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Ideas for a successful booth

An exciting exhibit booth should be visually appealing, well-organized, and distinctive. It can also be interactive whether it’s a retail or brand awareness booth. Here are some tips for creating an exciting exhibit booth:

  • Booth size: Make the best use of the space you’re given.
  • Brand: Stay on brand.
  • Colors: Use bold and bright colors to stand out.
  • Graphics: Use high-impact graphics to capture attention.
  • Interactivity: Make the experience interactive to engage your audience. You could try a photo center with backdrops and cutouts for social media photos, or virtual reality demonstrations to showcase products or services.
  • Giveaways: Consider giving something away to attract customers
  1.   Create an inviting and attractive booth

As an exhibitor, you will be in direct and indirect competition with a host of other companies. A good way to make your business stand out is to design an attractive trade show booth.

If your booth is appealing, well-organized and distinctive, you will have more success.

Simple things can make a difference:

  • Pull your table into your space to invite attendees to engage with you inside your booth instead of setting the table up as a block between yourself and the attendees.
  • Bring or rent flooring.  You can use throw rugs, just make sure they have a non-slick backing.  Large bath mats or add non slip rug pads work under your rug.  DO NOT use anything sticky.
  • Order a custom backdrop or sign.  We like the products at ACE Exhibits:  www.aceexhibits.com  

*Reminder that standard 10’x10’ booths cannot go above 8’ in height. 

  • Use different heights within your booth.  If setting up on a table, consider bringing in crates, or tabletop shelving.  Or, bring in lightweight floor shelves.

2.  Focus on a clear theme

There is always a lot going on at trade show events, and attendees can easily become overwhelmed by the deluge of information. Of course, you’ll be eager to share everything that’s great about your business in your sales dialogue and vendor booth display, but if you want to engage event attendees, it’s best to choose one coherent message and stick to it. That way, visitors will be more likely to remember the information and will have a more positive experience at your booth!

3.  Tell a compelling story

People are more likely to engage with a brand that has an emotional impact on them. Craft a narrative that will make people care about your brand, and weave it through every aspect of your business. If you create a compelling, cohesive brand experience using everything from the aesthetics of your vendor booth to your promotional materials, your uniqueness will stand out and visitors will be more likely to remember you.

4.  Prepare your sales dialogue

No matter how long you have been working for the company, it’s important to practice your sales dialogue before the event. If you are completely in command of the facts and what you want visitors to know, you will make a better impression and be more likely to succeed.

You are probably very familiar with your product or service, but can you talk about it convincingly? If not, practice your sales dialogue until it feels natural when you approach people. Remember, it’s best not to try to force a sale. Instead, steer the conversation towards your product or service in a natural way.

5.  Staff your vendor booth adequately

An over-staffed booth can be overwhelming. People will be less keen to approach and talk to your team if there are 5 people waiting for them, ready to pounce. It’s uncomfortable and intimidating.

Use the size of your booth to determine the number of people needed to staff it. For example, a 10’×10’ booth should have no more than 2 or 3 staff. 4 people should be sufficient for larger 10’×20’ booths, and for booths that are 20’×20’ or larger, 5 to 6 people would be optimal.

6.  Have giveaways

Attendees love free items.  If possible, provide giveaways that include your logo and last as long as possible.

7.  Organize a contest

People love contests! Contests give visitors the chance to win an amazing prize, while creating an opportunity for you to talk to potential customers and attract a larger audience that might not have come to your booth otherwise.

Contests are also a great way to collect participants’ contact information for follow-up and prospecting purposes. There are tons of great trade show contest ideas you can use to make your vendor booth stand out! 

8.  Include interactive activities

Event attendees will be more engaged if they are active participants rather than passive observers! Interactive product demonstrations and other activities such as surveys and quizzes, games and trivia, and virtual reality are a great way to draw visitors to your booth. As an added bonus, surveys and quizzes can help you collect information about your prospects to help you make more informed business decisions.

Mini golf OR Cornhole

Mini golf is an excellent contest idea that does not require too much skill. Although very simple, this contest attracts a lot of people to trade show booths.

For example, a prize can be awarded to participants who make a hole-in-one or who complete the course below a given score.

“Find your partner and win”

For this contest, stick the same number on two different participants’ shirts.

These 2 participants will then need to look for one another and come back to your booth together to claim their prize.

This contest is also enjoyed by most trade show participants. If you have enough participants, you will extend your brand’s visibility to different sections of the show.

Wheel of fortune

This contest is also very simple but loved by everyone. It is simply a wheel of fortune with different prizes written on each section.

The participant spins the wheel and wins the prize it lands on. This can be a cash prize or other things, like a free quote.

“Roll the dice to win”

This contest requires a participant to roll 2 dice. If they roll the dice and get the same number on both, they win the game and a prize.

This game is interesting because it is fast, requires no skill and everyone has fun.

Quiz

Quizzes are an excellent trade show contest idea. Simply choose a theme and write a few questions on the topic that participants will have to answer.

The participant who answers correctly is the winner. The theme of the quiz can also be based on your product or service.

“Guess how many”

For this contest, take a jar filled with candy, for example. Participants have to try to guess the exact number of candy in the jar. If they guess correctly, they win!