What are key messages your staff on your exhibition booth should talk about to increase visitors and enhance sales?

From thousands of trade show booths on any show floor, if a visitor has entered your booth, wouldn’t it be prudent to know what your exhibition booth staff can talk about so as to retain the visitors curiosity and maybe even convert the prospect to a customer?

1. Talk about your brand’s unique selling proposition:

A tradeshow sees many competing brands coming together to get audience attention. A good way to make a walkin curious about your product is to start by telling him/her things that are absolutely unique about your brand and how it stands vis-a-viz competition. Subconsciously, you are validating the person’s choice of selecting your booth amongst many others to walkin and make an enquiry. You are assuring that person of their choice.

2. Highlight your star product in front of your exhibition booth with more visibility:

Product demonstrations are the foundations of the trade show business in the USA. The first exhibitions happened for sellers to put out or demonstrate their wares to potential buyers. 100 years later, the booths are much more sophisticated, the demonstrations are also very different but the concept remains the same. If you want to attract people into your booth to make enquiries, have a live product demonstration close to the busy aisle of the booth. You can highlight this product by putting it on a turntable, or having focused lighting on it or even buy simply colouring its podium in a bright colour. Do not forget to support it with your best manpower who can encourage people to come and try or experience the product.

3. Talk about your brand’s quality promise:

Brand’s invest in making a good trade show booth design so that they impress their visitors. Did you know that a shoddy booth with crinkled graphics will make your visitor think that your product is also sub-par when it comes to quality? So if you have invested in creating a sophisticated and well finished exhibit display, then ensure that your people in the booth talk about the quality of your products and services and how they set your brand apart from the competition.

4. Talk about your happy customers:

Since childhood, we all love stories. Why? It’s lovely to have a peek into others lives and perspectives and it’s fun to learn a lesson via another’s experience. Talking about your happy customers will do just that for your brand. Happy customers = happy brand stories. So next time you are having a conversation in your exhibition booth with a prospective client, try to weave in a story about your happy customers. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO MAKE YOUR  EXHIBITION BOOTH DESIGN STAND OUT?

At trade shows, the design of your exhibition booth is often the first thing that attendees including prospective customers’ will notice about your brand.

Now, when you are competing with scores of other exhibitors’ booths to catch the same set of attendees’ attention, you need to stand in a league of own. Your exhibition booth design needs to have something unique about it that makes it different from other booth designs; and should effectively convey your brand’s message in a way that delivers a memorable experience for attendees. 

The better it is able to do the same, the more your booth will be to attract attendee traffic-flow; and establish your brand’s credibility and authority in your line of industry. 

There’s nothing better than an exhibition booth design at a trade show to shine a spotlight on your business and its offerings. It’s your strategic backbone and the face of your brand that will make your event a winner. 

So, make sure they’re something special that makes it a stand out.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO?

When you compete with scores of exhibitors including competitors to catch the audiences’ attention, at trade shows, you need to have a booth design that makes it a different breed from others of its kind. 

So, how do you stand out?

To stand out you need a captivating exhibition booth design that does not just grab attendees’ attention but also keeps them hooked for long in your booth.

To help you to just do that, here are some ways to make it happen.

STICK TO STRATEGIC PLANNING

In a highly competitive trade show environment, your booth needs to not only stand out but also needs to deliver measurable results for your investment.

Hence, before diving into devising and planning the intricacies of your booth design, it is important to recognize the value of strategic planning.

To lay the foundation for a successful trade show, start with a cohesive exhibition plan and a robust goal-setting session.

Having a well-thought-out exhibition plan will ensure you’re not just another face in the crowd at the trade show. It will guide your team; helps you set and measure KPIs; and ultimately make your booth the place to be. In a nutshell, if you want to be a show-stealer at the next trade show, get that exhibition plan and goals sorted first.

SET REALISTIC GOALS

The importance of setting goals for a trade show cannot be overstated. It is your goals that will provide the framework for your entire exhibition strategy. They also serve as benchmarks against which you can measure the success of your trade show participation. Additionally, they also provide precious insights for future trade shows, allowing you to refine and fine-tune your strategy year after year.

PREPARE AN EVENT SCHEDULE & CALENDER

Once you have set your goals for the trade show, next up its time to create an event schedule and calendar for the year ahead. 

Some may wonder why it should be given prominence.

That’s because, it is a pivotal step in your exhibition booth plan that ensures you allocate your finances and resources effectively and take part in the right trade show events. So, make sure your event schedule and calendar includes the trade show name, date, location, booth size and orientation and design concept, and staffing requirements. 

Additionally, also make sure your qualitative and quantitative trade show goals aligns with each trade show on your calendar. Then, reflecting on previous year’s trade show experiences will also enable you to make better informed decisions for the future.

GET FAMILIAR WITH TRADE SHOW NORMS

Before planning to exhibit at trade shows in the United States, you need to make yourself familiar and thorough with the trade show set of norms relating to statutory approvals before the trade show day.

The norms deal with fire safety approval; static stability approval; and in certain cases, environmental approval (like for instance, the use of wooden constructions that are demolished after the show). Besides, most trade show organizers also provide trade show forms online for ordering electricity, cleaning, etc. They will be available in English language which will make it easy for even international exhibitors to order comfortably at affordable rates.  

