Monster.com does something very interesting at trade shows. This company sets up interactive displays that need no explanation from any salesperson. Trade show attendees simply walk by the displays and start playing with the touchscreens. Monster’s trade show displays are hugely successful. Why? Because
Monster understands the power of touch, which is not all that unlike the power of the image.
Touch and Sight: Not to be Overlooked
When content consultants and site designers work on the overall image of a website, they incorporate a lot of different elements into that site. There are some words, sure, but a successful website includes two very important things:
1. A lot of images that are interesting to look at (infographics).
2. A clear roadmap that tells viewers what to do – and what to do next.
Someone visiting a website won’t be guided by a salesperson creating a demonstration. A website is the demonstration, and it must tell the viewer what to do – in a very subtle manner. What’s the best way to achieve this goal? Let the person viewing a site play with things on the site like buttons, pages, and other interactive pieces. Successful trade show booth displays are no different than successful websites.
Don’t Explain, Show
A trade show booth that entices people to touch, play, and see things is a display that most people can’t pass up. Think about the last time you walked by a computer screen begging to be touched – I’m betting that you tapped those keys or touched that screen, right? Think about the displays that electronics stores create, and the clientele that visits those stores. Have you ever walked into a store like Best Buy and not touched something?
People that attend trade shows don’t want to stand and listen to a lecture. They don’t want to hear what you have to say or listen to your pitch. They want evidence that your product or service works, and that means letting those people play with whatever you have set up right away. Of course, you have to have a display design that draws people in (and that probably means a really clever computer or other interactive system), but it will be tough for people not to touch a display that’s just sitting there begging to be played with.
Perhaps if timeshare salespeople set up interactive displays, more tourists would buy the timeshare instead of dreading listening to that sales pitch! As you can see, the power of touch works, and it’s a tactic that massive companies like Monster have been using for a long time to attract trade show attendees. How can you create a display like Monster’s?
The Importance of Display Design
There’s an old saying that goes like this: “if you think hiring an expert is too expensive, wait until you hire an amateur.” The idea here is that working with someone that doesn’t know his or her stuff will cost you more money than working with someone that can get things done right the first time. Sure, interactive trade show displays are expensive if you work with a professional design team, but those are the displays that get noticed.
You’ll need someone to set up an interactive display for you, create a program that will draw people in, and test out your display well before you go to any trade show. Does all of this mean that your pitch doesn’t matter? Not at all! What is means is that you have to have a really well developed product and booth if you want to stand out amongst the hundreds of other competitors at any given trade show. We’ll give you another tip too: learn from your competition.
Take the time to attend a trade show in your area, walk around, see the various trade show displays, and note which ones grab your attention the most, and why those displays stood out. There’s probably a really good reason why some are more eye-catching than others, and we’re betting that has to do with the display.
When you’re ready to design a custom display that includes eye-catching elements, contact us today. We’re happy to work with you, create your vision, provide a fee estimate, and show you just how powerful a trade show display that includes the element of touch can be.