7 Ways to Attract & Engage Visitors at Your Exhibition Stand

7 Ways to Attract & Engage Visitors at Your Exhibition Stand

You’re participating in a trade show. You’re competitors are probably going to be there as well. Yet you look forward to a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. However, attracting footfall and engaging visitors for more than a fleeting moment call for some planning and bespoke exhibition stand design.

No matter what type of business you are in, no matter whether this is your first show or the nth one for you, here are some tried-and-tested methods of attracting and engaging visitors.

1. Pre-show promotion: Marketing your presence can impact the number of visitors you receive. Send emailers to existing and potential customers; update social feeds, advertise on relevant websites and magazines. Do it all before the show, so attendees can plan their day in advance and look for your exhibition stand when they arrive at the trade show.

2. Be visible: Bold colours, innovative lighting, eye-catching installations – do what it takes to design a spectacular stall. Conveying information is vital but attracting attention is just as important. Start planning months in advance and work with a creative exhibition stand design company for bespoke exhibition stand design & build – to ensure your stand is visible down the aisle and is striking and enticing enough to capture people’s attention.

3. Train staff: Booth staff plays a crucial role at trade shows. They need to convey the right image, be professional yet friendly. It is not enough to ensure that your workforce is knowledgeable about your product or service. They need to be able to engage people in friendly conversation, without coming across as being too pushy or sales-oriented.

4. Provide space for discussions: The crowds, noise and bustle of exhibitions can be overwhelming. If you provide comfortable seating in a quiet, relaxing lounge or enclosure, visitors are more likely to stay for a conversation. In any case, visitors will be tired from walking around the sprawling exhibition grounds, so they’re sure to welcome taking the load off their feet. And yes, a free cup of hot coffee or cool drink served during discussions would tempt them to sit longer!

5. Give freebies: Free gifts or merchandise is an effective trick to pull visitors to your stall. It could be something creative (but make sure it complements your brand image) or a simple branded pen, keychain or coffee mug. The takeaway could be something more professional like a white paper, ebook or subscription to a paid service. Remember, everyone loves a free gift, so visitors will throng your stand if you have something nice to give out.

6. Provide refreshment: Exhibitions can be exhausting and usually, refreshments sold at exhibitions are expensive or far away. Free coffee, ice cream, popcorn or even bottled water can draw visitors to your stall, and incentivize them to stay a while. That’s your opportunity to engage them in conversation!

7. Entertain: You could play an eye-catching, informative video or host a game; use virtual reality to create a life experience or hire a juggler. Entertainment will help you draw visitors and hold their interest.

Conclusion

It’s tough competing at trade shows. Remember that exhibition success depends on careful planning, creative design and innovative thinking. You could definitely do with some professional assistance.

Talk to SEED (Smart Exhibition & Environment Display). Based in Pune, India, SEED has the team, skills and experience to understand your brief and brand, work closely with your marketing team and develop your exhibition stall design with compelling creativity and proven capability. Anywhere in the world.

SEED has over 2 decades of experience in expo stand design & build across India and even abroad. SEED has served hundreds of clients in both B2B and B2C sectors, delivering award-winning exhibition stall design with hassle-free, quality construction.

SEED can even help promote your stall with a smart digital marketing strategy; ideate and execute innovative freebies; make interesting videos & presentations, etc. to enrich your exhibition booth design and ensure exhibition success. Contact SEED today for a free consult and quote.

What's trending in Exhibition Stand Design?

What's trending in Exhibition Stand Design?

In exhibition stand design, while so much changes, there is much that remains the same. As the business world gets more competitive, as more players invest in trade show booths as an effective marketing tool, the challenge is to design and build an exhibition stand that makes the right impact.

Here are some trends you can use to ensure your expo stand is more than just a simple showcase.

Experiential Marketing

It’s getting really easy to set up VR gear so we’re going to see more and more companies engaging in experiential marketing. Gamification and other engagement solutions are being adopted. Engage a creative exhibition design company to find an experiential marketing opportunity that will attract and engage your audience and create differentiation.

Customisation

Brand awareness and consistency remains crucial in trade show booth design. A bespoke exhibition stand with customised literature and branding throughout the stand is an effective way of communicating your brand and its values, building brand image and achieving brand recall. Customised stand design, graphics and displays — maybe even a themed stand — can help you stand out and draw footfalls.

Technology

The technology space is in a state of constant innovation. Today there are a number of ‘inventions’ you can use to your benefit. Digital graphics are a big draw so you can use display screens to show your logo, corporate films or product videos.

You could also offer inexpensive conveniences such as free WiFi or a charging booth for the visitors’ smartphones. This will offer a seamless way to initiate conversations with visitors, and you can chat about your products while they charge their device. Placing a QR code close to the charging station can encourage visitors to link to your website, YouTube video, etc.

