What is Trade Show Booth Design
The simple definition of booth design or exhibit design in context of trade shows is the stage or the canvas that your brand message gets to be displayed. The stand design should ideally be targeted to your audience who visits the trade venues of different city centers across the globe. With over, 10,000 trade fairs going on in continental USA, trade shows are a significant portion that drives US economy. Since trade shows are organized along with industry conferences, your stand design should be an expression of your brand and intelligently tie in with the content of the conferences that are being held in the show venue to gain the maximum traction. Research the shows that you want toexhibit at and then drive your design that caters to the DNA of specific show and the targeted attendees that visits that show.
If you are hosting a private event, use your exhibit design to cater to the different product lines and and interaction areas. Architect your exhibit so that it can be segmented into different pieces for each product category to maximize on the ROI of your design and build investment. Think of using your stand design as a backdrop for your visual technological interfaces after you have been at a show or in between shows. Design your booth to be a silent reminder of your brand and your business.
Imagine different ways, that makes your booth to be the visual reminder of your commerce —it should impart confidence in doing business with your company, both on-line and off-line.
If you are hosting a private event, use your exhibit design to cater to the different product lines and and interaction areas. Architect your exhibit so that it can be segmented into different pieces for each product category to maximize on the ROI of your design and build investment. Think of using your stand design as a backdrop for your visual technological interfaces after you have been at a show or in between shows. Design your booth to be a silent reminder of your brand and your business.
Imagine different ways, that makes your booth to be the visual reminder of your commerce —it should impart confidence in doing business with your company, both on-line and off-line.
You are Walking in the Digital Footsteps of your Customers
In the Age of Digital Marketing, events and conferences are emerging as the Experience Hub for the new, old and the transitional brands.
Exhibiting at a trade shows is an excellent way to find customers to help your business grow. However, in the Age of Connected Customers, trade shows provide a landscape of opportunities for engagement, as well as a new reality for your business.
Leaving aside the hard data, on the economic viability and the cultural relevance of trade shows; the gifts you receive by embarking on this journey by investing in designed experiences, personalized education and meaningful conversations are immense — "empathy, relevance and ultimately reciprocity — all of which are measurable by traditional business metrics."
Find an appropriate association for the industry you're interested in, look through the Encyclopedia of Associations published by Gale Research. You may also want to check magazines and newsletters such as Tradeshow Week or go through the Tradeshow Week Data Book. Next, define the experience that your product brings to enrich the life of your customers in a meaningful, advantageous and shareable fashion.
Stretch your imagination, open your heart and influence your mind.
Congratulations! You are the new CEO... the Chief Experience Officer.
In the Age of Digital Marketing, events and conferences are emerging as the Experience Hub for the new, old and the transitional brands.
Exhibiting at a trade shows is an excellent way to find customers to help your business grow. However, in the Age of Connected Customers, trade shows provide a landscape of opportunities for engagement, as well as a new reality for your business.
Leaving aside the hard data, on the economic viability and the cultural relevance of trade shows; the gifts you receive by embarking on this journey by investing in designed experiences, personalized education and meaningful conversations are immense — "empathy, relevance and ultimately reciprocity — all of which are measurable by traditional business metrics."
Find an appropriate association for the industry you're interested in, look through the Encyclopedia of Associations published by Gale Research. You may also want to check magazines and newsletters such as Tradeshow Week or go through the Tradeshow Week Data Book. Next, define the experience that your product brings to enrich the life of your customers in a meaningful, advantageous and shareable fashion.
Stretch your imagination, open your heart and influence your mind.
Congratulations! You are the new CEO... the Chief Experience Officer.
NOW, LET'S TALK TRADE SHOWS AND HOW YOUR EXHIBIT CAN BE THE HUB OF EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR VISITORS?What’s the first question to ask when you are exhibiting at trade shows? There are many important questions you and your team can ask when preparing for your trade show program:
1. Why do we need to attend trade shows?
2. Which shows should we exhibit at?
3. How big a booth space do we take?
4. What Kind of experience will we offer. How does that tie to our product?
5. Does our booth need to have a personality to compliment the experience? What is the color, the theme the textures. How are we going to hold the attention with our exhibit graphics?
6. Should we invite attendees with an email, a direct mail piece, or both? Or should we carve out a thematic invitation
7. What giveaways should we buy?
8. What clothes should our staffers wear? If the experience is is based on a theme of fun, then define the fun and how the costumes can add to the sharing of the fun?
9. Where in the show hall is the best place to put our exhibit? Do we get the space based on our neighbors or do we get a couple of smaller spaces instead of one big space?
