Trade Show Good, Bad, and Ugly

We have witnessed trade show good, bad and ugly. For as many businesses that we see do great shows, there are always a bunch of bad and ugly ones. Why is that? I guess that’s why we’re writing about it. Plus, we are attending a few trade shows this spring and summer.

So is it a problem if your team falls asleep in your booth during a show?

Bad news if your team eats their lunch at the front table in your booth?

Your big beautiful booth display is all beat up?

Your design didn’t work out quite the way you planned it?

At dRC we have designed and written trade show materials, including displays, videos, signs, contests, handouts and more, for many of our clients. Over time, we have developed a pretty good idea of what can work to attract an audience of prospects. We’re not right 100 percent of the time, but our percentage is good.

Here are some questions and concerns we try to answer and alleviate before we work on trade show vendor displays (and it doesn’t matter if your budget is small or large or if the show is regional or international):

Who is your audience? (And will they be at the show?)

What is their primary concern and/or desire?

Can you reach out to them before the event?

What are your goals for the show? (leads, contacts, sales, etc.)

Is your goal-related show messaging developed? (theme, tagline, giveaways, promotions, talks, etc.)

Is your booth or space branded big so that it can be seen and recognized?

Have you considered every aspect of the space you control and how you can control it? (Carpet, stage, lights, displays, sound, video, traffic flow, events, temperature, staff, furniture, product demos, etc…)

Does your space stand out from the ones around you and from competing brands?

Does your team know exactly what they’re doing?

There are always more things to consider, or less, depending on your budget. And we can help. Please let us know what your all time trade show successes were.