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Your trade show displays are not just a back drop or a statue, it should be a marketing tool that communicates a message and helps support you booth employees. It is important that your  trade show exhibit captures its marketing potential and does not simply fill the role of back drop.
 
The trade show booth needs to communicate a valid and real reason for potential customers to stop and speak with you.  The booth graphics, image and text, need to clearly state the what products and services you offer, or the special product you are promoting along with why your company does it better than the competition.
 
If you are exhibiting at a multitude of shows be sure that the message that your trade show exhibit sends can be quickly changed and modified to capture the attention of the various customers at the different shows.

For information or a consultation on a clear message and captivating trade show booth, contact The Exhibit Source.

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More and more businesses are seeing the benefits of trade show marketing for their bottom line. However, creating a captivating and creative trade show exhibit that concisely conveys your message is just the beginning of how to meet your trade show marketing goals.
 
Some other things that you and your staff need to consider:

Be Funny, Not Offensive – Humor done well is engaging and memorable. Humor done poorly is boring and potentially distasteful.

Be Economical, Not Cheap – Guerilla marketing should never be expensive and trade show guerilla marketing is no exception. Draw upon your guile, not your bank account when devising creative stunts that attract mindshare. However, do not confuse frugal with cut rate. Be sure that your hand outs and marketing materials work with your trade show booth.

Be On Message, Not Too Clever By Half – When devising guerilla marketing campaigns, marketers can become enamored with their own cheekiness and create attention-grabbing stunts that do not support the company’s underlying marketing messages.

A barometer of whether your guerilla marketing properly communicated your corporate messaging is how it is covered by the media.
 
Be Bold, Not Stupid – Bold stupidity is not a good combination. Be unafraid but use sound judgment.
 
Be Authentic, Not Synthetic – Just be you. A company has a personality. That personality is of the Founders, it can’t be manufactured and it shouldn’t be.

Your guerilla marketing should be congruent with your company’s culture. Your goal is not only to capture people’s attention, but to also communicate who you are and why they should care.
 
Don’t Try Too Hard

Guerilla marketing often goes awry when a company tries too hard and fails to balance unforgettable with crass. Compelling, entertaining and memorable guerilla marketing antics that do not offend your intended audience should be a natural extension of your mainstream marketing efforts. If the nuances are too subtle and your prospects cannot connect the dots between your campaign and your company’s purpose, it will be ignored at best or damage your brand at worst.

For information on creating the perfect trade show display to convey your marketing message and capture the attention of attendee, contact The Exhibit Source.

Forbes

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Industry trade shows, conferences, and exhibitions remain popular. In fact, a recent Center for Exhibition Industry Research report reveals an increase in trade show activity. As a participating business, you need to do trade shows right and make the most of your time there. Here are 10 tips to get the most out of your trade show:

As summer begins, this is a particularly good time to start planning for the fall events. So here are some insider tips for getting the most of a trade show appearance.

1. Map out your objectives for the event and create a plan. Show attendance is more than an opportunity to collect leads and engage with prospects. It is also an opportunity to meet with partners, press, potential employees, even competitors.

Consider announcing a new product, implementing an incentive plan for recruiting partners, or arranging meetings with industry analysts. Understanding who will be attending the event and other activities that will take place at the show should play a role in your decisions.

2. Apply early for a meaningful speaking opportunity. Presenting at a conference or trade show brings credibility to your company and amplifies your message. Getting a customer to speak on your behalf is even better.

3. Reach out to the people you want to meet before the show. A good place to start is your prospect database. Use social media like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to see who is talking about the show. Reach out to these folks via targeted emails. Get personal and be specific about why people should meet with you.

4. Bring the right staff. Pick staff who like engaging with strangers, even if they are not in sales. Product developers are sometimes your best advocates. If you hire local staff to augment your company presence, make sure they know the basics about the company/product. Be sure the best prospects get preferential treatment and the time-wasters don’t clog up booth operations.

5. Choose a good trade show booth location. At a small show, location is not important, so don’t spend extra money on it, but at the larger shows, it pays to get a location that is:

• On a busy aisle or near the hall entrance
• Near an anchor booth (a big company in a related market).
• On a corner. This gives you more effective space than you paid for, since you can encroach on more aisle space without running afoul of the show managers.

6. Booth graphics and messaging need to be simple. Typically, you have about two seconds to capture attention with your booth display. So focus on the top keywords and great graphics on your trade show exhibit. White space is a huge plus.

7. Create an engaging way to interact with visitors. Contests and challenges are good ways to create meaningful interaction, but make sure they are connected to your company’s value proposition. People love to play hands-on games and win a chance to get something substantial, like an iPad. Photographing or videoing participants and uploading the content to the company Facebook page is a great way to keep the buzz going even after show is over.

8. Prepare packaged demos, so people can understand your product within two minutes. If someone wants more information, pass them on to a qualified person to go more in depth.

9. Don’t waste the time and money participating in "Speaker’s Corners"-type demos.

10. Use giveaways judiciously. If there is a way to tie the giveaway into your company's value proposition, then giving something away makes sense, because it reinforces engagement and brand equity.

Also, do all the obvious stuff like wear clearly branded company attire, make sure you have ample literature on hand, follow up with leads quickly after the show.

Contact The Exhibit Source for more information on a captivating and engaging trade show exhibit.

Fast Company Magazine

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A great way to increase brand awareness and make new connections is attending industry trade shows . Of course, your competition is there too, and so are a lot of other companies. And everyone is battling for brand awareness and competing for the same clientele. You need your company to stand out from the pack.

You only have about 3 seconds to make an impression when someone is walking by your trade show display. A surefire way to draw attention is to think outside the box with your trade show booth. Do something unconventional, surprising, or out of the ordinary, and bigger is better. Your trade show exhibit needs to grab qualified prospects and draw them in.

Your salespeople or employees who are working your trade show booth should be having fun too. Having fun stands out. Let them know they can have fun with the passersby. All of them are potential customers, and some of them are customers. Give them a reason to stop at your booth.

The Exhibit Source understands the importance of your trade show exhibit, we offer numerous options of display styles, contact us.

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