You probably read the title of this article and thought, “But that’s why I’m here! Blazer Exhibits is a team of experts who can help me design a killer trade show display.” While that is certainly true, even the most perfectly designed tradeshow booth doesn’t guarantee you’ll attract a multitude of new leads. You have to do some of the work yourself!
CC Image courtesy of Nicole Yeary on FlickrDon’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds. It’s all about interaction. The booth design and signage draws them in, and the experience you offer inside keeps them there. If they find that experience beneficial to them in any way, they are going to be talking about it with others, whether face-to-face, or through social media. So how can you create a memorable interactive experience, one that stands out after a full day of booth hopping?
Free merch and giveaways. I remember when I was a child, and my grandmother would take me to the home improvement expo in our community, called The Home Show. There are two things that kids just can’t seem to stay away from – submitting their name into giveaways and free stuff like pens and magnets. I recall coming home with a bag full of freebies, and I won’t forget the year we won a year’s supply of cat food despite having a cat! The same rings true for grownups – they can never have enough pens or magnets, and they will most likely stop to enter their name in a drawing for a chance to win the latest technology, gas card, grocery card, or a year’s supply of a certain product.
This can be a highly effective way to draw people to your booth, when you can get more information. Added bonus: all of those raffle entries make great contact forms! Just be sure you ask a few questions for marketing purposes so that you can be sure you are sending emails to an interested party. But this shouldn’t be the only thing you offer, just the thing that gets them into the booth. You need multiple layers of interaction; this is just the first layer.
Engaging the five senses. People are attracted to things that please their senses. If it looks great, that might get them there. But what if you can incorporate as many senses as possible? This will surely entice them! I can hear you ask, “But what about the sense of smell?” Well, along the lines of free stuff, consider offering freshly popped popcorn to those who stop in to visit your booth (of course, this is only if food is allowed on the show floor.)
Charge someone with running the popcorn machine, equipment that can be rented from many rental companies across the country, and filling small bags with the tasty treat. Incorporate monitors to show promotional videos for new products or your company in general to appeal to attendees’ sense of sight. Have new product samples on hand for people to touch and feel, and consider playing soft music in the background to create the atmosphere you desire.
Get tech-y. People love touchscreen technology, so consider incorporating it in your booth. You can set up a bank of tablets or iPads for booth visitors to see different product informational videos, or rely on a tablet to collect mailing list data. QR codes are considered fun, and give attendees a quick way to access information. Why waste time tapping that touchscreen keyboard when you can just take a picture of the QR code? Consider recording product demonstrations attendees can view on tablets throughout your booth.
Speaking of demos… Even if you choose to offer product demos in a digital format, you can still have one big demonstration right there in your booth. Choose the product that will wow them, and set up a demo area. This allows people to not only see the product in action, but to have their questions answered right there on the spot. Be sure to assign this task to a people person – you want someone who engages well with viewers while speaking clearly and in an animated fashion. They should think on their feet, and encourage audience participation. To get even more viewers, offer small giveaways for watching the demonstration. Whether it is a coffee mug with your logo on it, a small product you sell, or even a coupon good for a discount on their next purchase, that’s a great way to please the people. If you can get people involved in demoing your product, where they are able to use the product themselves, this is the best way to go about a demo.
Put on a show. This doesn’t have to involve your product at all! It exists imply to excite attendees who’ll see the show and want to know more about the company that put it on. That guy in accounting is a stellar juggler, so see if he’d be willing to put on a show on the trade show floor in the name of attracting the curious.
It’s a lot more than a fancy booth. You need to make sure that what you’re putting in the booth and the experience you are offering overall is just as important! Contact us today to discuss your vision for your trade show booth. We can help come up with something irresistible to any attendee!