It’s no secret that trade shows are an expensive method of gathering leads. Undoubtedly effective, with great ROI’s when done well, but still expensive. In a recent marketing survey by Hubspot, 28% percent of respondents even listed it as their most expensive lead-generation technique.
That makes it a little tougher in a corporate environment that may be focused on cutting costs.
It also tends to lead to compromises that may not be in your company’s long-term best interests, like cutting corners.
If your company shows up at a show with a old pop up display that clearly has seen better days and needs to be retired, it does you more harm than good.
And if companies skimp on training time and dollars, poorly-trained staff can do also do you a lot of damage. For that matter, if clients notice that your trade show displays seem to be “scaling down”, they can easily interpret that as a signal of financial problems.
The other issue is that looking at this in a strict dollars-and-sense perspective overlooks the intangible, but very important, PR and outreach functions that a trade show display and a strong presence at important shows provides.
Even if your trade show displays don’t bring as many leads as a website, they can do a lot to get you exposure and bring you to people’s attention in the first place.
So, what if there was another way to reduce the total cost of your expo displays? As it turns out, there is: Reuse them! Turn them into corporate displays and other office items, and cut those items out of your budget instead.
Turning Your Exposition Displays Into Stunning Lobby Displays
Speaking of outreach, the impact of a well-designed lobby is another thing that cannot be overstated. If a visitor walks into your offices and is immediately wowed, or has their imagination captured by something on display, they’re already on the hook.
It’s all about first impressions. Impress your visitor and everything else comes more easily.
Well, why not leverage your investment in your trade show displays? If they are good at quickly displaying everything a visitor might want to know about your company, a lobby would be a perfect place for a number of different elements of your display:
- Move your pop-up displays to a corner: Your portable trade show booths are designed to fit into small spaces, so a corner of your office is a fine home for them. They can become an information hub for people to pick up brochures or other promotional materials. (If you have an overworked front receptionist, this can be a real boon for them. Using light weight trade show walls helps make this easier.
- Integrate your iPad kiosks into DIY services: If there’s anything people come to your company for that could be automated, consider offering a DIY service. Think about those self-swipe check-in terminals at the airport. If you already have themed kiosks lying around from your last exposition display, this can be a great way to put them and your iPads to productive use.
- Turn tabletop displays into roadshows: If you ever have to hit the road to make sales, whether it’s five miles away or five hundred, your tabletop displays are extremely portable and effective sales presentation tools. Keep them available for your salespeople and other face-to-face people to use when needed. A little extra flair can add a lot to your presentation, and makes these a triple value: At your expo appearance, in your lobby, AND on the road making sales! This works great in conjunction with buying trade show displays cheaply.
- Reuse the furniture: A lot of the time, you may be ordering custom or at least extra-stylish furniture to go into your exposition appearances. Don’t just leave those in storage! Counters, tables, and chairs can all be integrated into your office design when you’re not at the show. Plus, since most shows happen over the weekends, your customers may never even notice that they go away from time to time.
- Printed graphics can go anywhere: Big banners with your name and logo can be perfect for your lobby, or a customer conference room, or any other large empty space in your offices. Smaller posters, printed table covers and other items can go out in your lobby or on your walls, and can work especially well if you integrate them into that “information station” in the corner. Use the props and graphics to create an office environment that your visitors will want to explore, in just the same way that you want them exploring your expo booths.
- Tie the room together! Don’t forget about your custom rugs, carpets, and tiles! All of these could be integrated into your interior design to add accents and fill out the space. Elements like bamboo mats can create a “stand here” message that guides visitors to your informational areas.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, take a look at our gallery of corporate interior designs. This should give you a great idea of just how effectively the same elements used in your exposition displays can also be put to work all of the other days of the year.
If you’re looking to make your trade show budget go further, few things are more effective than using your trade show displays all the time, not just when you’re on the road. With a bit of creativity and inspiration, you can effectively chop your show budget in half by turning your expo display items into a stunning lobby display for the rest of the year!