How to Make Your Next Trade Show Booth Memorable?

A trade show is all about networking! Meeting with new faces, new companies and new customers.

Your first impression is the last impression, is the most suitable phrase that applies to trade shows. You want to get your target audience interested enough to remember you after the show. So how do you make that kind of lasting impression? Here are our tips on how you can do that!

1) Take care of your appearance

How you look has a decisive influence on visitors. Being well-groomed and dressed appropriately creates respect and arouses curiosity. People instantly assume you are a person of importance with responsibilities. Your appearance also affects, how visitors view your company.

In some industries, getting away with a casual appearance is acceptable. But being casual is not the same as being shabby and disheveled. You and your staff’s clothes should be well-fitting without and stains or creases. Deodorant and a breath mint is a must. The hair, nails and skin should look well-groomed.

Don’t make the mistake of letting your grooming slide, especially after you’ve invested hundreds of dollars in your exhibit booth design.

2) Find your customer’s pain point

Deciphering what your customer needs, is one of the quickest ways to make a lasting impression. But you can’t do that, without finding some common ground first. As people, we are drawn towards those that have similar experiences, to us. This makes them more memorable in our minds since our minds love to integrate similarities with past experiences.

A trade show offers a lot of opportunities to find common ground. You can discuss the industry, what got you in the industry, industry trends, and where you think the industry is headed.  The above questions give you and your customer a broad range of topics to discuss, without meandering into a discussion that has nothing to do with the industry.

3) Be specific

Talking in general terms about your company is a sure-fire way to get forgotten. Be specific about what, why, when, and how. That’s what sticks. So when talking about your company, don’t say, we offer web security, rather say that we improve website architecture by running penetration tests and provide a full report on how websites can plug vulnerabilities. Specific information like that will create more interest and leave the right impression,  that will sticks.

4)Highlight Your Strengths Without Bragging

The line between selling yourself and bragging is simple to walk. You simply have to connect success with your past achievements. Show what targets your company set out to achieve and how you achieved them. Any setback should also be highlighted since that gives you the hidden opportunity to talk about your adaptability to rising above challenges.

Here’s an example:

“When we started this company, clients were not getting the viability of our service. We were often cornered with the question of justifying the value of our service. So, we started a free newsletter and a blog to inform our target audience on web security. Turns out sharing our knowledge, got our audience interested in our service.”

5) Use Storytelling

Your trade show exhibit will draw visitors. But it’s how you convey your brand message that will make it memorable. Wrapping your brand message in an appealing story is the best way to do it. It does not have to facetious. Use facts. With the right questions, almost anything can be made into a story.

How was your company started?
Why did you choose this industry?
What’s the story of your CEO?
How did you overcome challenges and establish your USP?

These questions give you a good framework to start with. Over and above these questions you can also create a timeline of your company’s history and present it as milestones. You can give your audience a peek into your company’s culture and how that supports the quality of your product and service.

6) Use Social Proof

Word of mouth marketing is still the king when it comes to making an impression. Prospects are often converted when another person has used your product or service. As people we are cautious by nature, most of us are not early adopters. Take the case of trade show participation, companies prefer trade show exhibit rentals since they don’t lock them in, like trade show exhibit purchases.

Despite the overwhelming evidence on how effective trade shows can for improving your market presence, companies still hesitate. It’s only when they see a competitor do it, that they follow. It’s the same hesitance driving your prospects, they don’t want to get stuck with a bad deal. So the more your exhibit booth design and marketing campaign includes social proof in the form of testimonials, awards, and reviews. The better impression you will make on your target audience.

So there you have it, six tips that go beyond your exhibit booth design and let you make a lasting impression that sticks.