The Secret to Running a Successful Booth at Any Trade Show
How do I get people to stop by my booth? How do I educate people on my product or service? I don’t know how to follow up with potential customers post trade show! Does this sound like reoccurring problems in your world? We’ve been to so many trade shows across all industries and it’s easy to get lost in the rows of booths amongst your competition. Luckily for you, we’ve gathered all our convention experience to help you hit your trade show goals.
#1: PREPARATION
Before the event, make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Do you have enough team members working the booth throughout the day? Will you need any electricity to charge devices? If you plan on selling items, make sure you have change so you’re not scrambling last minute.
Divide and conquer tasks amongst your team to make sure all your bases are covered. Plan what talking points everyone will focus on and make it easier for people to identify your team by wearing matching shirts or outfits.
#2: BOOTH LOCATION
Some shows allow you to choose your booth spot. If so, we always recommend getting a spot near an entrance. This means guaranteed higher foot traffic since everyone will be forced to walk past your booth.
Being next to a company that sells the same product/service can work in your favor if you have the upper hand on price, quality, etc.
Don’t be afraid to contact the event coordinator if you’re unhappy with your spot. Some trade shows place vendors as they load in.
#3: BRAND ACTIVATIONS
This is our speciality. A majority of booths have pamphlets, free pens, and a salesperson dressed up ready to sell you something you don’t need. Break away from your competition and offer something you’ve never seen before that’ll make people stop at your booth. We’ve seen great ideas in the past, including the ones we offer:
LIVE SCREEN PRINTING
We’re well-seasoned when it comes to screen printing. It’s something that’s done all the time, but never live in front of people. It’s a process that’ll wow your guests and have them leaving the trade show with a promo item they can actually use.
Take it a level higher and tailor the garment we’re printing on for the event. For example, we printed white shirts at Holi Festival, a festival where colored powder is thrown to celebrate. We’ve also printed on custom tote bags made out of a new fabric line at Bassett Furniture.
LIVE BUTTON MAKING
We originally came up with this idea for kids, but after testing it, we found that adults have just as much fun, if not more, making their own buttons. Similar to screen printing, it’s something that’s done all the time, but never seen by the public eye.
We’ve also found that people LOVE options. Our live button brand activation holds up to 6 different designs and can also make magnets and keychains.
PAIR A SERVICE WITH YOUR PRODUCT
Kendra Scott is the master of in-store promotions. With a goal to promote their nail polish line, they brought in a team to give free manicures with purchase. What service can you partner with your product that compliment each other, or vice versa?
SOLVE PEOPLE’S PROBLEMS
If you’ve been to a music festival, you’d know firsthand how sweaty you get from the heat. Vitamin Water found a solution to this by building a human car wash with a mister to cool off festival goers. Problem solved!
Source: Intellitix
#4: BOOTH DESIGN
We can’t stress how important your booth looks. It’s a first impression for anyone walking by. Stray from the status quo and design a booth that stands out. A true test is to stand at the end of your aisle and see what catches your eye. We’ve designed a backdrop whenever we screen print at trade shows to make it look like we’re in a print shop. We constantly hear people say they came up to our booth solely based on our backdrop.
Signage also helps, especially if your product or service is new in the industry. Have a designer design custom branded signage to fit your booth.
Photo Credit: AIGA Houston
#5: CUSTOMER INFO
Sure, you can hit all the items above, but what’s the point if you don’t have any way to follow up with your customers? We find that having an email list is the most effective way to reach your audience.
Hold a raffle with a cool prize or simply have a sign-up sheet. Creating a landing page also works well so that you know where your guests are coming from. A great way to entice people to visit your landing page is to offer it with a coupon code for a percentage off your product or service.
And there you have it! Our tips and secrets to running a successful booth at any trade show or convention. So the next time your brand books a spot at a convention, refer to this post and let us help you build more brand awareness!