10. Who should staff the trade show booth? Does the personality jive with the overarching experience/
11. Who will manage our leads at the show and after the show?
12. How should we hook the attendees in the aisle?
13. What demo can we do to get people’s attention? How do we measure the 'Like' rate of the demo in a creative fashion that will ensure more 'Likes' and 'Shares'
14. What products should we feature in our exhibit? Do bring an example of what the product does instead?
15. What kind of design displays will work best for us? Do we do a simple backwall with monitors slapped on or do we use creative technology to amplify our brand?
16. What activities should we do in our booth? How can we use gamification to engage our attendees? “Little wins and losses along the way are what keep people interested along the way.”
17. Is it worth hiring a trade show presenter? Will that elevate my boring business?
18. How will we measure our success? Is it the number of 'LIKES' or the actual sale of a product or the 'LIKES' that triggered the actual sales — what will use as a benchmark? On that note, are we better product builders or are we better marketers?
19. How do we keep the momentum going after the show?
20. Do we exhibit at more shows? Or, do we engage in private events?
21. Do we need to engage them virtually, before we bring our goods at the next show? If so, how we do it?
As new technologies like 3D modeling, 360-degree videos, and virtual reality become more integrated into the consumer experience, how do we integrate evolving technology into maximizing engagement. For example, L’Oreal, the make up giant, is equipped with Makeup Genius app (augmented reality in action), which allows enthusiasts “try on” makeup with their phones without stepping into a physical store.
These are all good questions, and the answers are often critical to your trade show success. But all these questions go on hold until you answer the first question: “What is our main goal for exhibiting?” Once you answer that essential question, the answers to all the other questions fall into place.
The three most common goals exhibitors seek are to boost awareness, generate leads, and meet with existing clients and key prospects.
Each of these three key goals will dictate different answers to all the other questions.
For example, who should staff the trade show booth? If you want to generate leads, you will choose staffers who will quickly engage, qualify, present and close to many attendees. But if you are meeting with existing clients, you may want your company VIPs or key account sales people who already have relationships with key buyers. Next time you or someone else in your team asks a question about your trade show marketing, be sure you’ve got the first question buttoned up already. It will make all the subsequent answers that much easier.
1. Why do we need to attend trade shows?
2. Which shows should we exhibit at?
3. How big a booth space do we take?
4. What Kind of experience will we offer. How does that tie to our product?
5. Does our booth need to have a personality to compliment the experience? What is the color, the theme the textures. How are we going to hold the attention with our exhibit graphics?
6. Should we invite attendees with an email, a direct mail piece, or both? Or should we carve out a thematic invitation
7. What giveaways should we buy?
8. What clothes should our staffers wear? If the experience is is based on a theme of fun, then define the fun and how the costumes can add to the sharing of the fun?
9. Where in the show hall is the best place to put our exhibit? Do we get the space based on our neighbors or do we get a couple of smaller spaces instead of one big space?
10. Who should staff the trade show booth? Does the personality jive with the overarching experience/
11. Who will manage our leads at the show and after the show?
12. How should we hook the attendees in the aisle?
13. What demo can we do to get people’s attention? How do we measure the 'Like' rate of the demo in a creative fashion that will ensure more 'Likes' and 'Shares'
14. What products should we feature in our exhibit? Do bring an example of what the product does instead?
15. What kind of design displays will work best for us? Do we do a simple backwall with monitors slapped on or do we use creative technology to amplify our brand?
16. What activities should we do in our booth? How can we use gamification to engage our attendees? “Little wins and losses along the way are what keep people interested along the way.”
17. Is it worth hiring a trade show presenter? Will that elevate my boring business?
18. How will we measure our success? Is it the number of 'LIKES' or the actual sale of a product or the 'LIKES' that triggered the actual sales — what will use as a benchmark? On that note, are we better product builders or are we better marketers?
19. How do we keep the momentum going after the show?
20. Do we exhibit at more shows? Or, do we engage in private events?
21. Do we need to engage them virtually, before we bring our goods at the next show? If so, how we do it?
As new technologies like 3D modeling, 360-degree videos, and virtual reality become more integrated into the consumer experience, how do we integrate evolving technology into maximizing engagement. For example, L’Oreal, the make up giant, is equipped with Makeup Genius app (augmented reality in action), which allows enthusiasts “try on” makeup with their phones without stepping into a physical store.
These are all good questions, and the answers are often critical to your trade show success. But all these questions go on hold until you answer the first question: “What is our main goal for exhibiting?” Once you answer that essential question, the answers to all the other questions fall into place.
The three most common goals exhibitors seek are to boost awareness, generate leads, and meet with existing clients and key prospects.
Each of these three key goals will dictate different answers to all the other questions.
For example, who should staff the trade show booth? If you want to generate leads, you will choose staffers who will quickly engage, qualify, present and close to many attendees. But if you are meeting with existing clients, you may want your company VIPs or key account sales people who already have relationships with key buyers. Next time you or someone else in your team asks a question about your trade show marketing, be sure you’ve got the first question buttoned up already. It will make all the subsequent answers that much easier.