Trade shows represent an enormous opportunity to connect with prospects and generate revenue, but they also represent financial risk. If you sign up for several trade shows and fail to make an impact, you’ll end up with a depleted marketing budget and nothing to show for it.
Trade show success is all about understanding the moment. Take some time to learn what trends will translate into the highest ROI for your business. Here are the best ways to stand out in a crowd of vendors and accomplish your goals at your scheduled 2020 trade shows.
Comfort Over Contemporary
Booth ideas for trade shows are trending away from the sleek, minimalist designs that replicate the inside of spaces like an Apple store. Brands are realizing that building a space that looks like an office can intimidate customers. Stay ahead of the curve and design warm, inviting spaces that incorporate carpet, fabric, and home-like furnishings that encourage attendees to unwind and stay awhile.
This shift in design also reflects your average trade show attendee’s growing exhaustion with overly tech-focused shows that lack organic elements. Comfortable and casual booths allow you to get back to basics and facilitate stress-free interactions with customers.
Tapping Into Nostalgia
Trigger some positive emotions in your customers by creating booth games or designs capitalizing on nostalgia. Nostalgia improves mood and provides structure, enticing curious attendees and building upon cherished memories.
The trick, of course, is knowing how to effectively implement nostalgia. Reintroduce vintage products with a modern twist (think vintage branded trucker hats!). Incorporate “throwback” audio cues in your interactive media. Some brands have started using a modified Plinko board to get attendees to fill out the contact forms and possibly win a prize. Use your imagination to land on an idea that will be a unique experience for anyone that walks through.
Sustainable Booth Design
Creating a separate booth for every event can become costly, and building a structure for a single use is inherently wasteful. Many brands are moving to sustainable architecture. The secret to reusing structures at multiple events is to design flexible structures that use system construction. These types of structures can be adjusted to accommodate various spaces and re-skinned with different graphics for an event-specific facelift.
Sustainable booths also position your brand as environmentally conscious and proactive, earning the respect of potential customers and opening new avenues for conversation.
A Place to Recharge
In trade shows of the past, a booth would be designed to carefully hide access to charging outlets and cables for the booth staff. In 2020, embrace the opportunity to casually chat up attendees by constructing a designating charging station within your booth.
Every prospective customer at your next trade show will be looking for an outlet at some point during their journey around the floor. Charging stations help attendees feel comfortable and allow them to explore your offerings while waiting for their smartphone, tablet or laptop to reach 100%.
Staffing Beyond Salespeople
At its core, a trade show is all about human interaction. You know your dedicated sales staff will be able to jump into conversations with confidence. So, for your next few events, consider shaking up the staffing of your booth to include other departments.
Consider inviting knowledgeable software developers or analysts who can approach customers with a completely different point of entry. Passionate members of your organization who dedicate time to be at a trade show demonstrate a commitment and excitement for your brand. Plus, they can connect with attendees from the same department in their respective organization and have a conversation that may not have been possible with someone from the sales team.
Low-Cost Freebies
Trade show giveaways are among the most cost-effective forms of advertising, so invest in a variety of smaller items that you can give to customers in exchange for filling out a contact form. Staples such as pens and USB drives are portable and dependable, but you can also branch out so attendees remember your brand after a whirlwind event.
Unique branded items won’t be tossed aside when customers return home after a tradeshow. A promotional notepad or mouse pad can sit on valuable desk space and serve as a visual reminder of your brand. Speak to a helpful Triple Crown Products associate if you need help brainstorming meaningful freebies that won’t empty out your marketing budget.
Top-Tier Giveaways
Whether you decide to offer pre-arranged gift bags for VIPs or conduct a raffle at your booth, invest in high-quality branded products that are relevant and useful for your target audience. Require winners of your raffle to stop by your booth to claim their prize.
If you have several prizes to give out, opt for middle-tier products including thermoses, PopSocket phone wallets or backpacks. You can curate a selection of themed items to make a show-stopping gift basket or giveaway a flagship product that your brand has yet to officially launch. Everyone loves free swag, so be creative.
Whether you need assistance designing your next line of promotional products or you want access to the most durable and trusted brands, you’re in good hands at Triple Crown Products. Enjoy steep discounts when you order in bulk. Plan your trade show promos for 2020 now for significant savings.