Trade Show Display: Dos and Dont's for Exhibitors
Trade shows benefit both new and established businesses in that it can be an avenue for promoting brand awareness or recognition. For those who are planning on exhibiting at a trade show, you should know right off the bat that it is not going to be a cheap venture. Of course, if you have invested on a quality trade show display, you would want to get the most bang for your buck. After all, meals, shipping fees, hotel costs, plus vendor space expenses all amount to a significant amount of money that should translate to increased sales and profit.
In terms of guaranteeing a successful showing, there are some pointers that you need to keep in mind especially when it comes to your display for trade show. If this is your first time as an exhibitor, these pointers would help you avoid mistakes that contribute to a poor showing and practice winning strategies that set off your trade show display to perfection. Below are the dos and don’ts of trade show display for both first-time and veteran exhibitors.
Dos
Perhaps one of the most important DO when it comes to participating at an expo is to make sure that your trade show display reflects your business goals. If visitors to your booth are left wondering what your company is all about and are confused about the purpose of your marketing efforts, then there must be something wrong with your setup or how you presented your information. Always make sure that prospective customers have a clear idea of who you are and what you do when they leave your exhibit.
Another trade show display DO that you should try to practice is to thoroughly research the show history. It would be a waste of money to participate in an event that does not attract large crowds or are not sufficiently promoted. If you must, scale back your production of marketing materials, particularly if the projected attendance does not merit thousands of pages of pamphlets, brochures, flyers, and so on.
Lastly, you must never forget to use good booth etiquette – interact with your visitors and ensure that you or anyone from your team does not give off a bad impression on potential customers. Do engage your audience and keep them interested in what you are offering so that even if they do not buy outright, they would remember to check out your website or visit your store.
Don'ts
One particular DON’T with regards to participating in a trade show is hiding behind your trade show display. Nothing is going to happen if you just sit there and not make it fun for those who will pass by your booth. Also, make sure that you do not bad mouth competitors; remember that even if the atmosphere is lively, your potential customers are depending on you to act professionally. What you can do instead is to offer giveaways, prizes, tip-sheets, and related marketing literature. That way, people will always remember you, enough to send you an e-mail or give your store a call.
As for other DON’Ts, some are pretty obvious like do not overwhelm visitors with long-drawn out sales talk or bore them with useless information. Also, do not just hand out information without getting any details from your potential customers; a sign-up sheet or an e-mail sheet should always be part of your trade show display. And finally, do not be overly competitive; take the time to get to know other exhibitors and try to develop valuable business connections.
In terms of guaranteeing a successful showing, there are some pointers that you need to keep in mind especially when it comes to your display for trade show. If this is your first time as an exhibitor, these pointers would help you avoid mistakes that contribute to a poor showing and practice winning strategies that set off your trade show display to perfection. Below are the dos and don’ts of trade show display for both first-time and veteran exhibitors.
Dos
Perhaps one of the most important DO when it comes to participating at an expo is to make sure that your trade show display reflects your business goals. If visitors to your booth are left wondering what your company is all about and are confused about the purpose of your marketing efforts, then there must be something wrong with your setup or how you presented your information. Always make sure that prospective customers have a clear idea of who you are and what you do when they leave your exhibit.
Another trade show display DO that you should try to practice is to thoroughly research the show history. It would be a waste of money to participate in an event that does not attract large crowds or are not sufficiently promoted. If you must, scale back your production of marketing materials, particularly if the projected attendance does not merit thousands of pages of pamphlets, brochures, flyers, and so on.
Lastly, you must never forget to use good booth etiquette – interact with your visitors and ensure that you or anyone from your team does not give off a bad impression on potential customers. Do engage your audience and keep them interested in what you are offering so that even if they do not buy outright, they would remember to check out your website or visit your store.
Don'ts
One particular DON’T with regards to participating in a trade show is hiding behind your trade show display. Nothing is going to happen if you just sit there and not make it fun for those who will pass by your booth. Also, make sure that you do not bad mouth competitors; remember that even if the atmosphere is lively, your potential customers are depending on you to act professionally. What you can do instead is to offer giveaways, prizes, tip-sheets, and related marketing literature. That way, people will always remember you, enough to send you an e-mail or give your store a call.
As for other DON’Ts, some are pretty obvious like do not overwhelm visitors with long-drawn out sales talk or bore them with useless information. Also, do not just hand out information without getting any details from your potential customers; a sign-up sheet or an e-mail sheet should always be part of your trade show display. And finally, do not be overly competitive; take the time to get to know other exhibitors and try to develop valuable business connections.