground up.

When do you pick custom? It’s best to use a custom trade show exhibit when you’ve got a big breakthrough or when you really want impact. As you can image, it typically represents the most expensive choice, yet for the right conditions it can be well worth that expense.

Custom Modular Exhibit

A custom modular exhibit is less expensive than custom exhibits, it is easy to assemble, it saves space and has lower costs to ship.

It’s the right pick when you want flexible, affordable quality.

Portable Trade Show Display

A portable trade show display is really quick and easy to install and dismantle. It’s right for your first exhibit or for your appearances at smaller, regional shows.

Used Trade Show Booth

This is a great choice if you want to cut down on time and costs. The good news is that a used trade show booth is a lot easier to find than you might imagine; many professional trade show companies have them available for sale or rent, so you don’t have to worry about finding one.

This option is best when you’ve got a time crunch or a budget constraint. You will find all types of trade show booths available for resale.

Trade Show Display Rental

A trade show display rental is right when you need to be in 2 shows at the same time, when you’ve got to add to your existing trade show exhibit (in cases where you have additional space available at one particular trade show), or you’re just simply testing the waters. It’s also a great option for companies that are just starting out and need to conserve cash flow.

So, as you can see, choice is abundant. It’s just in knowing which options are right for your situation. Talk to a trade show exhibit house with some of these ideas in mind, informing your initial discussions. However, keep an open mind to their suggestions and rational as well – after all, they usually have years of experience and can provide great guidance.

More from ProExhibits

• Tips for Reducing the Expense of Trade Show Exhibits
• Which of the Five Types of Trade Show Exhibits Is Right for You?
• Need Recession Help? Consider a Trade Show Display Rental
• Renting is Not a Four-letter Word
• Attract a Crowd Before the Show Even Starts

There are some pretty big mistakes you want to avoid when you opt for a trade show display rental. You are not immune to the impact of these mistakes simply because you are renting.

This has got to be the biggest no-no you can make. And, it’s also the most expensive. Never, and I mean never, pick a trade show display rental on looks over practicality.

If you do, you’ll have costs that’ll hunt you down. Freight, drayage, installation and dismantling costs will make you a very unhappy renter.

Yes, the design impact is important. You may find that you think of it as less attractive when you start factoring in some of the shipping and storing costs if your display’s design has increased the weight and involves additional shipping intricacies. For instance, calculate how many shipping crate’s you’ll need.

Do your homework – as unglamorous as it may seem, you won’t regret it. Once you have done that, step back and rethink how compelling that particular display rental is over others that are less costly to ship, install and manage logistically.

If you’re on an overly aggressive timeline, you’ll be sure to make design mistakes, incur rush charges, and you’ll lose out on early discounts. Tip: watch, like a hawk, the cut-off dates for discounts on carpeting, drayage, lighting and show services. Save your sanity and your budget.

Using Inexperienced Graphic Designers

Well, here’s one area where is just doesn’t pay to give the new kid on the block a try. You’ll need to pick a designer who can work in billboard-sized graphics. Your designer has got to work with very large graphic files that convert artwork into clear, crisp graphics on a grand scale. You want a graphic designer with experience and credibility to get the job done right and with the kind of style you want to represent your business.

Working with Incorrect or Missing Show Space Specs

So easy to goof up here – yet so hard to recoup those errors! You’ll have to be true to the size specs of your assigned show space number. You’ll need to avoid obstructions such as columns, archways and beams that’ll prohibit hanging signs, etc.

Projecting an Unrealistic Budget

You will save under many conditions with a trade show display rental, yet it isn’t free. You still have to work with the right budget for your trade show display rental.

After all – do you just want to be there or do you want your trade show booth to be a statement about your company that attracts the right kind of prospects for your team to engage with at the trade show? Moreover, you want to compare favorably to your competitors and the show display is one way to shape that perception.

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