Attending exhibitions, tradeshows and industry events get you and your brand in front of your target market. Investing in a booth enables you to educate, expose and showcase your businesses to key decision-makers and influencers.
Booths are a strategic sales investment enabling you to be front and center, communicating and networking with your target audience about your products and/or services and interacting with prospective clients/sales leads.
To make a lasting impression at your next industry event, expo or tradeshow here are eight techniques and tips to consider:
1.Take time researching
Don’t know where to start with your booth? A good place to begin is by researching past events from the organiser or related industry events, their attendee lists, previous booths as well as sponsors. Learn from what was successful, and what competitors have to offer, and reflect on what will make your booth unique.
Plan in advance. At least 12 months to set goals, budget, booth location, design, and more. Give yourself substantial research time and know the audience and attendees you are targeting.
2.Be warm and welcoming
It may seem obvious but a friendly welcome can be what sets you apart from every other booth. Memorable experiences start at the first hello. Make sure there is enough staff for the expected number of attendees to ensure excellent communication and customer service. A welcoming booth will drive high engagement.
3.Simplicity is striking
Less is more. To be memorable you need to be clear about what you want people to remember about your brand and the experience of visiting your booth. Keep a clear message and consistent theme throughout your booth and get creative with how you bring these to life.
According to Attention Insight, designs with white/negative space improve visual comprehension. To avoid overwhelming attendees, use bright visuals sparingly. Consider uncomplicated designs, and incorporate your branding colours and/or logo against white backgrounds. Simple designs help people identify who you are and what you do.
4.Tell a story
People love a good story. Connect with attendees by sharing the experiences that have shaped your brand. There is a great emotional impact behind sharing the journey of your business and unique selling proposition. Your own stories are what makes your brand unique.
5.Make it interactive
Provide interactive features to help create a memorable experience. Activities can be a great way to engage and entertain attendees.
For educational value, immersive displays can spark interest and inform attendees about your work (i.e. letting them observe how your product works). Another clever way to spread the word is to set up photo opportunities for attendees, with an incentive for posting on social media with your brand tagged.
6.Include attendees in competitions
Who doesn’t love to win a prize? Whether an enormous giveaway or a “guess how many” candy jar, promotional offers, and contests can drive up the popularity of your booth. It’s also a handy way to collect contact details of visitors who are open to any follow-ups.
7.Give tokens to be remembered by
Let attendees take a piece of you home. After a day of visiting multiple booths, free souvenirs can keep your name on people’s minds. A helpful tip is to consider items of practical use, commonly seen with stationery items, water bottles, etc. A tote bag can be used by attendees throughout an event. Try incorporating reminders of what your business was about so they can connect a service to your name.
8.Encourage feedback
Last but not least, ask attendees for feedback. This will provide opportunities to collect contact information and expand your database for future follow-ups. Learn from the reception of your booth and ensure your next event is set up for success.
At Taurus, we understand how to put on a successful event. TaurusEvents© offer the chance to stand out from the crowd and maximise a brand’s experience. To find out more about TaurusEvents©, click here.