Trade shows can be tough. There are thousands of businesses and millions of attendees, who all want the same thing, attention. Businesses are there to attract more customers and make sales, attendees are there to find new business and to be targeted. Thousands of businesses are all exhibiting at the show trying to attract attention and create a buzz around their exhibition stand. However with there being so many of them, how do you make one stand, stand out?

Staff and Attendees

Be approachable, stand up, walk around trying to engage with people. Try not to blend into the stand, wear something bright or eye catching otherwise people will walk right past your stand. Pick the right people good customer service goes a long way, and if your space provides this along with knowledge of the business, a buzz will be created. Something to remember with customer service is admitting mistakes, as customers’ will respect this and it might even build stronger relationships.

Tell people you’re exhibiting, send out invites, email, ring up other local companies. It’s no use planning for a big trade show, spending a lot of time and money on it to not invite people to attend. Relying on passing customers’ to stop at your stand isn’t a good strategy.

Offer out freebies, not pens or key rings as these will end up on the floor or in the bin. Try sweets, the time it takes to open a wrapper is enough time to give a short pitch about what you’re offering. This works well as most people will come for the freebies and then leave. If this doesn’t pick up enough attention try offering short contests to attendees, answering questions about the business and winning prizes. This encourages the customers to engage with you as they are gaining something from it.

See what you’re up against. For smaller businesses, it is sometimes better to attend one of these trade shows as a customer before exhibiting, this will give you an idea of what the bigger companies are providing and you’ll see it from a customers’ point of view. Who is after all your target.

The Exhibition Stand

Some bigger brands will have a big fancy stand which will have cost a lot of money, yet there can be minimum buzz around it. Try bringing in simple digital assets such as playing with lighting, putting out iPad’s for quick sign up and creating an app. Another easy way to attract custom is by offering out free WiFi at your booth, as this will encourage customers to stay.

Rather than just rambling the same speech on to customers, try including some visuals to engage them in from afar. If a booth is eye catching from a distance then customers are more likely to stop by. For example:

The big guys often use fancy pop-up displays and don’t mess with customising anything. We beat those exhibitors every time on a very small budget. Two years ago, we partnered with the local zoo to bring two penguins to our trade show booth. People crowded around our booth from the moment the show began. We handed out penguin-themed flyers and penguin stress balls. People STILL remember it!  –  Jesse Lear, V.I.P. Waste Services, LLC 

 

Size doesn’t always matter, so get out of the four walls. Many companies will build a square stand and leave it be, which doesn’t always look professional or thought through. When designing your stand opt for different shapes or an open roof, as this won’t close in the booth. Aim to spend at least 4-6 months on planning and designing the stand. The company with the biggest stand doesn’t win, the company that generates the biggest buzz does.

Trade show days are long, busy and tiring. This means customers’ are going to want to sit down and relax after a lot of walking around. If you could provide a relaxing space which works alongside your stand, then this will also attract passing customers.