7 Essential Elements of Winning Trade Show Exhibits

7 Essential Elements of Winning Trade Show Exhibits

7 Essential Elements of Winning Trade Show Exhibits

Even tech-giant Microsoft agrees that trade shows are still a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes.

Whether you’re a local business or a large corporation, participating in a trade show is a great way to expand your reach.

Designing trade show exhibits can seem daunting to businesses that haven’t done so before. What should you include? How can you represent your brand in a way that is both authentic and unique?

We’re here to give you some helpful trade show advice: always go for custom trade show exhibits and you’ll already be a step ahead.

Now, how can you put together the perfect trade show exhibit? Read on for seven essential elements to include in your stand-out trade show exhibit.

7 Essential Elements of Winning Trade Show Exhibits

1. Start With a Floor Plan

For starters, you’re going to want to see a copy of the floor plan being used for the trade show venue.
This will give you a sense of the flow the crowd will take on and what your environment will look like.

Next, it’s time to start thinking about your trade show exhibit floor plan. A trade show exhibit should be interactive, which means that it needs an intuitive layout. For example, you don’t want your interactive elements to block the table where interested customers can learn more about your business.

Coming up with a floor plan will make the rest of your design and setup process go much more
smoothly.

2. Pick a Coherent Theme

Part of capturing the attention of passersby is creating a trade show exhibit that generates curiosity
and fun. If you’re new to the trade show circuit, you may be thinking, ‘Isn’t the theme my business? The answer is, not exactly.

Tying in a theme to your trade show exhibit gives life to your products or services. It brings together
all of the interactive elements of your exhibit and creates a story for your business that consumers
can easily understand.

Not sure what these themes should look like? Let’s take the example of a company that sells fishing and hunting gear. Depending on which products you want to emphasize, you could create a lake scene or a forest scene that immerses your consumers in a product-relevant environment.

3. Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Branding

Let’s clarify an important deal: while your business isn’t a theme, it’s still the reason for your trade show exhibit. You don’t want to get so focused on thematic imagery that you forget about branding.

Remember, when you’re featuring your business at a trade show, you’re going to be surrounded by your competition. Branding is the key to standing out from comparable businesses and securing customers. That’s why trade show experts like Nimlok blend branding with unique visuals and the latest technology in all of their custom trade show exhibits.

4. Get Visual With Eye-Catching Graphics

Strong graphics are a great way to attract attention from afar. Large, high-quality graphics give you an opportunity to concisely reveal what your brand is all about so that interested consumers know that you are able to fulfill their needs.

Graphics are also preferable to long-text formatting in a trade show environment. Keep in mind that
trade shows are bustling and distractions are abundant. The more you can convey using imagery,
charts, and short phrases, the bigger your impact will be on passersby.

5. Engage Your Audience With Technology

It’s no secret that we live in a highly plugged-in society. We love the instant gratification of a well- designed piece of technology and your trade show customers are no exception to that rule.

As you plan engaging activities for your trade show exhibit, think of ways that you can incorporate
technology. Video walls and virtual reality are becoming increasingly popular at trade shows. Any
exhibit that utilizes this kind of tech will be sure to attract a large crowd.

(Don’t forget to use tech to collect information, too. Equip your staff with tablets to generate email lists and close on-site sales.)

6. Don’t Rely on Venue Lighting, Alone

One mistake that trade show newcomers tend to make is not bringing their own lighting. Of course,
trade show venues are well-lit–no one is hosting a trade show in the dark! However, additional box
lighting will help you draw focus to the most important aspects of your trade show exhibit.

One way to subtly increase sales is to light your products or offers more than any other part of your
booth. That way, even those who come to play games or enter to win prizes will still find themselves
mesmerized by what you have for sale.

7. Seal the Deal With a Trade Show Promotion

Trade show attendees are there because your industry is meaningful to them. They’re familiar with the types of products or services you offer and they’re looking to find out about the latest industry trends.

They’re also looking for a great deal on the products or services they need.
Without offering a trade show promotion, you’re going to miss out on a lot of sales. One model we recommend using is offering a variety of tiered discounts.

For example, the best discount available should be for any sales that are closed during the trade
show. After that, you might consider offering promo codes or coupons to any trade show-goers who
sign up for your email list. The goal is to reward consumers for stopping at your exhibit and learning
more about your business.

With These Essentials, You’ll Build Trade Show Exhibits That Impress

If you’re new to the trade show circuit, you may not know what to expect. By implementing these seven essential elements for trade show exhibits, you’re guaranteed to experience serious trade show success.

Looking for more ways to boost your business? Wondering about the latest upgrades in technology
that might bring that wow factor to your trade show exhibit? Take a look around for industry news,
advice, and more.

 

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