Trade shows have been a popular form of promotion for a very long time. A place where a supplier can find new buyers. And it is often the critical nexus in creating exposure and market awareness. Trade shows are a place of connection, networking, and shameless self-promotion. If your display can generate the right kind of buzz for your company, all the expense and planning will have been well worth it.
- First Impressions: You will never get another chance to have your customers see your display for the first time. What you need is a hook; something exciting or visually interesting, that can be seen from further away. This creates curiosity for your brand before your customers even arrive at your booth. Make sure their curiosity is rewarded, and that they don’t feel they were sucked in by some flashy unrelated gimmick.
- Create an Informational Panel: When your customers arrive at your booth, they want to know what you are about and how they can benefit from your product. Make sure you have an informational display that breaks down your product or service. This needs to be done in the most elegant and simplistic way possible. It is important that this display is professionally produced.
- Pump Your Name: If you have giveaways, they must display your company’s name. If you have bags, they must have your logo on them. All your display materials need to speak about your company. This isn’t a time to be subtle or obscure. You are a baby bird in a nest trying to get fed. The customers need to keep seeing that logo, even after they walk away. Today there are multiple ways to create unique, and even three-dimensional versions of your logo. Many sign shops (called ร้านทำป้าย in Thai) have CNC equipment and 3D printing available.
- Multimedia: Even if it is just a short movie on a screen, make sure you always have some multimedia occurring. If you only have posters and brochures, you are a dinosaur. Using multimedia signals that you are in step with technology.
- Giveaways: You must be giving things away: Stuff we all get, or swag, is a major draw to booths at a trade show. People will seek out the best swag, and other people will ask them where they got it. Even if most of the freebies don’t end up with a customer. Happy collectors will become free promoters of your company.
There are many more tricks to for trade shows, but if you are including these five elements, you will have a good start on making the most of your trade show experience.