For just a moment, put yourself in the mindset of someone who’s attending a trade show as a spectator, not an exhibitor. What is it like from a visitor’s perspective? What makes a person likely to stop at your booth, engage with your staff, and maybe even become a paying customer or client?
Let’s back up. Imagine the show is taking place outdoors, and there are lines of booths selling all manner of products and services related to the trade show theme. Whether it’s a B2B or B2C conference, most people probably aren’t interested in enduring a hard sales pitch.
That’s why an eye-catching display is so important.
Deciding What to Visit
The reason to exhibit at a trade show isn’t just for “mind share” or “brand exposure.” You want to have a legitimate, calculable return on investment. That means you need people to find your booth and become qualified leads or customers.
From their perspective, the moment they walk into a trade show, it’s overwhelming. There are so many choices for booths that they have to figure out a way to filter them down to just a few worth visiting. More often than not, people use maps and information kits to uncover the places they want to visit. Rather than methodically going past every single booth, they approach the ones they’re predisposed to care about.
To get new people interested in your brand, you need to have a display that’s engaging enough to attract their attention.
How to Attract Attention
Like with anything, you’ll get the best results by finding a way to stand apart from the crowd. At SmartLink, we like to encourage a tall wind flag display for outdoor trade shows. These can be up to fourteen feet high, and they’re great for catching people’s eyes from far away.
Imagine how much more traffic you can attract with a flag standing above the crowd—particularly if your brand has logo recognition. Even if it doesn’t, though, standing out with a unique display will inevitably draw more eyes to your booth than to a non-descript booth that blends in with all the rest.
Quality Makes a Difference
We should clarify something here. In the end, it’s not the number of people you attract to your booth that matters; it’s the number of people who engage with your booth when they get there. To improve your odds of getting a good return on your investment, using high-quality materials and hardware will subtly communicate that your business is excellent as well.
Along with having enthusiastic staff to man your booth and engage with people, it’s crucial to have a professional-looking display. There’s a world of difference in the results you’ll get when people see a professional booth with dedicated staff versus an amateur display with disinterested employees.
For more information on creating eye-catching displays for trade shows and conferences of all sorts, feel free to ask us or visit our website!
~Tony Johnson