The benefits of exhibiting at a trade show can surpass any marketing or growth technique, and a trade show display plays a big part in this potential success. Trillions of business deals are done at trade shows every year. The biggest and best trade show displays definitely have the edge, but not all are successful.
It’s no secret, it’s simply this: Trade show success is measured by how much effort you want to put into it.
What specific strategies are behind successful trade show displays?
Here we have put together a list of our top 8 trade show tips and strategies.
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Start preparing early
One of the best and easiest trade show booth ideas is to start building excitement for your booth long before the event starts. Use social media to give hints about some of the amazing things you’ll have at your trade show booth. Get pictures from the event coordinators and post them on your company Facebook page as the trade show gets closer.
You can even post a few giveaway ideas and have your social media followers vote on their favorite ones. Building up the excitement before the event will keep people interested in your trade show display and make them much more likely to stop by during the event.
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First Impressions Matter. Like a lot.
Our first opinion of someone forms in only one-tenth of a second. Studies show that your first impression has a high correlation with the actual long-term status of your relationship. There’s not much time for you spare on your initial presentation either.
Not surprisingly, we see similar results when someone’s first impression is of a brand. It takes only one-fifth of a second to form an opinion of a website and 94% of that opinion is design related.
Therefore, creative trade show display ideas, like promotional products, can give you a huge edge at any event.
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Create a comfortable, welcoming environment
If you have a large space for your booth, set up some chairs. There isn’t a lot of seating at trade shows, and people will appreciate the chance to sit down and rest for a few minutes.
Putting padded mats over the floor is another good idea if you don’t have the space for chairs. A lot of trade shows are held on hard, concrete floors, and comfortable mats will invite people to stick around your booth for a while.
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Let them promote you FOR you.
Effective promotional giveaways that are easily visible are a way to extend your booth’s reach. Hand out big stickers, wearables, light up trinkets, etc. and turn it into a game. Those who wear your promo items have a chance to win something big at the end of the show.
These are great because the more people you get to wear them, the more others will want one. It’s also a great conversation starter for attendees, as your brand and trade show display are inserted into that conversation.
Feed the people! Attendees get hungry walking around a trade show all day, so handing out cookies, muffins, or fruit will quickly draw a crowd to your booth.
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Stick out like a sore thumb
If you can, check out your competitors before the event so you can see how they’ll be decorating their trade show display. Then come up with some bigger and better trade show display ideas.
Create extra-tall booth displays that stretch high above everyone else around you. People will be able to see your booth from a distance, maybe even right when they enter and wonder what it is.
You can also make an overhead display and hang it above your booth or lay some kind of graphic on the floor in front of your booth (this could be something as simple as an arrow or your logo). If you want to get really creative, think of objects that are sure to catch peoples’ eyes. Maybe a custom wrapped bike or car.
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Let them interact.
If you can make your product or service interactive, people will stay and a crowd will form. Not all brands are easy to display. Find a way to allow your trade show display traffic to interact with your products or services. Not only will you generate interest, but they will get a better understanding of your value proposition.
Touch screens are a great way to display any type of business offering as long as it’s interactive.
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Create an experience.
If you can’t display your business offering in an interactive way, consider creating an experience.
Take Charity Water for instance. Charity Water creates safe and clean water sources for remote villages in developing nations that don’t have a sustainable water supply. They invite their booth visitors to walk two 40lb jugs of water across a 50-yard platform. By doing this, they give visitors a small taste of the experience villagers in developing nations go through every day to fetch water from rivers miles away from their home.
For a short time, people understand how hard it is to walk a couple of yards, let alone a couple of miles carrying 80lbs. Charity Water creates an experience that helps its visitors connect with their brand.
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Let’s make a deal!
Special deals are other great trade show display ideas. People like getting special things, and they are more likely to buy something from you that day if it is discounted or comes with other perks.
But don’t make the deal too ridiculous. Keep it professional and beneficial to you. People jump on all kinds of deals, so it doesn’t have to be better than everyone else around you.
Are you looking to take your trade show display to the next level?
Of all the attendees at trade shows, nearly 70% represents new, potential customers. Furthermore, 99 percent of marketers say that trade shows provide their companies with unique value.
The professionals here at Davant are well aware of trade show displays that work well. Unique ideas get the most buzz, but only if the strategy harmonizes with the brand and the industry.
Don’t go big and extravagant if it doesn’t have a purpose. The biggest success stories come from the companies with the most thought out marketing campaign at the show. Give us a call to discuss your trade show display options! We’d love to help: (317) 849-6565.
