Trade Show Displays That Make Money

Turning Pop Up Displays or Custom Trade Show Exhibits Into Profits

Apr 30, 2009 Tricia Spencer

Three seconds is the amount of time a trade show exhibit has to entice a potential customer. That trade show display had better be eye-popping.

Through the years trade show fees and associated costs have continued to rise, yet promoting a business at a trade show can be one of the most cost effective advertising expenditures a company can make.

A Pop Up Display Is Quick and Convenient

There are many styles of commercial, prefabricated trade show booth displays. Options include:

Pop Up
Fabric
Banner
Tabletop
Modular
Panel
Hanging
Tower

All of the above displays are easily transportable and can be assembled quickly. But without significant customization they can all be ineffective in promoting a business or product. The most important characteristic of a trade show booth is not the structure that supports a company’s message. It is the message itself.

Custom trade show booths set a more individual tone for a product and stand out in a sea of manufactured displays. When interviewed by Suite101, Sarah Champlin, owner of Sarah Marie Stationery & Wrap and a first time national-level show exhibitor in 2008, shared that many trade show attendees assumed they’d seen her before because her booth appeared to be that of a more senior, established company. She also believes her booth design generated customers.

Ms. Champlin states, “I think our booth gave buyers more confidence in placing an initial order with us because it didn’t seem as though we were an unstable startup company. It made us look as though we’d been around for a while and that we were definitely going to be around in the future. I’d say 80% of the buyers came in because of the way the booth looked. It was well worth the investment.”

A Trade Show Display Must Grab and Hold a Customer’s Attention

Three seconds is three blinks of an eye. In that time, a customer walking by a trade show booth, whether if be custom or mass manufactured, must be able to grasp and understand three crucial elements:

what the product is
who benefits from the product’s use
why ignoring that particular booth would be a mistake

Bells and whistles aren’t the answer. A customer’s eye may be attracted to fake leaping flames or to a trick pony, but unless the product is actually fire or ponies, the booth has not drawn the customer to the business. It has merely entertained. No product should ever be upstaged by advertising stunts or gimmicks.

Keys to Trade Show Display Success

Following basic principles when designing a trade show booth will increase visibility and profits. The most vital ones include:

custom, bold graphics and colors that keep the focus squarely on the product
a non-threatening, clean and uncluttered booth where customers can engage the product and company representatives
graphics and demonstrations that explain what the product is, how it is used and how it benefits the customer
products positioned no more than an arm’s reach from the aisle
an identifying image that instantly associates the product with the company
a finished booth that includes custom walls or drapes, floor covering, effective lighting and relevant literature
a “Show Special” incentive

The Five-Point Checklist to Winning Trade Show Displays

Make the product the star of the booth.
Satisfy the three crucial elements in less than three seconds.
Completely customize the booth and use innovative signage.
Artfully light the product and make the booth visually enticing.
Identify the product’s target market and focus the booth and the presentation on those potential customers only.

A lucrative trade show display is as memorable as a five-star hotel. It makes people talk. It inspires action. And ultimately, it makes the customer want to return to the product, and to the company, again and again.

Those interested in trade shows may also enjoy reading How to Make Money with Good Customer Service.

Clicking on the photographs below will enlarge them.

The copyright of the article Trade Show Displays That Make Money in Marketing/PR is owned by Tricia Spencer. Permission to republish Trade Show Displays That Make Money in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Winning Trade Show Displays Produce Profits	Sarah Marie Stationery & Wrap Trade Show Booth	Pop Up Booth Displays Need Customization
Vivid Electronic Booth Backdrop	Trade Show Booths Need to Stand Out From the Crowd