Trade Shows: Get the Most from Trade Show Booths
Market Products and Services Effectively Using Trade Show Exhibits
Mar 24, 2009
Booths at trade shows, exhibitions and community fairs bring products and services directly to the attention of prospective customers. This face-to-face contact is one of the most effective ways to generate sales, identify prospects and gather feedback.
When planning a booth at a trade show, start by gathering ideas with advance visits to a few other trade shows. Watch for booths with crowds around them. Note the locations, signage, design, displays and what the staff are doing.
Here are six critical elements to watch for during those visits, and to be considered when planning a booth at a trade show, exhibition or community fair:
Location
The higher the traffic flow the better, obviously. That means the more desirable booths will be located closer to entrances, at the ends of rows of booths, and adjacent to food services, special attractions and restrooms.
Experienced trade show exhibitors know to book early to get the best locations. They also know the higher cost of renting these locations usually pays off, provided they leverage the opportunity properly.
Signage
Invest in professionally-made signage. Signs are the first things seen by people attending a trade show. Good visuals are vitally important.
Companies invest millions of dollars in branding, packaging, and product and company logos and word marks. Experience has shown that colors, graphics and design have a profound influence, rightly or wrongly, on how people judge the quality of products and services they promote.
Space and Size
Space at most trade shows is rented in increments of 10 feet by 10 feet. A few trade shows use smaller sizes. Regardless, the best size is the one that accommodates properly the products or services available and the sales activities needed to sell them.
Large companies will often have professionally designed and installed displays that occupy multiple back-to-back spaces at the ends of rows. Large booths like these at major international trade shows frequently will occupy thousands of square feet.
Exhibitors at smaller shows usually have more modest budgets. But beware of false economy. A six-foot by six-foot booth, or even one 10 feet by 10 feet, may seem attractive financially, but a booth 10 feet by 20 feet may turn out to generate a better return on the investment. Depending on the product or services being promoted, the larger booth may provide the space needed to generate a stronger attraction to prospects.
Design
The prime purpose of booth design is to attract prospective customers. A booth must encourage passing show attendees to pause in front of the booth at first, and then draw them into the booth. The key: make it easy.
Those attending trade shows undergo a change from being attendees to becoming prospective customers the moment they enter a booth. Successful booths draw people in with signage, displays and giveaways and, above all, by providing an inviting opening at the front of the booth.
Conversely, a booth closed off by tables across the front presents a barrier -- a signal to attendees they are unwelcome. Chances are most will pass right on by without stopping. The layout is a classic and often fatal error made by inexperienced exhibitors.
Some exhibitors contract with specialized companies to design and install attractive and inviting trade show displays. Exhibitors with smaller budgets can learn much by analyzing these professional displays.
A booth can be outfitted using company or supplier brochures and promotional literature, and products or other visually attractive items. Arrange these on tables along both sides of the booth. Always use tablecloths; neutral colors are best
Small tables or display stands might be placed at the entrance, on one or both sides, but make certain the entrance is much wider than the space taken by the tables or stands.
A few chairs and a small coffee table may also be added, space permitting. Prospective customers who sit down may want to discuss the products or services offered, or perhaps just need a rest. Either way, they are prime candidates for a sales pitch.
Attractions
Activity attracts attention. Successful booth exhibits usually incorporate some form of visual movement.
Demonstrations, displays with movement, or even video monitors, will draw attention, and thus help build traffic, to a booth.
Staff
Train all staff – whether paid or volunteers. Include how to ‘work’ a trade show, as well as details on the products or services, and tips on how to sell them.
Staff must remain on their feet. The only exception is meeting with a prospective client. When standing, staff are more alert, are at eye level with prospects, and are ready to interact with them.
Staff who are sitting will send a signal of disinterest to prospects, intentional or not. And staff reading a newspaper or book while sitting in a booth should be elsewhere.
Fresh and relaxed staff are the most effective. But working a booth on foot is physically demanding. Therefore, work shifts must be rotated often. Common schedules are two hours on duty and two hours off. Work shifts should never be longer than four hours.
