Trade show booths are a way to get more people interested in what you do and get to know your audience in person. However, creating eye-catching booths in a sea of stalls all trying to do the same thing is a perennial challenge. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to pull off.
That’s where this post could help. It runs through some of the strategies you can use to create a stall that immediately draws attention, regardless of what the competition might be doing.
Storytelling Elements
First, a lot of the most eye-catching trade show booths go out of their way to tell a story. They introduce a compelling narrative that their audiences simply can’t resist.
Telling stories through visuals or props helps to make your brand pop. They also make it clear that you have something unique and special to offer that your rivals don’t. Narratives really get under your audience’s skin and make them consider using you and your services.
Clear CTAs
Another thing you’ll want to include is a clear CTA. Top brands also put calls to action in place so that trade show audiences know what to do next, putting them squarely into the conversion pipeline.
The form these CTAs take depends on your business but could include taking a card, signing up for a demo, or beginning a subscription. You don’t want to be too pushy at this stage, but getting the ball rolling and telling people what they should do can help make your booth stand out and set you apart from other stalls that might have a more passive approach.
Add Charging Stations
Adding charging stations is a clever guerrilla tactic many firms use at trade shows. They know that with people traveling to be there, charge levels on devices are likely running low, and that could attract more bodies to their vicinity.
This effect alone can be highly lucrative. When attendees see the popularity of a stall, that’s more likely to make them want to check it out too, which, again, can lead to more sales and prospects in the pipeline. It’s not a foolproof method, but it can be highly effective in some circumstances.
Modular Design
You also see that eye-catching trade show booths often have modular designs. In many cases, this tactic isn’t just a cost-saving measure: it’s designed around optimization.
Modular designs allow brands to adjust their booths and stalls at short notice to cater to the audience’s requirements. Firms can set them up however they want, allowing them to essentially do whatever they want to do while still meeting their customers’ requirements.
Even something as simple as a moveable wall can be helpful if it allows the stall to fit into the desired footprint where footfall is highest. This advantage isn’t something that every brand will have.
High-Quality Materials
Using high-quality materials is another approach that the top brands use. It’s something that made trade show goers immediately notice and is often a welcome change to the usual plasticky setups offered by the majority of brands.
No, quality materials aren’t cheap, but if you can utilize them, it makes all the difference. Marketing professionals know that it affects trades show goers on an unconscious level, drawing them to you naturally.
Strategic Location
Putting booths in the best location is perhaps the strongest way to ensure success at a trade show. If you know ahead of time where the majority of traffic is going to fall, that can increase passing business, sign-ups, and overall footfall.
Knowing the best locations can be tricky, even if the venue provides data on this. However, you could scout venues beforehand and take real-world measurements to see what’s going to work.
Oversized Visuals
Another top recommendation is to use oversized visuals. Banner printing can be highly effective in this regard.
Ideally, what you want is a mural or graphic that conveys what your brand does immediately. Try to develop something eye-catching, even if it is simple text or something simple, like a cartoon.
Don’t try to overwhelm your audience with long walls of text or complicated images with hidden meanings. Instead, adopt a simple-is-best approach and see what happens. Usually, the banners that work best for your online ads and outreach are superior for in-person events, too.
Comfortable Seating
You could also try your luck with comfortable seating for trade show goers. Giving them somewhere they can sit down and rest their legs is similar to the idea of offering charging stations. It gives them a comfort-related reason to explore your booth and see what you’re all about.
Again, you don’t have to provide anything fancy–even a few stools will often have an effect. But if you can offer couches that are comfortable, it can encourage people to hang around, which means more time spent with you and less time with your competitors.
Engaging Staff
Engaging staff is another ploy of the most successful and eye-catching trade show booths. Sales teams with magnetic personalities are more likely to capture the attention of passers-by, improving outcomes for your enterprise.
Yes, this approach requires a lot of training and finding the right people, but it can also be wildly effective. Several people who are experts in approaching visitors in a non-threatening way can build massive interest in what you’re doing and encourage more attendees to explore you more.
Dynamic Lighting
Dynamic lighting is another tactic that a lot of trade show booths use. It’s highly effective because of the way it differentiates stalls from each other. Those with LEDs illuminating everything in the background tend to be far more noticeable than those that don’t.
Ideally, you want to use dynamic LED lighting for key areas that create ambiance and make the trade booth “pop.” For example, you could put lights on either side of carpets that lead to your sales desks, or you could use them on your signage. Don’t be afraid to be inventive because the effect it can have is extraordinary.
Taller Height
Taller trade booths can also work well at trade shows since they pop up above everyone else’s, causing them to stand out. Even an extra few feet can make your booth stand out to people at ground level and those looking over the event, perhaps from a balcony.
Custom Flooring
You also want to experiment with custom flooring. Again, these can make trade show booths more conspicuous and encourage people to explore, regardless of what you sell.
What you add to the floor depends on you. Branded carpets are one option for companies that are new and want to create more of a first impression. Raised platforms are another common feature, although you’ll need to be wary of accessibility and health/safety rules.
Video Displays
Another option is to experiment with video displays to see if they make much of a difference, if any. Moving visuals or replaying marketing loops can grab attention and make your booth appear more credible, high-budget, and professional (even if you only rent the screens you use).
Video displays, like banners, should be as large as makes sense for the venue. The more extensive you can make them, the more exciting they’ll appear to customers and the more likely they’ll want to explore further with you.
Greenery
Greenery is a tactic that brands have been using from time immemorial at trade shows, and you should, therefore, consider it too if you want to be successful.
Greenery is simple to add, and often you can rent plants for a few hours before returning them to local nurseries.
You can use fake plants, but these don’t always have the same effect. However, even plants made of plastic can have a welcoming effect and make prospective customers feel more relaxed and ready to buy.
Gamification
Gamification is another way to get people involved with trade booths. Adding spin-the-wheel games, lotteries, or quizzes entertains visitors and gives them yet another reason to choose you.
What’s nice about gamification is that it gives you a non-pushy channel to introduce yourself to potential customers. People are just playing along, and there’s far less pressure.
What you turn into a game is up to you. Just ensure it’s legal by avoiding any betting or gambling.
Attention-Grabbing Sound
You could also experiment with using sounds to draw people to what you’re doing. Getting the noise environment around your stall right could unconsciously cause more prospects to explore what you do.
Many companies use a catchy jingle for this purpose. However, you have free rein here, so you can use pretty much whatever music you want.
Photo Opportunities
Finally, you might consider providing attendees with photo opportunities to draw more attention to your booth. Providing a branded backdrop or mascot could be a great way to get them all photographing what you’re doing and sharing it on social media. It could be free outreach.
Just make it clear that that’s the purpose of the props you add. Let people know they should be taking photos at your booth.
