You’ve got the space—but are you making the most of it? We’ve got some veteran tips to help your brand outshine the sea of competition at a conference or trade show.
With Traffic & Conversion coming up this week, we have been thinking about strategies we use to get the most out of our booth space. We’ve all been to trade shows, and we all know what’s usual and normal: safe—almost timid—booths with banners and pens.
Which is fine, but that space isn’t cheap! So why be another basic booth when you can be at your brand’s best?
Let’s talk about what we’ve had success with in the past—making your brand’s booth stand out might be simpler than you expect with some thoughtful tweaks.
Be Big, Be Bold
Think of a billboard: It doesn’t have to be complex, but it needs to send a simple, clear, memorable message. Above all, you need a gigantic, legible logo. You want your brand to not only be visible to folks across the room, but memorable as well. A small logo, by contrast, is effective once people have wandered your way, but there’s no beacon leading people your way.
Our logo at BRANDING FOR THE PEOPLE, for instance, uses bright colors, a bold font, and effective use of contrast. Your goal should be to entice people over to your booth, but if they don’t make it, you still want your signage to make a memorable impression (especially when people see it again later on swag). If you are using a slogan, keep it simple and direct—something the eye can make sense of within three seconds.
Be Inviting
he principle behind this point is simple: don’t block people off – invite them in.
How do you invite people into your trade show booth? The answer is in your planning and design, in terms of both your physical space and your information design.
Visual information in your booth, from your back wall to any literature you provide, should be both honest and simple. Honesty ensures those attendees who come to talk to you are seeking your products and services. Simplicity keeps you from clobbering attendees with too much information—once they’ve decided to visit your booth, your staff can engage with them and give them the information they truly want and need.
Be Fun!
Ok, best for last: everybody loves swag. Ahem. Everybody loves COOL swag. Whatever you’re giving away also serves as passive advertising throughout the event —what’s on-brand for you? What’s useful, purposeful, or just fun for the sake of fun? What do people actually want (even if they don’t yet know they want it)?
Some things we’ve done in the past have been MUGS FOR THE PEOPLE, BAGS FOR THE PEOPLE, and CHOCOLATE FOR THE PEOPLE.
This year, be sure to catch Re’s talk to get your LUNCHBOX FOR THE PEOPLE—we’re hosting a lunch, and this is your ticket in!
Final Thoughts
If you paused earlier thinking about how your brand might look from across the room, or what kinds of items would be “on-brand” for you, we can help! You can catch Re at Traffic & Conversion, or schedule a complimentary consultation with us.
