Three Key Tips for Improving Your Trade Show Presence
As an example, notice the above image of a tradeshow booth has an attention-grabbing headline and also has copy at a lower level highlighting problems, solutions, and benefits. This is a larger booth, but the same can be possible with smaller booths.
Recently, I was able to attend Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas. This is the largest oil and gas services trade show in the world. It was a good show, but not nearly what it has been in the past. From what I’ve heard many people saying it was about a third of what it used to be in previous years. All in all, it was not bad for the first year back from COVID shutting down events like this, not to mention the effect it had on lots of businesses. I hope it gets back to a more normal attendance because I really feel that meeting new people in a face-to-face environment like this is one of the best ways to gain new leads.
Anyway, I wanted to report my observations, and provide a few pointers to companies that may struggle with properly presenting themselves in a trade show environment. I see a lot of poorly executed marketing and visual communication in tradeshows—I estimate that at least thirty percent, if not more, of the booths, are usually very poorly designed and do not convey a message that will draw attention. Companies spend a fortune on these booths and then a fairly large exhibitors fee to set up and display their booths, so I would like to think that they would put as much effort into the strategy and design of the booth itself. Unfortunately, this is where some companies cut costs, and then trade shows simply seem like a money pit where you can’t recover the money that you have invested.
Here are four key tips to follow to set up your booth to pull in potential customers for conversations and not just for the free pens and chocolate you are giving away.
1. Make your message clear and to the point. The first part in breaking this tip down is “to the point.” What point do you want to convey? I would advise you to address your core customer’s pain point. What problem does your product or service solve?
To make it quick, say it in six to eight words. Get the message across with as little reading as possible. Imagine that you are writing a billboard. People are walking by, and quickly scanning these booths visually to see if it interests them enough to go over. You have to grab their attention in a matter of seconds.
Another point to consider, when you are designing your message to grab attention, is how to address the visual clarity. First, make it large, and secondly, but just as important, do not clutter the copy. You want this message to be easily read from 20–30 feet away. Be sure to consider possible visual obstacles, like crowds of people getting in the way.
2. Provide takeaways with details about your company and its offerings. Whether you offer printed brochures or digital brochures on a small zip drive, make sure that everyone who has been to your booth can take away something with information about your company. Put them in arms reach for someone just walking by and make sure to point them out or even better yet hand them to people who stop in to chat.
Often trade show-goers will visit so many booths and hear so many presentations that it will be difficult for them to remember some of the finer details of your offerings. Give them some information to help them remember why you are better than your competitors. It is important to outline product or service details as well as highlight the features that differentiate your company from your competitors.
3. Use professional photography. I realize this is another way people see as a way to save money, but in the long run, if it hurts your ability to gain clients, are you really saving money? Having professional product shots and/or illustrations can make a sale. It shows that you care about your product, it shows that you are a company that is professional and successful, not to mention if we are talking about a product—it shows your product in the best light.
4. Have the proper sales and marketing representatives for the job. There is a fine line between staff who are not engaged and staff who are too pushy. Far too often I see people eating or on their phones, not even noticing if someone looks partially interested in the company’s offering. Or, I see the complete opposite, where they are overzealous and trying to convince someone who is obviously not interested. It really isn’t hard to reach that perfect mix, but you have to staff people who care. Especially with trade shows, you need someone who works hard, because it isn’t easy to man a trade show booth. It is a long day of always being on your feet, discussing your offering over and over again with a number of people—if you are lucky.
I hope this information can be helpful to anyone exhibiting at a trade show or planning to design a booth. If you have any questions or would like to consult with us, you can call us at (985) 259-2851 or send us a message using the brief form below. I would be glad to give you a free evaluation if you send me a few photos of your booth and the last trade show you displayed at.
