Hi Fans! Here is a post that I wrote last year which many of you found useful, so I thought I’d share it again to catch those people up who may have missed it the first time.
What’s in those crates?
If your business has been exhibiting at trade shows for more than 5 years, chances are you have accumulated a variety of booth items, and that you may not be using them all. It’s a good idea to take inventory once a year to be sure your materials are in good working order, and also that your trade show booth is presenting the correct image and the right information to your customers and prospects.
Product Displays
Do you have a hodge-podge of racks, stands and kiosks that have been developed with specific product lines in mind? Are they falling apart or taking up too much room in your booth? Sit down with your marketing team and discuss whether there is a way to streamline. Decide what products can be grouped together, and what has worked well in terms of placing the products in the booth. Do the customers need to touch the item, or just see them? Can they be attached to something, or do they need to move around? Do you need the entire product line, or just a few samples? Once you have determined what you need in the booth, then discuss with your exhibit consultant how to integrate it smoothly into the structure.
Graphics
Portable display items, such as retractable banners and pop-up structures, are great for highlighting a featured product line, but if they start to build up in your booth, you can get a “patchwork quilt” effect, and the customers walking by won’t know where to look. Unless you are creating a backwall out of integrated banners, try to keep the small portable items to one per each 10’ section of your booth. If the graphics on your booth structure are out of date, talk to your exhibit consultant about replacing them with current logos and product images. And when it’s time to design a new trade show exhibit, be sure to include sections where the graphics can be easily and inexpensively changed to show off the latest products without sacrificing the flow of your design.
“Give-Aways”
I have several clients who are paying money to ship and store items like note pads and mint tins that have outdated logos or product information. Do you have old collateral items hanging around? When planning your next trade show or event, think carefully about how many of each item you really need. While pens and other freebees are popular with attendees on the trade show floor, many of them end up in the trash or rolling around the floor of the rental car after the event. Consider choosing a more “premium” item and give it away to valued clients or prospects who book an appointment, not just anyone walking by. You will save money and leave a more lasting impression with your target audience.
The Booth
Every trade show exhibit has a backbone, the structure that holds it all together. How is yours holding up? Are there connecting tabs missing or bent? Have parts of it been taped together? Are there dents in the laminate that get covered by strategically placed fish bowls? Are the crates falling apart? The more frequently you check your display for needed repairs, the quicker and easier they can be fixed. If they build up over time, you may have to replace the entire display more frequently. Work closely with your exhibit company to do a review after each busy stretch, or after your major show each year. That way when it comes time to plan for the next show, fixing your exhibit won’t be on the long list of things to do!
We hope you have found these hints helpful. If you’d like to discuss questions about your specific needs, please give us a call at 206-607-0857.
