Soon the time will come: you will go to the fair. The place to meet new people, create brand awareness, introduce a new product or service. But your competitors are doing exactly the same thing. Maybe those are even in the booth next to you. So how do you make sure you stand head and shoulders above your competition?
The purpose of your trade show participation
Why are you going to the fair in the first place? If you are considering a trade show participation, it is a good idea to ask yourself this question first. Do you want to sell your product/service? Want to maintain your client relationships? Or do you want to highlight your brand? The answer to this question and is leading when it comes to the purpose of your trade show booth. Based on this, you can get to work on a stunning stand design.
The fair is a unique opportunity to meet many new prospects in a short period of time. Potential leads are orienting themselves, are looking for information and want to be inspired. What information and experience should they take away when visiting your booth? What is it exactly you want to tell? Depending on this answer, you can work with a booth builder to determine what look and type of booth would best suit you and thus ultimately design your trade show booth in a focused manner.
Determining the type of booth
The type of booth not only depends on your needs and your goal, but the trade show itself also plays a role. For example, you have to take into account your location. Which hallway are you standing in, for example? Is that a hall that fits your product/brand? Does it fit the visitors you want to attract? But even inside that hall, location can be a determining factor. If you are at the very far corner of the hall, you may not get as many visitors past your booth. But if you are near a point with a lot of walk-through, you probably do have more potential leads walking by.
Something you could do is request the trade show floor plans in advance. This way, you know exactly where you stand and next to whom you stand. That way, you can think better in advance about how you are going to stand out.
But in addition to the location at the fair being important, the type of booth you choose is also decisive. The type of booth determines how to set up your trade show booth as efficiently as possible. It determines the amount of walk-through, exposure and space for communication & interaction with the visitor. This choice also depends on the purpose of your trade show participation. You can distinguish 6 different stand shapes.
Intermediate positions are almost always the smallest booths in terms of square footage, while Island stands with lots of exposure are the biggest. Corner stands, walk-through stands and headstands in which there is much room for communication are in between. A floor position adds extra status and increases the VIP feeling.
What look fits your purpose and organization?
The appearance of your booth is very important. After all, your trade show booth is the first impression visitors get of you. And we all know that a first impression is incredibly important. To make this happen, you need to think carefully about what look your trade show booth should have so that it represents your brand but also stands out among your competitors.
For example, you can think of emanations such as:
- Corporate & quiet
- Luxury appearance with use of luxurious materials
- Energetic and fresh
- Exclusive and private
- Modern
- Notable
Communicating with your trade show booth
Whatever your goal, you must always communicate it in some way. Do you want visitors to have a high level of interaction with your product? Then, for example, an open exhibition stand with eye-catching communication through audiovisual technology fits well. This way, you will keep visitors at your booth for a long time and other passersby will become curious.
Is the space a little smaller or is there less crew? Through interactive touch screens, visitors can retrieve industry-specific information and inspiration. A handy lead module and addition to your sales staff. Perfect when crowded.
What feeling do you want to give your visitors?
A trade show booth is not just about attracting people. When they enter your booth, you want to give visitors a certain feeling. Determining this feeling is going to help you map the customer journey through the booth.
Do you want visitors to leave the booth feeling engaged? Then things like accurate information, touch points and personal one-on-one conversations are important.
Or, on the contrary, do you want to appear stimulated and energized? Then surprise your visitor with an interactive experience. RFID is the perfect solution to combine physical and digital. Using the RFID tag on your product, an action can be initiated. Consider a brand video or information about the product. This action can be shown on one display or a wall of displays. Or you can go one step further and choose to display it on an LED wall.
What are your competitors doing?
If you have all the previous points clear, there is another important point to consider. After all, you need to identify your competitors at the fair. Who are your competitors and how do you think they present themselves? It is never wrong to do some research on another party. Perhaps it will inspire you to do things a little differently, allowing you to stand out from the crowd.
A competitor’s success cannot be copied, but that is not the point. It gives you a good idea of the market. This image can provide different (product) innovations, strategy and can influence how you communicate with your trade show booth.
