How do you optimize your trade show booth design and layout to fit your budget and attract visitors?

Your trade show exhibit must effectively communicate: 1. Who you are. 2. What you’re presenting. 3. Benefits of your products/services on display. 4. Who to talk with to obtain more detailed information. If your targeted audience is only 10% of the attendance, your exhibit should function to only attract that segment of the audience.

This is all about creating something that is talkable. If it’s too complex, are you driving them to really what you want them to take away? Those wow moments or central focus points are key to keeping it talkable. Also, conventions are exhausting. A welcoming both with places to relax is always a positive. Organic conversations happen in those places and are so powerful.

It doesn’t matter how much experience your staff has at trade shows – they’re probably still making mistakes that keep you from getting the best possible results. So before every show, hold meetings with your entire booth staff to review goals for the show, booth behavior/etiquette, and effective engagement and qualifying techniques. Think of it like a high-level practice that happens before any athlete steps onto the field – even those who have been playing that sport for decades.

Be reasonable about your expectations from the people you bring to the show. Salespeople burn out if they have to stop traffic and start conversations with strangers all day. Product experts aren't trained to run badge scanners. Plan in advance how you'll stop traffic, pre-qualify prospects, connect prospects to salespeople, collect lead information, and create anticipation for the follow-up step. Assign duties according to training and ability - hire a booth attraction to stop traffic, and let junior staffers can run scanners, so salespeople only talk to prospects. What other part of your business is done ad hoc, in a 45-minute meeting just before it goes live in front of your customers?

As someone who makes their living selling exhibits, this might sound funny...But, I'd rather see my client's dial back the spend on the booth and create a better engagement / experience for their customers. The ROI will be better, and that will lead to more future investment in shows.

If the show allows consider hosting a happy hour at your booth to draw visitors. These pop up events can create a ton of buzz and help attendees blow off some steam - and hopefully learn a bit about your brand! Even better if you can partner with a fellow attendee to create a custom cocktail or just to share the cost.