You also need to ensure that your local booth contractor gets familiar with the trade show’s norms and rules. By thoroughly familiarizing with the trade show norms and rules will help your booth contractor to avoid avoidable obstacles during the actual construction of your exhibition booth. If done accordingly, it will also make it easy for you to get all the approvals from the trade show organizers.

ENSURE PROPER BOOTH PLACEMENT

In the United States like in Europe, the location and placement of booths at trade shows matters a lot. Audiences at trade shows generally prefer booths to be located near the trade show venue entrance within their line of sight. 

So, before you plan to design your booth, ask your booth contractor to get familiar with the trade show floor area and surroundings in and around the trade show venue. Then, get familiar with the placement of your booth against other booths. Once that’s done, they can get a clear idea as to how your booth should be designed for the trade show.

In case, your booth will be located and placed near the trade show venue entrance and is directly in attendees’ line of sight, your booth design will be swiftly noticed and what more, your booth staff will be able to pitch your brand better and more effectively.

On the other hand, if your booth location and placement is in a floor area that will not be easily visible to the attendees, then your booth design needs to have vibrant color and texture schemes. Otherwise, it should have a platform that will also make your trade show speakers easily noticeable.

MAXIMIZE YOUR SPACE 

Space is a game-changer for your booth. The layout of your booth can make or break your attendees’ experience.

So, whether you have a cozy corner location or a sprawling area location, plan your space wisely and creatively. You should think carefully about the flow, where to place your audio-visual elements, and how to make the most of every square inch of the booth space. 

In a bustling venue, space is much more than a commodity; it is an opportunity that you need to leverage to the maximum.

GO FOR A MINIMALIST BOOTH DESIGN

In the United States, a great majority of the attendees prefer a booth that has a minimalist design; and space that is spacious enough for the attendees to move around comfortably. They also prefer the booth area to sport a neat and clean look with the marketing items like flyers, brochures, etc, kept in a separate area located at a distance from the main entrance to the booth.

A minimalist booth design comes with clean lines, ample white spaces, and minimal of graphical elements, supplemented with total clarity of form and simplicity. The booth design should maintain continual clarity and organization in its appearance; and also maintain consistency all through the trade show so to create a sense of cohesion.

So, when you design your booth, make sure that it sports a minimalist design that is pleasing to the audience’s eye; and is consistent. 

Aside from a minimalist look, your booth design must also be easily accessible to the attendees. By ‘easily accessible’, it does not mean just a minimalist booth design and clean booth space, but also means pleasant design color scheme, comfortable furniture, or even booth staff. 

Overall, an attractive minimalist booth design will not only make the attendees’ feel more welcome but will also show them that you truly care for them.  

GRAPHICS

Graphics are the cornerstone of any booth and a great way to draw attention to your booth design. They are the first design element to be noticed by the attendees at trade show. If you get your graphics right without overplaying or underplaying it, your message will get effectively communicated to the attendees at the show.

Visual elements are critical for attracting and retaining the attention of attendees who will have scores of booth designs clamoring for their attention. Consider elements like custom artwork and creative design done in-house; taglines that reinforce the uniqueness of your brand’s identity; striking branding; clear logos strategically positioned; and visual messaging that perfectly aligns with your brand. 

Effective graphics ensure that your booth design leaves a lasting positive impression.

To make it more eye-catching, the graphics should also co-exist harmoniously with branding elements. This will help to make your booth more visually appealing. When it’s well-complimented by branding elements like logos, colors, and typography, they help to create recognizable visual identity.

You also need to make sure that your booth design does not get too overcrowded with too many graphics as this will project a wrong impression or drive away the attendees’ altogether. Additionally, ensuring the right mix of rich-quality graphics and signage with backdrops will help to effectively convey your brand’s message; and build interest in your brand among the attendees.

TEXT

While the main purpose of graphics is to attract the attendees’ attention towards your booth design, the text in the booth design plays an equally important role in educating the attendees about your business and offerings.

To be effective enough, make sure that the text 

• Is concise and to the point in fonts that are easily visible to and readable by the audience.

• Is simple enough to create immense interest. Try to use bullet points to highlight the value and benefits of your offerings.
• Does not contain excess of information else they will dilute the value of the graphics.
• Maintains a semblance of white space to balance the booth design.

COLOR SCHEME

Colors play a hugely important role.

There are many colors. Then, there are some colors like blue, green, yellow, and red that generally is given more prominence by most brands. Likewise, your booth design should have such colors based on what you intend to communicate to the audience.

The colors you choose ultimately should

• Reflect your brand profile and align with your brand objectives.
• Make the attendees at the show aware about your latest products. Herein, blue color would be a good choice.
• Present your products as one that are sustainable and eco-friendly. Herein, green would be the most appropriate color choice.

LIGHTING

The lighting you choose sets the tone for your booth design.

So, getting it right is crucial. At the same time, you also need to make sure that your lighting choice is not too overpowering else it will negate the effects of the other elements that make up your booth design.

