Trade Shows & Exhibition Displays – Why Bother?

There are two main perks to setting up exhibition displays and attending trade shows (and no, the “opportunity” to set up your new exhibition displays for your boss doesn’t count!). Seriously, the main perks usually are getting some time away from the office location, and all the networking.

Occasionally, trade show venues are a perk; for example, attending the Farnborough Air Show or Paris Air Show (the big shows for the aerospace industry) are great opportunities to visit Europe. And Las Vegas can be a pleasant break, even for jaded travelers – that’s the reason there are a lot of big shows that make their home there. For many attendees, opportunities to visit Chicago or New York or LA, or even Las Vegas, are enjoyable breaks from routine.Sacajawea portable hybrid trade show display with tension fabric-resized-600

Although it isn’t necessarily a vacation, spending a few days on the road, away from the office and mingling with other people in the same industry can bring an entirely different take on the job, making it a bit easier to return to the office. Although trade shows can be rather hectic, the change of pace can do wonders for anyone attending the event, not to mention possibly being able to spend a few hours or an extra day to see a new city and experience a local scene that is completely different from back home. Exibitors and attendees often try to add some vacation time to the end of a visit to a trade show, taking advantage of the location, to minimize personal travel costs.

And then there is the networking. There’s something about going around, meeting new individuals, creating new connections and making new business contacts, all within one roof, without having to cold call companies or drive to visit individual businesses. It is difficult to tell who is going to be a solid lead or a good person to network with, which is why it is often necessary to just walk around, mingle with other exhibitors and attendees, visit other exhibition displays and just see what everyone has to offer and what they are selling. Even if nothing is purchased and no money changes hands, simply making a solid connection between two companies or individuals is often enough to make the trade show well worth the time.

In order to find the best networking, it is important to start by focusing on the primary needs of your business. Chances are, there are many different trade show booths throughout the convention offering products and content your company actually uses or needs. These are the best exhibition displays to visit first. If the business might become a partner, rather than a client, it is still very worthwhile to visit – after all, combining the interests of different companies is the best way to thrive in business, because if each company works in the best interest of itself AND the joint opportunity, the growth potential for both business is improved.

Of course, it isn’t always possible to get away and network outside of the booth. This is why it is vitally important to make your exhibition displays vibrant and inviting, and to do pre-show marketing, in order to attract as many visitors as possible. Without good looking trade show banners or exhibition displays, visitors are not going to choose to approach your trade show booth. If your exhibition displays and trade show graphics encourage visitors to approach, the folks working the trade show booth are able to talk with a larger range of people and have a better opportunity to find clients and also do some beneficial networking with for the company. affinity_gaz-resized-600

Trade show exhibitors need to take into account whether the show is taking place inside or outside. This can be hugely important. If your exhibition displays are placed outside in the weather, they must have some sort of a roof, or tent overhang. This is an absolute requirement; this way, visitors can escape the sun, heat or rain, etc.

When inside, the roof is no longer necessary, but it is still vitallly important to bring visitors to your exhibition displays. Properly designed  trade show graphics and signage allow guests the ability to see your trade show banners and display stands from the other end of the convention center. As long as the information printed on the signage is short, to the point and easy to see, it will draw individuals in and ensure more people are likely to check out the products and services offered by your particular exhibition displays.

The bottom line, in Latin, is “excelsior”, or “ever upward”. Keep working on every option to improve your marketing strategies and improve your trade show productivity. Test continuously to determine what works, how to improve it, and what to test next. The inevitable result will be upward movement – increased sales. (And if you need help finding great looking exhibition displays and trade show banners and supplies, give us a call!)

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 0 comments

Leave a Reply: