Preparing for upcoming tradeshows may seem like a difficult task, but it doesn’t have to be that way as long as you plan thoroughly and ahead of time. Think of business tradeshows as opportunities for your company to showcase some of its best and most innovative ideas. Tradeshows may be generally geared toward specific industries and it’s important that your company stand out from the crowd. Tradeshows allow you to connect directly with your customers and competitors alike, as well as demonstrate your expertise in your industry. In a sea of similar companies, here some tips to help your company stand out from the rest.
Location, Location, Location!
Just like in real estate, at tradeshows it’s about location. While primary booth locations can vary from one venue to another, the best way to figure out where you should set up your booth is by doing your homework well in advance.
Contact the exhibition organizers and ask them to provide the event information, including a map of the venue and a list of all of the vendors. The sooner you claim your spot the better and then you can rest assured that you have the best pick of the crop before everyone else. Even if you have to pay a little bit extra to score the ideal location, it will be well worth it to maximize visibility and foot traffic to your booth. The last thing you want is for your booth to be stuffed somewhere in a back corner with limited exposure.
Make Your Booth Stand Out
This should go without saying. You want your booth to outshine your competitors’ and attract as many attendees as possible. The path to success in this endeavour is twofold: first, you must make your booth look visually appealing and interesting while organized and free of any unsightly clutter. Second, you need to hire staff that is enthusiastic, engaging, and passionate about representing your brand.
Fun and Interesting
Help brand your booth using promotional signage that is easily visible from both near and far. There does not have to be a lot of it—in fact, the less cluttered your booth is, the better—and there should be enough to effortlessly make your brand recognizable to all passersby. Attendees should not have to squint to read your logo; it should be clearly visible along with a brief, cleverly and memorable slogan beneath it. Large, colourful, eye-catching graphic prints and sign installations are sure to attract the right customers to your booth.
Enthusiastic Staff
Your staff is a vital part of your tradeshow display. They should be personable, friendly and knowledgeable. Wearing apparel with your company’s logo will help reinforce your brand. Keep your booth space minimalistic yet still interesting enough to grab people’s attention. Train your staff to be fun and engaging by making eye contact with all prospective clients and passersby. You should have at least one person standing on the outskirts of the booth interacting with passersby and promoting your brand while the others are inside the booth providing additional information about the brand, products, and services your company represents and offers.
Use Social Media to Engage People Ahead of Time
Social media is a very powerful self-promoting tool for every business. Being social media savvy to promote your tradeshow attendance can give you the competitive edge.
Devise a well-thought-out social media online marketing plan and follow it through long before the actual tradeshow. Start advertising well ahead of time on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Follow the organizers on every social media platform possible and then use their hashtags to promote your own brand. This will inform attendees that your company will be present at the tradeshow, and it might even spark an interest from people who did not know your company existed before.
Always Follow Up After the Show
The whole point of business tradeshows and sign tradeshows is to pique interest in your business. This doesn’t mean the work ends once you have taken down all of the sign installations and tradeshow display. Actually, that is when the real work begins. It’s important to start networking and following up immediately after with all of the contacts you made throughout the event. You should start by organizing all of your contacts based on which ones warrant immediate contact and which ones can wait. It is generally a good idea to make notes on any interactions you had with each contact so that you can relay any ideas that were exchanged in follow-up e-mails after the fact.
Resource Integrated Ltd. is a Richmond Hill-based, boutique-style production firm that specializes in printing, retail fixtures and displays, data-driven communications, as well as logistics and installation. For more information on how we can help your company stand out at your next tradeshow, please contact us at (905) 771-3773.
