4 Simple Mistakes to Avoid In Your Trade Show Booth!
At a trade show, the goal is usually to stand out among the competition. But what happens when standing out isn’t a good thing? Sometimes trade show booths attract attention for all the wrong reasons – here are four simple mistakes to avoid, so that you stand out in all the right ways, and never for the wrong reasons!
Disinterested Staffers
Nothing spells disaster quite like a booth run by bored staffers. Even with a stellar trade show booth design, if your staffers are disinterested, your potential customers will be disinterested as well.
People attending trade shows are looking for new and exciting goods and services. If you have a visibly unengaged staff running your booth, their unspoken message is clear and attendees are bound to notice – and are likely to pass you by.
Inexperienced Staffers
Another big turn-off is inexperience. Your staffers should be well-equipped and ready to go on the morning of the show. Novice employees should be put through basic training before attending. At a trade show, attendees want to speak to representatives who are knowledgeable about the product or service and who can keep things moving at a steady pace. Inexperience shows, and if your staffers seem uninformed, attendees will be less willing to spend time at your booth.
Too-Crowded Booth
There’s something off-putting about trying to squeeze too many things into a small space. Be sure to purchase a large enough booth space for the number of items and staffers you’ve brought – and for the number of attendees you expect to stop. If you’ve got a backed-up crowd at your booth and little space at the front, attendees may not want to waste their time waiting for an opening.
Poor Quality Display
You don’t have to spend a fortune on your display. There are many budget-friendly options that fit the bill in both form and function (we offer many such options). But a display that looks low-quality and inexpensive is never a good choice, and is a surefire way to draw negative attention.
People are visual – and it’s easy for attendees to assume that a company that puts little effort into its display also puts little effort into customer service. Additionally, items of poor quality rarely last for more than a few shows. Buying a few high-quality, long-lasting expo displays instead of lower-quality, one-off items is a much better long-term investment.
Don’t allow your booth to stand out for all the wrong reasons. Proper planning and a bit of forethought can keep help ensure your trade show experience is a very positive one, rather than a marketing disaster.
If you made these errors or others, pay attention to how to learn from an unsuccessful trade show and for for more things to avoid, read our article on common trade show blunders.