Creating Successful Trade Show Exhibits

Editor: fancyflappers

The choosing and set up of a display or booth to represent your company is key in creating a successful trade show advertising presence.

Once you've set your objectives and your trade show calendar for the year, the next step is to choose a display. The display decision should be based on your specific show objectives, your budget, and your corporate branding goals and guidelines. If you're the marketing director for a big company and want to position yourself as a leader in your industry, you'll need a very large space and a custom or high-end modular exhibit. If you're a startup with a limited budget, you should consider an inexpensive pop up booth or a rental exhibit. Most companies fall somewhere in-between these two.

Pop-ups are the most popular booth option for 10 by 10 spaces and for sales events and conferences. There are a broad range of pop-ups available in the market and most are available with podium wraps to convert the carrying case into a podium. Some of the key factors to look at in selecting a pop-up are durability, ease of setup, availability, fabric colors, and warranty. If you sometimes exhibit in smaller spaces you should also consider a convertible booth which can be easily converted to a smaller size. Be sure to deal with a customer service oriented dealer who has been in business for a long time since there is no margin for error in getting a booth to your trade show.

Pop-ups can be complemented with shelving, peninsula counters, back lit end caps, literature displays, and other accessories which can convert an ordinary pop-up into a standpoint display!

Panel Displays are an alternative to pop-ups, and, depending on their quality and counter top options, can provide a higher-end look than a pop-up. Panel displays generally hold more weight than pop-ups so they can work well if you have heavier products to display or a number of computer monitors.

Modular exhibits are higher-end exhibits that provide a custom look but can still be setup in a few hours, shipped in standard rotomolded plastic cases, and thus have a lower total cost of ownership than custom booths. Modular exhibits generally use higher-end materials including tensile fabric structures, extruded aluminum frames, high-end composites and laminates, and innovative, bold designs. Modular exhibits will hold more weight and can also be used to hold large plasma screens and LCD panels.

Truss systems provide a bold, innovative, and unique look to a display. They are also excellent functional components that can be used to mount lighting, projectors, and Plasma or LCD panels. The high weight-bearing capacity of truss systems also makes them great for displaying heavier products like books, bowling balls, metals parts, etc. They also have a distinctive theatrical look that works well with certain target markets. Truss systems are often used in conjunction with other display structures like pop-ups and panel displays.

Custom Exhibits provide the ultimate in branding and high impact. They are completely custom built so they can be designed to meet specific show objectives, and may include elements like rotating towers, theater spaces, conference areas and numerous product/service display stations. Given the higher cost of design, construction, shipping, and installation and dismantling (I&D), these exhibits are best suited for companies willing to spend $40,000 or more for their display. The payoff in a custom exhibit can be huge since it sets you apart from the competition and creates a locked-in memory of industry leadership.

Trade Show Tips - Trade Show Graphics

Designing great graphics for your booth is critical to setting yourself apart from the competition. Some important tips to keep in mind are as follows:

The 15 foot rule. Make sure all logos and text can be clearly read from a distance of 15 feet (i.e. no squinting required even for us 40 and 50 year olds).

• Limit bullet points to 10 words or less.
• Limit text oriented charts to a headline and 4 bullet points.
• Include plenty of visual images to extract emotion and make your exhibit memorable.
• Don't scrimp on your company logo. Make sure its very easy to spot, even from a long distance away. You want to make sure that your target audience can find you in a glance.
• Hanging displays are key to improving your visibility.
• Look at using mural graphic panels and fabric back walls to increase the perceived value and emotional impact of your display.

Trade Show Tips - Choosing the Right Show

• With so many shows and conferences to choose from, exhibitors need to determine which trade show will best meet their objectives. To choose the trade shows that best meet your marketing objectives, youll need to do some research.

If it is a new trade show, check with your suppliers, competitors and customers to see if they are supporting it.

• Ask the organizers how many visitors they are expecting, how many are from your target market, and what mix of job titles and responsibilities are represented.

Check out the current list of exhibitors.

