The value of trade shows is much higher than you think it is.
Meeting a customer at a trade show as opposed to trying to reach out and market to them online saves an organization $943 dollars on average.
Even in an age where every company is on the internet and people interact on their phones at a higher volume than ever, people value face to face interactions on a deep level.
That’s what you’re getting when you connect with customers at a trade show. You even get to develop relationships with others in your field and work on unique connections with them, possibly to partner your products.
That why, when you go to a trade show, you need to come prepared. Don’t miss out on such a great opportunity to meet with business partners and customers because you weren’t ready. Get your trade show booth ideas in order before you go out to your next event and are scrambling at the last minute.
12 Trade Show Booth Ideas to Make Your Booth Stand Out
There are hundreds of trade show booth ideas out there for you to choose from.
If your trade show booth is boring, you’re not going to attract customers. You’re basically wasting your money if you show up at a trade show booth empty-handed, or empty booth-ed. Learning how to network is absolutely key, and a trade show is where it’s your time to shine.
1. Explore an Idea Gallery
The internet is your friend when it comes to finding resources. With a wealth of ideas waiting at your fingertips, why wouldn’t you keep researching for just the trade show booth idea that fits your company and your product?
For more trade show booth ideas, check out Metro Exhibit’s idea galleries. You can search for ideas by industry, booth type, and booth size. You’ll get tried and true trade show booth examples that have proven the test of time already.
2. Add Social Media
No trade show booth can be successful without using social media.
Long before the event, start letting people know that your company will be hosting a booth. Use a hashtag specific to the event to make your posts easy to find. If the trade show itself has a hashtag, make sure to use that as well, because people will be looking for it.
Tease people on some of the amazing things that they will experience if they come to your booth. Give them snippets of what your business is about. Post things that will make them want to come and enjoy the experience with you.
3. Add Photo Ops
Speaking of including social media, you should also put things in your booth that will make people want to share it on social media. That’s free advertising for you.
Create a “photo op” worthy booth. It could be your backdrop that people stop and take pictures in front of.
If your product is social media worthy, make sure you showcase it in a way that will wow people and make it something that they genuinely want to share on their accounts. It’s all about the way that you display it.
Brainstorm with your graphic design team if they can whip something up to include in all of your trade shows. Add props or something fun to take a picture with. Make sure to have an iPad handy that people can use to take the pictures on.
4. Bring Lighting
Hopefully, the venue where you’re holding your trade show booth will have decent lighting. Just using the lighting that the venue provides is fine. But you want your booth to be great.
That’s why you can bring your own lighting to highlight your products. Incorporating creative lighting in a booth is certain to attract the eyes and interest of people attending the trade show.
Show people where they should focus their attention and bring lights that you can point to your products. Spotlighting, LEDs, or any other type of customizable lighting will put you one step ahead of the game.
5. Demo It
If your product is one that is both physical and can be used, absolutely don’t miss out on the opportunity to demonstrate how it’s used.
Even if your product is software, you can show someone using it.
People are much more likely to engage with your booth if there is something tangible for them to see, instead of you having to just talk about your product.
6. Make a Deal
Make a special offer on your product that only people who come to the show will be able to get.
Make sure it’s a professional type of deal and not one where it seems like you’re unloading old unwanted product on people. If you present them with a deal, they’ll feel much more urgency to buy when they’re physically at the event because if they wait they’ll miss it.
7. Have a Check-In Contest
To encourage people to come to your booth, have a check-in area at your booth. All that they have to do is check in and say that they were at your booth to be entered into the contest.
At the end of the trade show, one person will win a prize. It can be your product, a special deal on your product, or something else. Make it a good enough prize to create a pull for people.
If they win, they’ll likely post it on social media as well and give you free marketing.
8. Go Big
If your booth is literally bigger in design than the other booths, you’ll stand out.
You can get an overhead display at your booth if the venue allows that will draw people to you. Large banners also create an attention grab. And simply creating a display that is above standard height can work wonders for standing out among the competition.
9. Offer Up Swag
If you’ve ever been to a trade show, you might have found yourself walking around and looking at everybody’s swag. And there is bound to be a piece of swag that makes you say, “Where’d you get that?”
Be that company that’s giving out the swag that makes people ask questions. From sunglasses to bumper stickers, it all depends on your budget. Then be ready to engage people when they come by your booth asking for the swag that they’ve heard about.
10. Lay It Out
The layout of your booth can hugely affect who want to come into your booth.
If you have a big long table at the front, it can make it seem like you’re blocked off from customers. They’ll feel physically separated from you, and like they’re not being invited into your booth. You can learn about layout by studying what’s working and what’s not.
Make sure there is a clear flow of traffic. Open spaces with clear areas to walk in and out and mingle are going to make people feel more comfortable walking through your booth. You can get creative with it by designing a layout that matches the branding of your company.
11. Keep Your Brand Strong
Speaking of matching the branding of your company, you want your booth to have a look that’s both memorable and looks like the rest of the branding that you already have.
If your brand is red and blue and then your trade show booth is decked out in all gold, it’s not going to make sense to anyone.
If your company is eco-friendly, make it green and inviting. You can even bring along plants. Anything along the lines of decorations that play with your theme is a creative and inviting way to draw customers.
12. Let People Demo
If it’s safe, give people the opportunity to demo your product for themselves.
There’s no better way to let people see if they like your product than actually using it in real life. And it also attracts people to your booth because they’re going to want to try whatever fun activity is happening. Be sure to keep a careful eye on people using your products to make sure there is no theft or injury.
From Building Your Booth to Building Your Brand
If you’re looking for trade show booth ideas, then you’re also probably working on building your brand. Don’t stop when you’ve created the perfect formula for what you want to do with your booth. Apply what you’ve learned to the rest of your brand.
When you’ve gone through and considered what you want for a trade show booth, you’ve also probably done a lot of thinking about what you want for your brand.
Carry those ideas across into the rest of your business. That’s valuable information that you can convey to people to let them know who you are.
If you need help building your branding, FindABusinessThat…has what you’re looking for. They can help guide you along the way as you apply what you’ve learned to your company and watch as it grows.