Three seconds is the amount of time a trade show exhibit has to entice a potential customer. That trade show display had better be eye-popping.
Through the years trade show fees and associated costs have continued to rise, yet promoting a business at a trade show can be one of the most cost effective advertising expenditures a company can make.
A Pop Up Display Is Quick and Convenient
There are many styles of commercial, prefabricated trade show booth displays.
Options include:
All of the above displays are easily transportable and quickly assembled. But without significant customization they can all prove ineffective in promoting a business or product. The most important characteristic of a trade show booth is not the structure that supports a company's message. It is the message itself.
Custom trade show booths set a more individual tone for a product and
stand out in a sea of manufactured displays. When interviewed by Tricia Spencer,
Sarah Champlin, owner of Sarah Marie Stationery & Wrap, and a first time
national-level show exhibitor in 2008, shared that many trade show attendees
assumed theyd seen her before because her booth appeared to be that of a
more senior, established company. She also believes her booth design
generated customers.
Ms. Champlin states, "I think our booth gave buyers more confidence
in placing an initial order with us because it didn't seem as though we were
an unstable startup company. It made us look as though we'd been around for
awhile and that we were definitely going to be around in the future.
I'd say 80% of the buyers came in because of the way the booth looked. It was well worth
the investment."
A Trade Show Display Must Grab and Hold a Customers Attention Via Three Crucial Elements
Three seconds is three blinks of an eye. In that time, a customer walking by a trade show booth, whether it be custom or mass manufactured, must be able to grasp and understand three crucial elements:
- who benefits from the products use
- why ignoring that particular booth would be a mistake
Bells and whistles aren't the answer. A customer's eye may be attracted to
fake leaping flames or to a trick pony, but unless the product is actually fire or ponies,
the booth hasn't drawn the customer to the business. It has merely entertained.
No product should ever be upstaged by advertising stunts or gimmicks.
Keys to Trade Show Display Success
Following basic principles when designing a trade show booth will increase visibility and profits. The most vital ones include:
- custom, bold graphics and colors that keep the focus squarely on the product
- a non-threatening, clean and uncluttered booth where customers can engage the product and company representatives
- graphics and demonstrations that explain what the product is, how it is used and how it benefits the customer
- products positioned no more than an arm’s reach from the aisle
- an identifying image that instantly associates the product with the company
- a finished booth that includes custom walls or drapes, floor covering, effective lighting and relevant literature
The Five-Point Checklist to Winning Trade Show Displays
1.Make the product the star of the booth.
2.Satisfy the three crucial elements in less than three seconds.
3.Completely customize the booth and use innovative signage.
4.Artfully light the product and make the booth visually enticing.
5.Identify the products target market and focus the booth and the
presentation on those potential customers only.
A lucrative trade show display is as memorable as a five-star hotel.
It makes people talk. It inspires action. And ultimately, it makes the customer
want to return to the product, and to the company, again and again.