Top Five, Must Have, Trade Show Items
We love trade shows. The hum of activity, buzz of interest and actively engaged leads stopping by over and over wanting to know who you are and what your business offers. Sneaking peeks at all the other booths, sizing them up. Whose display is bigger and better designed? Is ours the best?
Trade show booths come in all shapes and sizes. That’s half the fun! The two biggest factors when prepping a trade show booth are budget and booth space. Neither factor can limit creativity… But they do define the parameters of the creativity.
Prepping and planning your booth can be fun, but easily overwhelming with all the options.
Here are our suggestions of the top five, most important elements of your trade show booth.
You want your company name, logo and branding to stand out. This is how people remember you! Signs and banners come in all shapes and sizes…. retractable pop-up banners, suspended vinyl banners, portable walls, step n’repeat stands and more. Banners and signs are only limited by your imagination as they can be designed, customized, printed and built-in so many ways. Even a simple pop-up banner can become unique overnight with some imaginative design work.
2. Table Covers and Décor
Table cloths are an easy must-have for a trade show, and they provide a lot of additional real estate for branding when designed intentionally. Another key part of your booth to consider is the floor. Bringing in a rug, or portable flooring is a great way to define your space, soften the harsh feel of an event center and make your booth more inviting. Flooring can also be customized and special ordered specifically for your brand… Décor doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, it can easily be elements from around your home or office that enhance your look and make the booth more rounded and complete.
3. Giveaways and Swag
Who doesn’t love free stuff? We know plenty of people who go to trade shows just to collect all the stuff. Want a great trick to make sure you get seen? Be the booth giving away tote bags! Then your logo is on the outside of everyone else’s items. Conventional items such as pens and mouse pads are always solid classics, but there is a huge opportunity for clever and unique items such as custom shaped USB drives. There is a perfect swag item for every industry and we love the challenge of finding that item.
You’d think business cards are a given when someone goes to a trade show, but a surprising number of people totally forget them.
Don’t forget your business cards!
Almost as important as your business card are other pieces of literature about your company and what it has to offer the potential buyer or client at the trade show. Having a cohesive branded company portfolio with sell sheets and brochures ready to be placed inside a professionally branded folder is key to a good first impression. We highly suggest having attractive holders to contain these literature pieces on your table to add dimension and make them more inviting for someone to want to read and take.
5. Company Video
Video is the current future of marketing… Having a video reel playing at your booth will draw eyes to you. It also helps engage and educate people if you are caught up in another conversation and cannot stop to speak with them. Video provides a unique opportunity to engage with potential customers in a fashion that not every other booth will have.
And our final, key piece of advice… Don’t forget a way to capture leads!!
Dozens of people will stop by and you need a way to follow up with them. You can’t wait for them to follow up with you…. Have your tablet or laptop handy to add them to your system. Or provide a drawing where they toss in a business card. Just have something so they leave their info! You need their business to make the trade show a success.
Top Five, Must Have, Trade Show Items
We love trade shows. The hum of activity, buzz of interest and actively engaged leads stopping by over and over wanting to know who you are and what your business offers. Sneaking peeks at all the other booths, sizing them up. Whose display is bigger and better designed? Is ours the best?
Trade show booths come in all shapes and sizes. That’s half the fun! The two biggest factors when prepping a trade show booth are budget and booth space. Neither factor can limit creativity… But they do define the parameters of the creativity.
Prepping and planning your booth can be fun, but easily overwhelming with all the options.
Here are our suggestions of the top five, most important elements of your trade show booth.
You want your company name, logo and branding to stand out. This is how people remember you! Signs and banners come in all shapes and sizes…. retractable pop-up banners, suspended vinyl banners, portable walls, step n’repeat stands and more. Banners and signs are only limited by your imagination as they can be designed, customized, printed and built-in so many ways. Even a simple pop-up banner can become unique overnight with some imaginative design work.
2. Table Covers and Décor
Table cloths are an easy must-have for a trade show, and they provide a lot of additional real estate for branding when designed intentionally. Another key part of your booth to consider is the floor. Bringing in a rug, or portable flooring is a great way to define your space, soften the harsh feel of an event center and make your booth more inviting. Flooring can also be customized and special ordered specifically for your brand… Décor doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, it can easily be elements from around your home or office that enhance your look and make the booth more rounded and complete.
3. Giveaways and Swag
Who doesn’t love free stuff? We know plenty of people who go to trade shows just to collect all the stuff. Want a great trick to make sure you get seen? Be the booth giving away tote bags! Then your logo is on the outside of everyone else’s items. Conventional items such as pens and mouse pads are always solid classics, but there is a huge opportunity for clever and unique items such as custom shaped USB drives. There is a perfect swag item for every industry and we love the challenge of finding that item.
You’d think business cards are a given when someone goes to a trade show, but a surprising number of people totally forget them.
Don’t forget your business cards!
Almost as important as your business card are other pieces of literature about your company and what it has to offer the potential buyer or client at the trade show. Having a cohesive branded company portfolio with sell sheets and brochures ready to be placed inside a professionally branded folder is key to a good first impression. We highly suggest having attractive holders to contain these literature pieces on your table to add dimension and make them more inviting for someone to want to read and take.
5. Company Video
Video is the current future of marketing… Having a video reel playing at your booth will draw eyes to you. It also helps engage and educate people if you are caught up in another conversation and cannot stop to speak with them. Video provides a unique opportunity to engage with potential customers in a fashion that not every other booth will have.
And our final, key piece of advice… Don’t forget a way to capture leads!!
Dozens of people will stop by and you need a way to follow up with them. You can’t wait for them to follow up with you…. Have your tablet or laptop handy to add them to your system. Or provide a drawing where they toss in a business card. Just have something so they leave their info! You need their business to make the trade show a success.
