What Should Startups Consider When Planning A Tradeshow Booth?

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What should startups consider when planning a tradeshow booth

Trade shows provide an incredible opportunity for startups and fledgling businesses to showcase their products and services and get people talking about their brand. While securing a booth at a trade show can go a long way to putting a new business on the map, success is not a given. This is why it’s crucial to plan and to think carefully about the aesthetic and impact of your trade show booth. If you’re a new business owner and you’re looking to get off to a flying start, here’s a handy guide to help you reap the rewards of spectacular trade show displays.

Planning in Advance

Planning in advance

Giving yourself plenty of time to put ideas together and turn concepts into reality is critical when attending your first events and tradeshows. You want to make sure that your tradeshow booth design turns heads and leaves people wanting to find out more. There are several factors to consider when planning the look and reach of your stand. These include:

  • Your brand ethos and the message you want to get across
  • Your target market
  • Your budget

Firstly, what is your brand all about, and how do you want people attending the event to perceive your business? Are you fun, engaging, and innovative, or are you a professional outfit that wants to come across as trustworthy and reliable? Exhibits and displays for toys, new games consoles, and pet accessories should look very different from a booth set up by a financial or legal startup, for example. The next point to consider is your ideal buyer. You want to create a customized exhibit that will appeal to the kind of customer you’re trying to attract. Finally, set a budget, and do some research to see what you can get for your money.

Making Your Tradeshow Booth Stand out from the Crowd

Tradeshow booth stand out from the crowd

When you go to a trade show, you’ll be surrounded by pop-up displays, retractable banner designs, island exhibits, and an array of colors and logos. Your job, as an ambitious startup owner, is to ensure people want to find out what your stall is all about. You want to catch the eye and draw people in, but how do you do this? Planning the look of your tradeshow booth is vital, and this is where experienced trade show booth designers come in. Experts can work with you to conjure up ideas based on your brand profile and your target market. You can experiment with colors and design options and setups before deciding on the final aesthetic.

Getting the look of your booth just right is vital, so it’s worth taking the time to work with experts in display design and to modify concepts and ideas until you’re 100% happy with the finished article. There are myriad options available, and you can choose from modular displays, island exhibits, and portable displays, as well as trying different colors, fonts, images, and digital media features. It’s wise to consider the fundamentals of tradeshow marketing when piecing your displays together.

How Can I Attract Attention?

Attract attention

Attracting attention at a tradeshow isn’t just about hiring the best design team and creating the best looking booth. Although looks play a critical role in luring people in, there are other tactics you can employ to create a buzz and hopefully, build a crowd. Giving out branded gifts and promotional items is one option, and offering samples also work well. If you’ve got a product to sell, let people try it. When you’re in the planning stages, do some research into how many people are expected to attend, so that you can prepare in advance. Research suggests that booths and stands that have lines are more likely to attract visitors than others. Humans are naturally curious about what other people are doing, and they want to know what’s unique about that booth.

Creating an Experience

Creating an experience

User experience is a phrase that is everywhere at the moment. Thanks to the rise of social media and sharing photos and videos, customers don’t just want a product or a service anymore. They want an experience. Your bespoke tradeshow booth can help you to ensure potential buyers enjoy a positive experience when visiting your display. Interactive features and unique, eye-catching design concepts are a great way to drum up interest and get people involved in what you’re doing. Consider the impact of talking to somebody about a game versus actually playing that game with them, for example.

Connecting with Your Audience

Trade show booth design

Over 90% of tradeshow attendees go to events to see what kinds of new products and services are available. At a tradeshow, you have a captive audience and buyers who are waiting for you to blow them away. Once you’ve mastered the art of display design, and you’re ecstatic about your custom displays and show booth exhibits, you can turn your attention to engaging with your audience and ensuring they take that all-important next step when they visit your stand. You want people to catch a glimpse of your booth and think that it looks fabulous, but you also want them to come and have a chat, to take a closer look at the products, to give them a try, and hopefully, to buy them. Before you attend any event, it’s crucial to prepare your team. Go through presentations, preempt questions, make sure everyone is aware of the pricing policy and any promotions or discounts that are available. Interact with passers-by, and make your pitches enjoyable. Don’t go for the aggressive sell or bombard people with information, as this can put them off.

Building Relationships

The most important reasons to attend tradeshows are to create leads, increase brand awareness, and establish relationships. Use your display to introduce people to your brand, and to try and build a relationship with interested parties. You can do this by:

  • Asking people to sign up for email updates
  • Inviting attendees to subscribe to your mailing list
  • Connecting on social media
  • Making calls and setting up meetings to follow up leads after the show

Also Read: How To Reduce Environmental Impact At Your Next Trade Event?

Conclusion

Trade shows offer a fabulous platform for startups to attract buyers, create leads, and get people talking about their brands. To make the most of these valuable opportunities, it’s critical to invest in high-quality trade show displays and to ensure you’re able to draw a crowd and engage with prospective clients. If you’re looking for expert advice and you want to turn heads and create a buzz around your startup, why not get in touch with Art & Display? Call or enquire online today!