Tips For A Good Trade Show Exhibition

Up until August of 2011, I spent the last 3 years exhibiting at various trade shows around the US in pulling in new leads into my previous company. In that 3 year span of exhibiting, I learned a lot about how to attract people to the booth. Here are a few tips for your next trade show exhibition:

1. Action is where it’s at – Nothing attracts people to a booth better than action. Some sort of motion, activity, maybe a model (yes models work) or even some sort of demonstration. I’ve seen a lot of mascots, models and even a cash machine attract tons of people to other booths. Our secret weapon? We had a keg of beer on tap throughout the show, and it worked wonders.

2. ROI is crucial – I’ve seen a lot of companies spend thousands of dollars on trade shows without even measuring ROI to see if it’s even worth it. A common reason for a lot of companies to exhibit is they think if they don’t show up, people will assume they are “falling off the radar.” Another is that some companies view exhibiting from a “seniority” stand point and think they may not get a good a booth location next time. Neither of these are valid reasons to spend money and time on a trade show. The only reason you should be at a show is that you think the business you will pull in will more than pay back the cost of exhibiting.

3. Do whatever you can to liven the crowd – Let’s face it, trade shows for the most part are dull and boring. After your first glance at all the pretty booths, the dopamine levels in your head go down pretty quick and the sentence “just another trade show” comes to mind. Do whatever you can to liven up your booth and bring a smile to other people’s faces. Happiness is contagious and it’s like a fucking disease at a trade show. Word of mouth will quickly spread and you’ll get a lot of new people coming to see you.

A few other things that work well at trade shows (no matter how dumb they seem):

• Giveaways – free gifts like key chains, luggage tags, squeeze balls and frisbees
• Business cards in a bowl – The good ole put your business card in a bowl to enter the drawing for a prize still works great
• Free Food – Oh yea, this works wonders. Free snacks baby!
• Marketing Videos – short videos shown in a continuous loop. People get hypnotized and drawn in by anything on a tv screen
• Product Demonstrations

Also, when people approach your booth, give them some space. We all have our privacy bubble and nothing drives me more crazy when someone “invades” mine. Don’t pounce on them like a chimp after a banana. Let them look around a bit and reach a comfort level then casually stroll up to them and engage them.