How to Stand Out at Trade Shows: (Hint: It’s in the Preparation)
Thinking about joining a trade show as an exhibitor for the first time this year? Exciting times! Whatever industry you’re part of, your business will likely benefit from that kind of in-person exposure, whether you conduct your business online or at a physical location.
Need some convincing? Virginia-based Process Expo has listed 101 reasons to exhibit at a trade show. Check out their blog, we’ll wait right here.
Perhaps one of the most relevant reasons to exhibit at a trade show is helping your customers and potential business partners put a human face to your brand. We have to admit, despite the speed and convenience of doing business over the Internet for brands aiming to widen their reach, people trust the businesses they know best. Most of the time, that might mean knowing for sure your business is run by trustworthy people.
So what do you need to get ready for that trade show? Here are our top tips.
-
Sign up early.
Imagine exhibit day. If the trade show is considerably popular, the venue will be huge, and you can very well expect a sea of guests gathering around hundreds of booths. Newsflash: Not all booth spots are made equal. Your place on the exhibit floor will likely affect how many inquiries you’ll get and sales you’ll make. Message Makers of Lansing, Michigan suggests getting a central spot on the trade show floor, which tends to run out fastest. So catch 
the best spots by signing up to an upcoming trade show several months or even years in advance whenever possible.
-
Ready your giveaway kits.
People in general love receiving free stuff. Even more so if it’s something they can really use! Apart from samples of your own products and the essential branded pens and lanyards, how do you find out what your potential booth visitors might like? One way is to ask them through your email list or social media page. (Hint: you can browse for ideas from our catalog of promotional products, then make a poll out of your top picks.) Take it a step further by setting up an on-the-day raffle draw of special prizes to drum up a sizable crowd around your booth at peak times.
-
Prepare to spruce up that booth.
Just as regular shoppers at the mall huddle around some unusual, eye-catching display or new store blaring dance tracks on loudspeakers, your trade show folk will most likely gravitate towards the most unique booth on the exhibit floor. So jazz it up!
Check out what others are doing with their booths from event pics online and do better. Try to incorporate a fun theme or an unusual contest where winners get prizes. After all, your trade show goers are looking to be impressed and to have fun when possible. See other ways to stand out at a trade show from this list by Inc.
-
Engage your visitors in pleasant conversation.
Time to shine! Your smartly uniformed trade show team could use a pep talk before game day. A useful tip is to remind your booth staff to keep the conversations light and try to ask visitors some easy questions like “How’s your day so far?” or “Are you in the [insert industry name] business?”, as well as addressing their specific questions, before diving into a spiel about your company’s unique selling proposition.
-
Agree on the best ways your booth visitors may leave their contact information.
Will a sign-up sheet or guest book work? Do your potential clients tend to carry business cards? Have a glass bowl they can drop it in. (Don’t forget to prep your cards--or branded coasters–to exchange!) Or will a simple follow on your social media page suffice? Whatever it may be, decide on one or two, and make sure to ask booth visitors to use one of these means to stay in touch with you.
-
Plan to cover the event on your social media real-time and beyond.
A live dispatch over your social media pages is essential to pretty much any event hoping to attract more visitors as the day unfolds. Get visitors to pose for pictures at your booth, which will be easy if you’re smart about your booth design, and post them directly on your brand’s Facebook wall or Instagram. Even better if you can tag them in your pics or they tag your company in theirs. Beyond exhibition day, an eventful trade show can be a good source of material for a blog or your company’s photo galleries.
There you have it! Don’t let the prospect of your first big trade show overwhelm you into submission. With ample preparation, major undertakings like these can be very rewarding for your business.
Ready to plan your trade show booth? At Impact Marketing & Design, we help businesses with their marketing and promotion campaigns, from picking out staff uniforms to getting custom giveaways made, and so much more. Get in touch and let us help you make it happen!