In the crowded, competitive environment of a trade show, you have around three seconds to capture the attention and attract the interest of a new prospect.
That’s a tough ask, and it requires a perfect combination of value, intrigue and effective trade show display design.
From the typeface you use for your heading to the traffic flow around your booth, a variety of factors can affect how your trade show display performs. In this post, we’ll examine the visual ones – factors such as continuity, visual impact, and exhibit identity.
We’ll do this by sharing several actionable tips that you can use to boost the visual impact of your trade show display rentals and generate a better level of interest, larger amount of leads and a higher return on investment from your next trade show.
Design your booth with the “three-second rule” in mind
On average, you have three seconds to attract the attention of a prospect and motivate them to enter into your trade show booth.
That isn’t much time, and it requires a design that’s focused on communicating your value and offer as quickly and simply as possible. This means valuing impact over comprehensiveness – most of the time, it’s better for your displays to say a little less than to say too much.
When you’re designing your displays, simplify your message to the point where every visitor will be able to fully read, absorb and understand it in three seconds. If it takes any longer than three seconds to “get” your booth, you risk losing prospects and customers to your competitors.
Position your booth to take advantage of traffic flow
Every trade show has a natural traffic flow – a directional flow of attendees from one part of the exhibition hall to another. The direction of your booth can play a huge role in helping you shape the traffic flow around your booth, encouraging more people to enter.
When you’re setting up for the event, take note of the direction people are likely to walk in from the entrance through the exhibition. By understanding the flow of traffic, you can position your displays for maximum visual impact and exposure.
This might sound like a small deal, but it can have a big impact on your results. After all, even the best trade show displays and signage will fail to produce results if they’re positioned out of sight for most attendees.
Keep your booth, brand and marketing items consistent
Finally, a key aspect of maximizing your visual impact is keeping the look and feel of your trade show booth, corporate identity and marketing items consistent.
This means using the same color scheme, typefaces, icons, graphics and other visual design elements between items. Doing so creates a “theme” to your exhibit that attendees won’t just notice at the event, but also something that they’ll remember afterward.
When your booth, brand and marketing materials lack continuity, it’s easy for visitors to forget about your trade show presence altogether, or feel confused when it’s time to follow up. Stay consistent and you’ll make a bigger impact, both at the show and after the event is over.