• Understand your total cost. What is the cost of the booth space and is booth hardware and lighting, flooring upgrades, lead retrieval equipment, trash cans, carpet cleaning, etc. included?
• Examine the show organizers. How long have the organizers been in business, what other shows do they run and how long have they been running those shows?

Trade Show Tips - Objectives

Written objectives are the foundation for a successful show. Successful exhibitors set multiple objectives before reserving a booth at a trade show. Use SMART objectives: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-related.

What do you want to get out of the show or event? Do you expect to sell a particular amount of inventory at the trade show or to become known to a certain number of wholesale suppliers? Are you focusing on promotion or hoping to launch a new product? You can have more than one goal, of course, but the point is, to be clear about what you expect to achieve.

Next, determine which visitors/buyers will help you to achieve your objectives and to find the right show by talking to trade-show organizers.

Written objectives will help you decide on the right size booth and the required number of booth staff. If your objective is to obtain 200 top-quality leads, for example, how many visitors will you have to meet to find the right buyers? If one out of every four visitors was a potential buyer, then your booth should be big enough to accommodate 800 visitors during the trade show.

Objectives will also help you determine the right pre-show promotions to bring qualified traffic to your booth, plus the right products and display to appeal to your target market.

If you don't have the budget for a big booth with lots of staff, then reduce your objectives accordingly. Written objectives allow you to determine the cost-effectiveness of exhibiting compared with other marketing media.

Trade Show Tips - Integrated Marketing

Very few companies understand how events fit into their overall corporate sales and marketing objectives, which is why they make an ad hoc decision to participate in a trade show. Most exhibitors have never considered exhibiting as a way to effectively achieve annual marketing objectives. Exhibitions and events can involve all of the 4 P's of the marketing mix; product, price, place and promotion. The direct communication that takes place at a trade show is the most valuable tool in relationship marketing.

Successful exhibiting incorporates other marketing communication elements like print, advertising, direct mail, PR, corporate communications and the Internet. When used together, the combined efforts of all marketing tools produce better results than when they're used individually.

When trade shows are integrated into the annual marketing mix, far better results are achieved.

Trade Show Tips - Choosing the Right Space

If you have formulated trade show objectives, then you will have already established what products you will be promoting at the show, how many visitors you expect at your booth and the staffing required. Next, consider seating, hospitality, demonstration, office, storage areas and in-booth promotions. Allowing for floor area will drive your booth size requirement.

Visitors enter an exhibition and turn right, because we drive on the right. Therefore, if you want visitors to see your display first, then the right-hand side of the exhibition is best. Corner booths and those fronting major features like the entrance and restaurant, are the most visible.

Your total exhibit budget forms the basis of the decision to exhibit. The show organizers will allow you to place a hold on the selected booth, which places neither party under any legal obligation. Once a hold is placed on a booth, then the other associated costs can be calculated, allowing you to judge the expected expenditure against the expected results.

Trade Show Tips - Pre-Show Promotions

Research reveals that exhibitors who undertake pre-show promotions to build quality visitors to their booth, improve results by 300%. Study your written trade-show objectives and determine who you would like to have visit your booth, then aim all pre-show promotions at them. Many promotional media options are available, depending on your objectives and budget:

INVITATIONS - the organizers will supply you with complimentary invitations to the trade show. It is recommended that these accompany your pre-show mailers.

FEATURE/SHOW SUPPLEMENT - many organizers arrange a show supplement in the national press and this is a good place to advertise or place an editorial, as it reaches the widest audience.

COMPETITIONS - launch a prize drawing where buyers have to visit your booth to enter.

FREE SERVICE - offer a free service to all show visitors, which the organizers would be only too happy to promote, as it adds value to a trade show visit.

INTERNET - most organizers have a web-site for their trade shows and, if it includes an exhibitor listing, is a great way to bring visitors to your company home page.

DIRECT MAIL - Include a show special offer, a buy-one-get-one-free offer or a giveaway that they can collect from your booth. The quality of the data-base is the most important factor in gaining the best response from direct mail.

All pre-show promotions should create a benefit for the prospect, whether or not they visit the trade show. Remember to include a complimentary invitation to the trade show.

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