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Can A Trade Show Boost Your Small Business?
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Article 5: Designing Your Booth
Designing a booth that will wow show attendees as well as meet the show’s requirements and your budget takes planning.
The first thing to do is familiarize yourself with the show’s rules and guidelines for booth size and other parameters. These will dictate the height, depth, floor coverings, colors and other details that will be allowed at the show.
Beyond these basics, the most important thing to keep in mind as you design your booth is that it must grab attendees’ attention quickly.
“Your trade show booth is like a billboard,” says Stephen Schuldenfrei, president of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association, the national trade association for event marketing professionals.
“Drivers have about three seconds to read a billboard, and it’s the same with a booth. It must clearly convey who your company is and what you do, so keep the message simple.”
Here are a few strategies for designing a winning trade show booth:
Design the booth so that visitors can move around easily without feeling crowded. Move furniture to the back and sides and try to keep the area open, without any barriers (like a desk or table) between you and prospects. Make sure there is a central focal point in the booth that communicates a strong, benefit-oriented message to prospects. Use large graphics instead of small chunks of copy. Create some kind of movement. Movement in or near the booth will help draw attention your way. Exactly what kind of movement is appropriate will depend on your products and industry, but think creatively. Use lighting and color to your advantage. Make sure your booth is well-lit and easy to spot. Bright, rich colors presented in high contrast will attract attention. But remember that different colors tend to elicit certain moods: red for excitement and blue for serenity, for example. Use product demonstrations, if possible. A trade show is a great opportunity for hands-on demonstrations of products that are hard to illustrate or explain.
If you decide to demonstrate your products at your booth, make sure that all of the required equipment will work properly. There’s nothing worse than fumbling with a malfunctioning computer or projector. Practice your demonstration so that you can deliver it naturally and maintain eye contact with prospects. Anticipate common questions and prepare answers ahead of time.
What about booth location? Schuldenfrei says at most shows, booth spots are assigned based on how many years exhibitors have attended the show and how much booth space they’re buying.
“The most tenured and largest exhibitors tend to get the best locations, although some shows sell prime spots for more money – kind of like advertisers paying extra to be on the back cover of a magazine.
“There are different theories on the best booth locations, but personally, I prefer not to be one of the first booths near the entrance, especially if it’s a small booth. I think people have to walk 50 feet or so into the trade show before they get their bearings. However, I would spend extra money for a corner location.”
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Can A Trade Show Boost Your Small Business?
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