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Ten Trade Show Tips for a Stronger Trade Show Booth Presence

1. Set specific objectives.

There can be several. You should write down what they are so that you will be sure to put in place everything you need to accomplish those objectives. Here are some examples:

See how people in that market respond to what you offer.

2. Keep your exhibit simple.

The job of an exhibit display booth is to attract the attention of passersby and to project an appropriate image for your company. Normally, an exhibit does not do the selling; you do. The trade show booth display is the backdrop for the in-person contacts you make. Therefore, you don’t want your exhibit to display all the information you would put in a brochure. Use the exhibit background to impress people and provide a quick glimpse of what you offer. When your display gets them interested they can get the details directly from you and your brochure.

3. Seek out the trade press.

The trade show press can be a big factor in getting the word out about your product. The larger tradeshows often have an area for the trade press, where you can leave press kits. Writers and advertising sales people from various trade publications normally try to visit as many display booths as they can. Even if you chose not to buy advertising space, you can learn a lot by talking with them. Specifically, you can find out how to create a press release that will be most successful at getting publicity in their publication.

4. Follow up right away.

It may take you months to prepare and execute a thorough follow-up of the leads you get. However, you should immediately send a card to every name simply saying : “Thanks for visiting our exhibit display booth at....” Reinforce the memory of their experience at your exhibit, and let them know you care about their business. Have your follow-up cards printed before you go to the show. Address them by hand in your hotel room each night with that day’s contacts. Mail them the day you get home. Impress people with how efficient you are. The modern business world moves at the speed of light. Demonstrate that you can keep up.

5. Use business cards.

No matter how much sales literature you have available, remember that the business card is the best way for a potential customer to find your contact information. Look around your office. How quickly can you find somebody’s brochure if you want to contact them? Most people keep business cards where they can find them a month or six months from now.

6. Collect business cards.

Even if your show organizers have provided a way for your prospects to carry plastic cards you use to make a quick imprint, a business card will be an excellent reference. It provides you with a reliable spelling of individual and company names as well as positions within the company, type of business, etc.

7. Use eye-grabbers at the aisle.

If you observe the way most people visually scan display booths as they walk down the aisle at a trade show, you will notice that their gaze doesn’t generally take in the back walls of the exhibit booths; they focus on the parts of the display that are adjacent to the aisle. It may prove helpful to have something at the aisle to grab attention and let people know you have something of interest to them. Your product on a pedestal. The one word that describes your service on a sign. A full size clone of you welcoming them.

8. Use lots of light.

You do not want to be lost in the shadows. Your exhibit should be the bright spot in the neighborhood. A backwall with 2 quartz lights should do the trick if those lights are pointed at a bright and powerful trade show graphic. The 75-watt bulbs used in incandescent fixtures are much less bright, so use a lot more of them to make your exhibit display bright enough.

9. Use gimmicks and freebies carefully.

They should relate to what you offer. You want to make purposeful connections with viable prospects. Anyone can give things away, but that may or may not accomplish anything for you. What is the purpose of the give-away or gimmick? Is it to attract people to your booth? If so, does it really bring people who would not otherwise come? Are they the right people? If your goal is to make sure people hold onto something that has your name and phone number, are you also making sure to give them a reason to call you?

10. Consider wearing your corporate logo.

It shows professionalism and teamwork that give a good impression. It is not appropriate for everyone. We just think you should consider it. The logo could be embroidered on a patch for a blazer pocket. It could be a pin that looks nice on a dress or business suit. I have been to trade shows where my associates and I wore polo shirts (some white, some navy blue) with the product logo embroidered on. Even though most of the other booths were manned by men in gray pin stripe suits, we felt comfortably professional and appropriate. We were there to talk about our product, and our shirts reinforced the impression that we believed in it. The money you spend to supply your representatives with corporate polo shirts is negligible compared to most other promotional expenses.

Note: We believe these tips, which are based on our personal experience, to be excellent advice. It is not the whole story, though. There are many other sources of good advice, and we recommend you look at them all.

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