When your company is present at a trade fair with a stand, it has many advantages. It is the ideal way to get in touch with (potential) customers, to network and to increase brand awareness. The trade fair season is in full swing and many trade fairs for different industries are planned. Make sure you are present at the fairs where your target group can also be found. But how do you attract visitors to your stand? This goes beyond just furnishing your exhibition stand. In this article, we provide a number of tips and original ideas that will help you stand out at a trade fair.
Set a goal
Nice that you are present at a trade fair, but what do you ultimately want to achieve with it? It requires an investment of time and money, so it is good to think about a goal. How many leads or sales do you ultimately want to get from the fair? Do you want to get to know the target group better? Or is the goal to convey a certain message? At the end of the exhibition, you check whether you have achieved that goal and what insights it has yielded. For evaluation it is also smart to send a questionnaire to a number of visitors.
Provide advance promotion
In addition to furnishing your exhibition stand, marketing for an exhibition is very important. Think carefully about the promotion before the exhibition. Of course, the exhibition’s marketing department takes care of promotion to get visitors to the event, but also use your own marketing channels. For example, set up a special campaign page with an interesting trade fair promotion. Think about which channels your target group is on and promote your exhibition participation on those channels. Think of posts or advertisements on social media, Google Ads, flyers and/or advertisements in trade journals. It’s all about marketing at the right time on the right channels.
Look at other fairs for original ideas
Are you looking for original exhibition stand ideas? Visit other fairs and get inspired. Copying is of course not necessary, but it does give you some fresh ideas. During the fair where you are present, also walk around to check out the competitors. How do they handle it? Read the article about the event trends for even more inspiration.
Make your exhibition stand stand out
How are you going to decorate your exhibition stand so that it stands out? If you have limited space, it is smart to work in height. Think of high walls or a revolving logo that protrudes above the stand. The latter helps to attract extra attention from a long distance. When it comes to furnishing your exhibition stand, it is also important that it is one whole and does not consist of all kinds of items in different styles. Think of a theme, use it in the design of your stand and extend it in your promotional material. Of course, bright colors help to make your exhibition stand stand out. Furthermore, a LED screen with moving images works well as an attention grabber.
Provide an interactive stand
No matter how young or old we are, we like to be able to do something. And that also applies when you visit a trade fair. When you come into contact with a product or service ‘playfully’, it also sticks better. Therefore, interact with your audience and use the senses. Let people smell, feel, hear… Or even give them a complete experience through VR glasses. When visitors to the exhibition see that there is something to do at your stand, they will be more inclined to take a look.
Organize a fun action
You can also organize a fun promotion for extra interactivity at your stand. Raffle prizes in exchange for handing in your business card or let people spin a wheel. But also think of an interesting discount promotion, especially for visitors to your stand at the fair. Give them discount coupons so they don’t forget you after the fair. Set up a photobooth and let the visitors submit a photo. The winner receives a nice gift card. Or come up with a contest and announce the winner through your social media channels or the website. Immediately a good reason to follow you!
Let the staff at the stand look good
Depending on the type of exhibition, you want the staff at the stand to appear professional. But you can still ensure that they stand out at the fair by adding a certain touch, such as printed clothing with the logo and a slogan. Or go bold for clothing in a bright color. Logo lanyards are very popular for trade shows. Very practical to hang a name badge on, but also a good way to provide extra promotion. When you are on the lanyards of the fair as a sponsor, you promote your company throughout the entire event!
Make use of giveaways or goodie bags
Last but not least, giveaways are very important as part of your promotion during the fair. Nowadays there is a lot of choices when it comes to giveaways. A simple pen with a logo can be very effective. Maybe you can link a nice giveaway to the message you want to present at the fair. Or give a goodie bag with several giveaways, a brochure and/or a discount coupon. Read more about this in the article about goodie bags as an optimal promotional tool.
IGO Promo is happy to help you select the most suitable giveaways and/or put together the ideal goodie bag, so that you can get the most out of your fair. So feel free to contact us and we will look for the best match together.