Creative Display

Before the Trade Show – Planning for Success

Before you start designing your display, preparing your collateral or training your staff, take a step back and consider your goals. Figuring out what you want to achieve will help you plan and prepare for a successful show.

First, why do want to participate in a trade show? There can be more than one reason – unveil a new product, increase brand awareness – but identifying your objectives will help to focus your efforts.

Some trade shows will be more suited to your purpose than others, so do some research. Select a trade show with the audience that you want to reach and with an objective that aligns with your goals.

Once you’ve chosen the right trade show for you, plan your budget and book your space. Learn all you can about the venue, and pick the best space for your goals that your budget will allow. Next, consider the conditions or your location. Is it a high traffic area? What companies are displaying in your vicinity? How is the lighting? Plan your display with these types of things in mind.

Also consider your audience. Whether you’ve chosen a show for retail buyers, wholesalers or people in your industry, plan your display accordingly as each group shops differently and has different needs.

Remember to notify your contacts of your participation in the show. Include the name and venue as well as your booth number. Try creating some anticipation by offering incentives or hinting an upcoming reveal.

Making decisions with these things in mind will focus your energies in achieving your true objectives.

Display with Clarity

It’s busy on the trade show floor. When considering your display strategy, it may seem counterintuitive to do less instead of more. But in the middle of all the confusion, you can attract an audience with clarity and simplicity.

Be easy on the eye. You don’t want attendees to get confused or stressed out by looking at your display. Keep your design and layouts clean and simple, and your images clear and bold. Visuals that pop communicate quickly and effectively.

Keep it short. Not only is a short, snappy headline easier to remember, it’s also easier to display. The shorter the headline, the larger it can appear on your display and the further away it can be seen. Choose a font that is clean and simple to increase visibility.

Get to the point. Be as concise as possible when writing a description of your company for a trade show. Attendees have long lists of to-dos, and don’t want to spend a lot of time reading or figuring out what you’re trying to tell them. Sell your booth in as few words as possible. Try using bullet points, and avoid getting too technical.

Don’t forget your name! You won’t get very far if they don’t know who you are. Attendees don’t want to spend time looking for the name of your company. Put it where they expect to find it: in the header portion of your trade show display.

Consider the trade show experience from an attendee’s perspective. Make your message comprehendible, memorable, digestible and identifiable.