The 8 tips we covered in this post are:
- First impressions are everything
- Location, location, location
- Make your booth look approachable
- Colours attract people
- Explain your UVP in 3 seconds
- Let there be light
- Materials are important too
- Have a meeting area
1. First impressions are everything
Studies have shown that first impressions have a high correlation with the long-term status of a relationship. In a trade show, you only have a few seconds before a prospect makes a decision to approach or walk past your booth.
According to the Huffington Post, it takes only one-tenth of a second for someone to form an opinion about you and your booth so make sure it counts.
2. Location, location, location
Like real estate, location is one of the most critical components when it comes to the success of your exhibition stand. The design is important too but when no one is seeing or walking past your trade show booth then no matter how well designed your booth is, it is an uphill battle from there. Read our post on the 7 best tips to choose the best trade show booth location.
3. Make your booth look approachable
Here is what an unapproachable booth looks like:
- Dark, dull colours
- Low lighting
- Small entrance into the booth
- Trade show staff that looks unhappy
We’ll cover colours and lightning in the next few points.
Another unique way to make your booth look approachable is offering free WiFi to your prospects and a place to charge up their phones. This not only brings them in, but it also builds karma points.
4. Colours attract people
In a trade show, you will be competing for attention with other trade show booths and one way to stand out is with bright sharp colours. Picking the right colours that align with your brand is a must for any trade show booth.
5. Explain your UVP in 3 seconds
What’s your unique value proposition? What makes you stand out from the 100 booths that are exhibiting in the show? When a prospect walks past, will they know what you do in 3 seconds or less, or do they have to stop and figure it out? If it’s the latter, it’s back to the drawing board.
One design to avoid on your trade show booth is a paragraph of text. No prospect will stop to read your 500-word article on the graphic print on your booth.
When it comes to designing your trade show booth, less is more. Make sure that the message that you’re trying to get across is as clear and concise as possible. You don’t need a paragraph of text to get your message across.
Another way to get your message across is to make your message big. Use large bold fonts to grab the attention of prospects from another booth. Another design disaster is placing your message on the bottom. The best area to place your message is at eye level.
According to Tim Patterson, the ultimate goal of your trade show display is to attract the right prospects with a clear and concise statement.
Tip: A picture speaks a thousand words. If you can’t squeeze your UVP and make it understandable in 3 seconds or less with text, images, or maybe even videos are your best friends.
6. Let there be light
One way to fend off prospects is to make your exhibition stand dark with no lighting. It gives off the vibe that they are not welcome into your booth. It’s important to strike a good balance between what’s dark and what’s too bright.
On lighting, if you’re promoting a new product or product line, use spotlights to highlight those products so prospects can actually see them. With spotlights, they will also know immediately that these are your latest products.
7. Materials are important too
This is often overlooked by most exhibitors but the material does make a huge difference in how your prospects view your brand and products.
For example:
- If you’re a technology company, using materials such as acrylic and aluminium will give your brand and product a more modern feel to it
- If you’re an organic farm company, materials like wood might work better
8. Have a meeting area
Allocating a small area in your booth as a meeting area might be helpful if your product or service requires a longer time to explain. A simple meeting area would consist of a small round table with chairs.
Summary
- First impressions are everything
- Location, location, location
- Make your booth look approachable
- Colours attract people
- Explain your UVP in 3 seconds
- Let there be light
- Materials are important too
- Have a meeting area
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