Attracting more attention with your trade show display

We tend to shop for things using most, and sometimes all, of our senses. Ever notice the person in the grocery store that squeezes, smells and visually inspects the fruit? The clothing store patron that rubs the sleeves on every sweater on the rack, looking for the right texture? How about the folks at the mall that avoid loud stores like the plague or make a beeline towards a brightly lit, well organized boutique?

Think of these people when you are purchasing trade show displays for your upcoming exhibition. While it is impossible to please everyone, catering to the human nature of senses can attract visitors and successfully earn your company new business.

So how do you get people to beat a path directly over to your booth?

With so many product options available today, creating an attention grabbing exhibition is fairly simple and affordable.

Video, projectors and screens in general are great ways to showcase your product in a dynamic and visually stimulating way. Something as simple as two 22” monitors playing video of your product in action at the very front of your booth can entice tradeshow patrons to visit your exhibition.

 Avoid clichéd photography and video, stock art, and other boring media. At a recent wedding tradeshow, it seemed that every wedding gown exhibitor used the same picture of a bride looking behind her with the dress splayed out on the floor. The picture I remember most? A bride on a cliff in Norway, dress and veil billowing out behind her, overlooking a giant waterfall. Photograph or record your product with an interesting twist and put it in a light box, a display that is sure to turn some heads.

Sound. Sight. Touch. These are the three senses that usually determine a visit to a store or a purchase of an item.

Trade shows tend to be pretty loud due to the sheer volume of people and some trade show exhibits. Is your booth going to be loud, soft or silent? Let your customer base guide you and keep an eye on the public. Are lots of people giving the stink eye to a particularly loud booth? Keep your volume at a reasonable level. Nobody wants to hear a commercial jingle blaring at 120 decibels.

Sight is probably the most utilized of our shopping senses. Visitors and vendors alike love to look at a product in person versus a 2-D image on a website or catalog. Customers tend to go for exhibitions that create a visual “trail”. A video clip showcasing your company at the front of the booth will attract people. Lead them in with well placed lighted display cabinets, shelves of product under spotlights and an overall pleasant trade show display.

Finally, feel. A typical trade show patron has been walking around all day, is tired and uncomfortable. Having a seating area is a very easy way to get a visitor to sit and look at what you have to offer. Put seating in locations that face a monitor or information panel and have a small table nearby for brochures. An uncluttered booth both comforts visitors and creates a better focus on your products.

You don’t need to go completely off the wall creating your ideal trade show display. Simplicity goes a long way in regards to display setups, merchandising, marketing and pulling in customers. A boring trade show booth is just that - boring,

 Remember, your trade show display, trade show tools and your use of them will determine your success. You can make the best product in the world, but if you can’t engage attention about it, it’s not worth much.