Looking for ways to attract people to your exhibition stand? These seven strategies can give you the best ways to engage with anyone and everyone. Our simple strategies are designed to not only attract people to your exhibition but also to keep people there.
If you are a show manager looking to captivate the masses, these are the right strategies for you. Results are what matters at trade shows. That being said, let’s get ready for some new leads and bigger exposure.
Table of Contents
1. Stand Out from Your Competitors by Being Small and Approachable
Prior to designing your own exhibition stand for the trade show, do some research on a competitor’s Instagram or Facebook page to see what their exhibition stand looks like. Was it large and imposing? Too dull to be noticed? Perhaps too flashy and extravagant?
A fantastic way to attract quality traffic to your trade show booth is to focus on what your competitors are not doing. Often times, competitors go out of their way to be big and obvious, frequently over-doing it. Focus on being smaller and more approachable for attendees to engage.
In this case, a custom gazebo is important since it will stand out in a good way. A custom gazebo carries key elements about your business without you having to say a word. It carries the business name and the logo that can grab the attention of your prospective clients at any moment.
2. Attract Attendees with an Entertaining Fixture
The vast majority of people associate tradeshow promotions with free giveaways. However, tossing away free products with your company’s logo is a very bad way to engage people at a trade show. More often than not, these people take their free product without taking a single look at what your product has to offer.
Targeting attendees with a game or fun quiz of some sort is a far more effective strategy to captivate the audience. Running a contest by creating a raffle, for example, generates high-quality leads. The prize does not necessarily have to be valuable. And, to participate, the attendees must interact with your sales team while also jotting down their information for a shot at the big prize!
3. Give Attendees a Place to Recharge Their Phones or Just Simply to Relax
We all can agree that trade shows can be exhausting, both for the attendees and for the exhibitors. Attendees are constantly walking around and interacting with sales reps all trade show long. This can take its toll on the average attendee, making them tired and in need of a recharge.
Your exhibition stand should not just be another stand to walk by at. This is, again, where a custom gazebo is important. For instance, having a few iPhones and Android chargers readily available for attendees provides a nice place to stop and relax. Some comfortable armchairs and sofas will go a long way in providing a pleasant place for attendees. Who knows, maybe a few of their colleagues will sit and chat while checking out the products that you have to offer.
These simple additions will transform your booth from just an exhibition to a key destination of the entire trade show.
4. Free Wi-Fi to Attract Millennials and Other Tech Savvy Individuals
People are always on their cellular devices; we can barely go ten seconds without checking our phones. Hence, Wi-Fi is going to be a huge attraction.
Dependable Wi-Fi is a must for countless trade show attendees. With numerous people trying to check-in via social media and tweeting, patchy Wi-Fi is a common occurrence. Offering free Wi-Fi can be a major game-changer for your exhibition, allowing your exhibition to sway the crowd and generate new leads all at the same time. If you want, you could even require users to sign in to your free hotspot with their email addresses as a precursor to using the Wi-Fi to create more leads that way.
5. Research to Find the Right Trade Show for Your Niche
Trade shows that seem perfect for your exhibit may not be fitting at all. Not all trade shows will match with your business and you must understand how to match the values of the two. Prior to attending the trade show, it’s important to attend as an attendee first. Figure out if the crowd matches your target niche and demographics. The audience should be interested in what you have to offer.
The simplest way to have success at any trade show is to offer something the attendees would truly want and be interested in. When the service or product that you provide aligns with the trade shows audience, prospects will be naturally attracted to your booth.
6. Contact Online Influencers and Bloggers before the Event
When it comes to publicity and creating a buzz surrounding your business, online influencers have outstanding value. Leveraging online influencers and bloggers can become a very lucrative strategy to use before trade show events.
Months before your next trade show, contact the most popular and well-liked online personalities in your niche and let them know that you will be attending. Do not be afraid to invest in these social media influencers since one post mentioning your business may lead to you closing a very lucrative deal.
Bloggers tend to be very responsive so be sure to contact them, too, as they have the power to reach very high-quality traffic and potential leads to your business.
7. Connect to Existing Customers
Existing clientele is just as important as future clientele. Some of your existing clientele will be attending the same trade show as your business, so be sure to contact them and let them know where they can find your booth.
People do not usually attend trade shows alone but in groups. So, your existing clientele’s companions and colleagues can become key prospects for your business, too. Hence, contacting existing clients before the event can lead to an exponential amount of new prospective customers and clients.
A pro tip
Main the track records of all the visitors you come across during the trade show. Don’t hesitate to use your competitor as a source of information for future trade shows. Create an opportunity for yourself to ask for the business card from your visitors and that is the time to hand out yours, too. Maintain all the details in a diary for future trade shows because it is easy to forget things during the busy trade shows.
