10 Trade Show Booth Ideas Guaranteed to Gather More Leads
Trade Show Booth Ideas to Drive More Attendees and Gather More Leads
Are free pens not bringing in the traffic you'd hope? Try one of these 10 trade show booth ideas to amp up your traffic and walk away with more leads than ever.
Keyword(s): trade show booth ideas
Whether you're attending a trade show that has a few hundred booths or one with thousands of vendors for people to choose from, you have to know how to grab your audience's attention.
That's the only way to make going to a trade show worth your while. Although you're there to learn from industry leaders and connect with potential partners, you also need to be focused on generating leads.
You need the right trade show booth ideas to do this. It's not enough to order promotional items like branded pens and lanyards anymore; you have to figure out how to make your trade show interactions unique and memorable.
Here are 10 things you can do to better engage the consumers at your next event.
1. Games and Challenges
People are naturally competitive beings. We're intrigued by the opportunity to win a game against another person or to try our hand at games of chance. We like the thought of coming out on top, especially if we don't have anything to lose.
If you present a challenge to your audience at a trade booth, the only thing they have to lose is a little bit of time. But, they may gain a free promotional item just for playing or be entered into a drawing to win a product/service from your company.
Whichever way you set up your game, it's more likely to gain attention as opposed to simply handing out the prizes as free stuff.
2. Event-Wide Competitions
The game or challenge you set up can do wonders for the foot traffic you see at your booth. But, you can create an event-wide buzz about your brand if you think bigger!
Consider running a competition that runs throughout the entire trade show. Make sure the grand prize is big enough to make people interested in entering the running.
Also, give people different chances to win by coming to your booth at certain times throughout the event or at least once during each day of the trade show. This extra incentive to win will give you significantly more interactions with your audience. It's a great opportunity to build brand awareness at the event and create brand loyalty with certain attendees.
3. Charitable Giving Initiatives
The only thing consumers like better than winning free stuff is giving back. Put a bigger emphasis on your company's charitable giving initiatives the next time you go to a trade show.
Give your audience a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves and make it valuable for them, too. Maybe you run a campaign that matches all the donations you get or you use consumers' charitable giving as an entry to a contest you're running.
There are many ways to go about this. Don't be afraid to explore a few different charitable ideas!
4. Exclusive Discounts
Another way to get people's attention at trade shows is to offer exclusive, event-only discounts. Authorize your salespeople to give consumers 10% or 15% off their first purchase with your company. Tell them it's okay to add on a bonus deal or an extra service depending on how big of a purchase someone makes.
Make sure you're setting clear expectations when you do this and keep an open line of communication with everyone. As much as you want to wow your audience, you also don't want to undersell yourself.
5. Hands-On Product Experiences
Sometimes, the best way to get people to buy-in is to give them a chance to truly experience the value you can create for them. Don't spend the entire trade show talking about your capabilities and past successes. Show people what you can do instead.
Bring your product to the trade show. Give people samples of your food or let them try out the software and tech you've created for them.
Whatever it is you're offering, there has to be a way to bring it to life. Even services like digital marketing or inventory tracking can become hands-on. You can give people the chance to play with your back-end and see how things work for clients once they sign up for such services.
6. Photo Booths
Have you ever thought about turning a standard trade show booth into a photo booth? This may sound like a crazy idea, but it really works!
No matter what kind of industry you're in, your audience wants to have some fun. The fun and unexpected aspects of a trade show are what make the experience worthwhile. These are the things that go beyond the basics to capture attendee's and make them want to come back.
Set up a photo booth at your event space and you're sure to see amazing results.
7. Free Food
Even the most luxurious trade shows can be a bit daunting. These are long days; they're tiring and they can take a lot out of a person. But, a bit of food gives people the extra energy they need to make their trade show experience a success.
Bring a few small water bottles with you or some bite-size snacks to hand out. These will make it easy to start the conversation with attendees as they're walking around. If you brand these items, you'll gain even more exposure throughout the event.
8. Free Wifi
It can be hard to get a good connection with the event's wifi when thousands of people are hooked up to the same network. Bring a private network and set up a workstation for attendees to hang out and plug in for a bit.
Not only will this create a lot of foot traffic, but it gives you a chance to connect with people on a more personal level. You're able to take your time and talk about all their needs/concerns when they're taking a moment to step back from the craziness of the event.
9. Charging Stations
If you're not a fan of the wifi idea, consider bringing a few chords for people to plug in their devices. Even if they're only charging for 5 or 10 minutes, that's plenty of time for you to strike up a conversation and make a memorable impression.
10. Interactive Digital Marketing
Keep in mind that your trade show traffic depends on your online presence just as much as on your in-person efforts. Find a way to make your digital marketing campaign go hand in hand with all the trade shows you're attending this year.
Prepare content that is targeted to each shows' attendees and schedule it to run while you're at events. Create hashtags for people to use during a trade show and ask for feedback following each one. Go live to show people exactly where your booth is and what you're up to, too.
Bring Your Innovative Trade Show Booth Ideas to Life
You can read about innovative trade show booth ideas all you want. But, it's only when you start to make some changes to your current trade show efforts that you'll realize just how valuable these ideas are!
It's time to get to work. Don't show up at your next trade show and go through the motions in the same way you have before. Show up ready to leave a lasting impression on all the people there.
Take a look at what we can do to help.
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