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5 Things to Consider When Planning a Trade Show

When your company spends the money, time, and effort to display a booth at a trade show, it is vital to make the best of it. Face-to-face marketing is more important than ever before as consumers demand personal connections with the brands they trust. However, selecting the right trade show companies can be difficult.  With so many events to choose from, it can be difficult to figure out which show will reach your target audience.

We have outlined 5 things to consider when planning a trade show.

1. Location, Location, Location

If you want to gain maximum exposure at a trade show, being located close to the show floor entrances provides great visibility and foot traffic with attendees entering and exiting a show. However, if possible, try not to position your exhibit too close the entrance as attendees tend to pass the first few exhibits in an effort to explore the show. A happy-medium would be close enough to the entrance to get noticed, but far enough away to capture the sustained attention of attendees.

2. Appealing Booth Design

In addition to having that perfect set up and appealing design, your booth should be approachable. Smiling faces of professional booth attendants are important.

Have a variety of different display options to appeal to different people. Some people like flyers, pamphlets, and reading materials. Other attendees are visual and would like to see a video demo on an HD screen or tablet. Many will want to engage with the booth staff and ask questions. Make sure that plenty of booth staff is available at all times.

3. Friendly Faces

Consider having a booth host who is trained to answer some simple questions and direct buyers to the appropriate staff member in the booth. Some of the most common roles performed by trade show booth staffers include, booth hosts, specializes who welcome and register booth visitors. Presenters which include skilled public speakers and presenters that are adept at giving live in-booth presentations and demonstrations. And crowd gatherers take on the host’s role outside the booth, engaging attendees in the aisles and areas surrounding your booth.

4. Contests and Promotions

In-booth activities work best when the contestants are active rather than passive participants. When planning your contest, think about ways to get your participants engaged with your staff, product or service. Listed are some of the most popular, engaging and fun contest and game ideas for your next event: prize wheel, trivia, counting contest, jumbo games, arcade games, etc… At the end of the day, trade show contests and games are one of the best ways to make connections on the show floor. Contests and games help attendees to relax and forget about the stresses of business travel with lighthearted fun.

5. Promotional Product

A promotional product is a staple at trade shows. Make sure that the promotional product giveaway that you choose is something that is relevant to your brand and useful to the consumer.  Items such as pens, bags, badges, mugs/cups &/or notebooks.

Pulling off a successful trade show involves a great deal of planning. If you regularly attend trade shows, you will form a routine; but even if you have a routine, be sure to constantly continue to innovate and improve it.