Tips for Designing Trade Show Experiences that Appeal to the Senses

When working on your trade show booth design, you and your team want to make sure it appeals to all of your audience’s senses. The best way to accomplish this is to make a booth that is both pleasing to look at and interactive. You want each person visiting to have a fun and memorable experience at your booth.

In this article, we will go through some tips for making your exhibit booth a visually stunning and interactive display.

Tip #1 – Know Your Audience

The tricks and gadgets used in trade show displays ten years ago are not going to be as effective in this day and age. Yet, many exhibitionists still fall back on these outdated tactics. Why? Because they do not spend enough time getting to know their audience.

In today’s world, people are impressed by what is new, flashy, and technologically advanced. They do not want to read a pamphlet or a wall of text. Instead, they want technology to inform them of new products.

Knowing who will be in your audience is key when it comes to designing your trade show booth. Young adults will expect a good booth to be fun and interactive. Older adults will want a combination of interactivity and detailed specifics.

In some cases, you can get in contact with the people organizing the show and get a list of the type of people who will be attending the event. Base your design around the audience’s age group.

Get a list of the type of people attending the show
Research the trends your audience is into
Design your trade show display around the type of audience who will be in attendance

Tip #2 – Follow the Theme

Almost all trade shows have their own specific theme. When your team sits down to draft up design ideas, it is in your best interest to know what the theme of the show will be.

Once you know the theme, you will have a good starting point for your display. However, in the interest of making your trade show booth stand out, you will want to expand upon that theme and take your display to the next level.

Find out the show’s theme
Base your display’s design around that theme
Find ways to expand upon that theme to make your display unique

Tip #3 – Target all the Senses

Humans have five senses: sight, touch, taste, hear and smell. While designing your trade show booth, you want to target as many senses as you can. This will turn your booth from average to alluring.

Capturing all the sense may sound like a heavy task, but with some simple key designs, it can be an easy feat.

The primary sense will be a sight. People will see your trade show booth design before experiencing anything else. So, you want your booth to be visually appealing.

To satisfy the sense of touch, you can have your products on display so that your audience can pick them up and inspect them for themselves.

A hearing is an important sense too, as people are naturally drawn to things by sound. You could have some light music playing at your trade show booth, or have narrated videos that explain and demonstrate your products.

Taste and smell may seem like the trickiest senses to satisfy, however, there are a few ways to pull these off. Most adults enjoy coffee, both the smell and taste of it is alluring. Your trade show booth could also have aromatic oils or plants, as well as treats or baked goods.

Have your booth appeal to the five senses
Create a visually attractive booth
Play light music or narrated videos
Have your products on display for demonstration
Offer coffee, treats, or have nice smelling aromatic oils or plants

Tip #4 – Make Your Display Interactive

People enjoy displays that allow them to interact, not only with other people but the displays themselves. There are many ways you can make your trade show display interactive.

For example, you could host a giveaway that allows your audience to enter a raffle to win a prize. As an added bonus, the prize could be one of your products or even a discount on your products.

Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you could have a salesperson sit on a trap chair suspended over a ball pit. Members of the audience can throw balls at a target in an attempt to make the salesperson fall safely into the pit.

Find creative ways to make your display interactive
Host giveaways or contests
Offer interactive games or friendly shows