Blog
Trade Show Exhibits: Strategies for Making Exhibits More Engaging
By Erin Eldridge, February 22, 2024
Companies use trade shows to attract new customers by showcasing their brands, products and services. As a savvy exhibitor, you know that engaging booth visitors in a way that creates memorable experiences is paramount – because making a great connection at the show is just the first step. Once the visitor returns home and is ready to buy, you'll want them to recall what they learned about you while in your booth.
Rogers is here to offer insight and ideas on turning ordinary trade show booths into engaging and captivating experiences that resonate with attendees.
Set Clear Booth Objectives
Before you embark on all the possibilities for visitor engagement, you first need to establish your objectives. Of course, you're exhibiting to generate new sales leads. But what do you want people to remember about your brand? Are you launching a new product? Do you need to dazzle some investors? Understanding your goals and target audience will help guide your custom booth design, technology and engagement choices.
Design an Eye-Catching Exhibit
The initial step in engaging visitors is to design a trade show booth with visual appeal. For some exhibitors, less is more. Clean, open spaces with minimal text and graphics might align perfectly with your brand. For others, large monitors and integrated video walls pull attendees in from the trade show aisles and communicate key messages. Distinctly shaped booth fixtures, creative graphics, textures, light, and sound are easy methods to capture attendees' attention and communicate your company's innovation.
Make it Interactive
Attendees go to trade shows to learn about new products. Hands-on demonstrations are among the best tactics for engaging prospects at the show and leaving the most relevant impression. If safety is a concern, enclosing moving parts behind safety glass and adding user-activated start and stop buttons might be a consideration. If your product is a component of a larger assembly, consider displaying those finished products in the booth for relevance. Scaled-down simulations of real-world applications or settings are also very effective at engaging your target audience.
Add Gamification and Technology
Adding QR codes to your graphics is an easy strategy to get visitors to your website to learn more. Interactive touch screens that enable visitors to explore your products at their own pace are a great way to educate while also managing those busy times when your booth is crowded and staff is busy.
Introducing elements of gamification makes exhibits more dynamic and entertaining. In-booth scavenger hunts can encourage visitors to explore your booth space. A friendly contest for visitors to demo the use of your product better or faster than staff or other visitors creates a real-life user experience. Photo booths, popular games and social media integration add fun and excitement to your booth. Meanwhile, cutting-edge technology, like holograms, virtual tours, virtual reality games, and multi-sensory experiences, take that engagement to the next level.
Incorporate a Booth Theme
There are many ways to build a theme around your brand within a trade show booth. Perhaps your brand helps customers to innovate. A futuristic theme might be for you. A time travel theme might be appropriate if your product accomplishes a job faster. And if your product saves customers money, a theme of wealth and prosperity delivers a strong message. You may even consider themes around lifestyle, seasonal events, pop culture or sports, engaging visitors more personally based on their preferences.
Hospitality, Entertainment and Giveaways
Depending on the rules of each show, you may want to incorporate refreshments, speaking sessions or entertainers in your booth. Providing visitors with a custom-labeled beverage in an arid show hall or after a long flight may encourage them to stay and chat for a while. If you need to educate booth visitors, consider a stage and scheduled Q&A sessions or an "infotainer" trained on your products and adept at engaging attendees.
Every exhibitor knows that samples and trinkets are favorites among show attendees. Can your product produce or hold something that visitors would want to take back to their office? Or you may consider something like a custom t-shirt or hat-making station. Whatever you decide, the more you incorporate your brand and products, the more relevant and meaningful the engagement.
The Most Important Part of Engagement – Your Staff
Apart from any visual, technical or attraction you put into your booth, having an informed and engaged staff should be a top priority. Friendliness and approachability are a given. Your staff should also know how to evaluate the visitors' needs and apply your solutions properly. Ensuring your prospects get accurate and detailed information about your products and services builds trust and credibility. And a meaningful conversation about what your products can do for a potential new customer is one of the most memorable and engaging experiences of all.
Ready for Your Next Engaging Event?
Elevating visitor engagement at your trade shows can lead to better brand awareness, create positive visitor experiences and offer more potential for sales after the show. At Rogers, we've been helping companies engage with customers and prospects for over 75 years. Reach out to us for help with your next event. You'll be glad you did!
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