Your choice of lighting should ideally be 

• Be bight and engaging enough to get the attendees to not only see the booth design but also see the other aspects of your booth.
• Stay consistent throughout your booth space. If you’re using different lighting sources within one area of your booth, then make sure that they all have similar color temperatures, warm or cool, and brightness.
• Add depth to the booth design. Like for instance, improve the texture of the graphics.
• Set the right ambiance for your booth. A good example herein is that of illuminating walls and areas within the booth giving them a bright glow.

There are several lighting techniques from exhibit lighting to accent lighting and more. Try to experiment with each of them and check out which among them will best add luster to your booth design and enhance its appearance.

FLOORING

Rapid advancements in flooring materials and technology have enhanced the importance of flooring in recent years. There was a time when only standard flooring was the norm. They were either bland or dull to make a strong impact. Additionally, they also did not sync well with brand aesthetics and colors.

Thanks to advances in flooring materials, exhibitors today can use custom flooring to

• Enhance the appearance of their booth designs. When the right colors and texture are added to the design, the overall effect can be sensational.
• Alter the look of their booth and make it more look inviting to the audience.
• Provide solace to the feet of the attendees and staff that are often on their feet for the whole day at the event.

There are other flooring options that can also be tried. Like, 

• Flex Floor which is portable and inexpensive. 
• Hardwood flooring which will offer a luxurious touch to your booth.
• Plush Carpet which is available in an array of colors, lightness, styles, and thickness. 
• Rolled Bamboo which synergizes the best of lightness and strength for an eco-friendly look.
• Interlocking Carpet made of EVA foam which is a cost-effective and comfortable. 
• Interlocking Floor Tiles which are known as anti-fatigue floor tiles. They make for a suitable choice for exhibitors on a modest budget.

STORAGE

It is important to have a built-in storage space as an element of your booth design. 

Having a built-in storage space in your booth will help to 

• Give a space within your booth to store and lock-up valuable items like giveaway prizes, gadgets, etc, when they are not being used.
• Keep your promotional materials and giveaways out of sight and at the same time, keep them within reach when required.
• Ensure your booth does not get cluttered with unwanted items that are not being used but will be required later.

From shelving to towers, workstations, etc, they are a number of storage options to choose from. When you place any of them strategically within the booth, they will greatly enhance the appearance of your booth design.

HARNESS THE BEST OF AUDIO-VIDEO ELEMENTS

Eye-catching audio-visual elements that engage the audience can be instrumental in grabbing their attention. These elements in many ways serve as a preview of what your business is all about and can offer them.

Audio-Visual elements are best selected by 

• Showcasing a broad presentation on your core product/service.
• Determining the number and placement of screens.
• Selecting the audio-visual elements that best represent your brand.

Maintaining a well-thought out audio-visual strategy should also be a part of your exhibition booth plan as they can pique the curiosity of the passersby at the trade show and encourage them to explore your booth further.

TOUCH SCREEN INTEGRATION

Touch-screen can be seamlessly integrated with your booth design. Additionally, you will have the benefit of choosing the best of sizing options with limitless possibilities for experimentation.

Integration of touch-screens with your booth design can involve any one of the following

• Few monitors or tablets that can capture lead contacts information.
• Show product videos, demos, or 3D models.
• Social media connections, or assist in keynote presentations.

When they are strategically placed near the booth design, they can serve as a self-serve information kiosk.

VIRTUAL WALLS

Virtual Walls, also known as LED Video Walls, are easy to work with; and also create bigger and better video presentations. 

Like sensory LED walls, Virtual Walls too can transform the aura of the booth design in unique ways that will give the attendees a truly interactive experience. When LED and Projection Surfaces are also used along with them, they create a digital, interactive wall for the attendees.

Virtual Walls also help to spot out movements; build or be used by the attendees to write messages or put down notes; and create pictures or play touch-screen games.

AUGMENTED REALITY

Augmented reality can make your booth design more immersive and provide an interactive experience with the digital visuals of the digital world fused with the real world. 

When the attendees stop-by at your booth, a hologram-like product will appear on their mobile phone screen, thereby providing them an interesting educational experience. Additionally, they also help to make the booth design appear more intriguing enough to bring your brand to life.

INTERACTIVE SCREENS

In the United States like in Europe, attendees at trade shows generally look for companies having the requisite expertise and capabilities to deliver high-class products and services.  To make your brand’s presence felt in such an environment, your booth staff needs to effectively present the company’s capabilities through interactive visual mediums. 

Interactive visual mediums help to effectively disseminate information to the audience and when presented by a knowledgeable person adept in the art of speaking, they will stand out. This will help to strike a chord with the audience and get them to interact with your brand. 

Interactive Touch-Screens is a good example. They effectively respond to touch-enabled visitors. When you make it impressive with brief and powerful write-ups or commercials about your business, the booth staff will not have to explain about your business as the attendees can directly approach the touch-screen display and engage with your brand through the write-up or commercial   

Another good example is Interactive Product Demo. It can include a demo or video with free trials supplemented with prizes to get the audience more interested. It is a great interactive medium to get the attendees to personally experience your products/services