Lighting

Lighting continues to be a focus as it not only makes the booth more welcoming, it helps to draw attention to unique graphics, important messaging or exclusive parts of the stand. The advancements in lighting technology mean that there are many lighting options to create ambiance on an exhibition stand. Designers will focus on lighting fixtures and LED light walls that complement the branding and stand graphics in the stall.

Limited information

Designers have realised that although a stand offers limited space and you want the biggest bang for your buck, cramming it is counter-productive. The trend is to respect empty space and not clutter the booth with too much information.

In design too, less is more. Too many static images are to be avoided, as is using too many different fonts and colours. The focus should be to get the message across in the quickest time — a ‘busy’ booth could confuse the main communication.

Booth staff

Professional booth staff is essential. After all, trade shows are a platform for live, face-to-face interaction with customers, so booth staffers will have a major impact on how well you perform. The trend is to select a team well in advance and train them so that they draw in leads and engage visitors effectively. Even a poorly designed booth can be uplifted by a well-trained, highly motivated booth staff.

Conclusion

Exhibiting at an expo or trade fair can be a rewarding experience for your business, but efforts and investments have to be made to reap the best ROI.

Following the trends amplified in this article will certainly go a long way in creating a truly successful exhibition stand design, conveying the most positive impression of your people and business.

Joining hands with an experienced and creative exhibition stand design & build company will ensure results. SEED (Smart Exhibition & Environment Display), a leading Exhibition Stand Design company with over 25 years of real-world experience, can assist with complete Exhibition Design solutionsfrom concept to commissioning. SEED is a one-stop-shop for the complete gamut of exhibition design services — and has both the artistic skills and fabrication knowhow to deliver effective and impactful designs that optimize usage of space, enhance corporate branding and maximize return on investment.

Contact www. smartexhibitiondesign.com

CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE EXHIBITION STAND DESIGN

For players in the B2B segment, exhibitions offer a unique platform to present their brand and showcase their strengths and offerings. Trade shows are generally targeted at an industry and people involved or interested in that industry. So participating in a trade show can be a great way to reach a target market and create brand awareness – that too, face-to-face. Here, product and market testing can be carried out to gain industry or general opinion about your offering – even as you find out what your competition and other industry players are doing.

Exhibitions also attract a large and sometimes diverse range of audiences (usually the general public). This provides you with a platform to promote your product or service to a broader group that may have little or no knowledge of your products and services.

However, trade shows can be costly. Besides stall charges, there is the cost of travel, display and product literature. They can also be hectic and stressful, with so many big and little things to take care of. So it makes sense to be fully prepared and follow some basic thumb rules to make the most of the opportunity and optimize ROI.

BEFORE THE SHOW

1. -          Appoint a professional design agency
2. -          Develop a creative stand with a strong key message
3. -          Ensure proper presentation of your brand
4. -          Train staff to man the stall
5. -          Inform customers & prospects about your participation

DURING THE SHOW

1. -          Ensure your staff is greeting visitors warmly and providing required information
2. -          Offer refreshments and/or giveaways to attract visitors
3. -          Distribute relevant sales collaterals
4. -           Scan attendees' badges or collect business cards to create a record of people you meet

AFTER THE SHOW

1. -          Follow-up with leads captured during the trade show
2. -          Help your prospects move to the next level
3. -          Review and analyze ‘lessons learned’
4. -          If using a modular display system, dismantle and store components safely until the next show

For creative exhibition stall design from concept-to-commissioning, contact SEED. SEED (Strategic Exhibition & Environment Display) can assist with complete Exhibition Design Solutions from concept to commissioning. SEED is a leading Exhibition Stand Design company with over 25 years of real-world experience in creative exhibition stall design for hundreds of companies – big and small, local and MNC, B2B and B2C.

Our team of professional designers & architects study your company, understand your brand and branding objectives, and then create custom booth designs that enhance and promote your brand with relevant engagement and compelling impact. As a proven pan-India and globally operating expo booth designer, SEED has a world-wide network of production vendors, stall builders & contractors to ensure your booth design is installed with quality, economy and hassle-free efficiency.

Contact www. smartexhibitiondesign.com

Enhance the effectiveness of your Trade Show Stand with the ‘personal’ touch

Trade shows remain one of the most popular and effective marketing tools available to B2B enterprises.  In fact, research has shown that B2B exhibitions account for more than 40% of all B2B budgets.

Eye-catching trade show booth displays

According to a report by The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) 'Changing Environment of Exhibitions', the exhibition channel continues to prove it is an important channel for driving business. It claims that a staggering 99% of marketers believe that trade shows offer unique value, which cannot be achieved through other mediums.

So what makes trade show marketing so valuable? Why do B2B industries favour exhibitions for marketing?

The major advantage is the opportunity to meet new prospects up-close-and-personal. Trade shows offer a unique platform for relevant lead generation by casting a wider net and delivering in-person contact. Businesses get to meet prospects face-to-face and to personally demonstrate and communicate the company’s offerings. Exhibitions allow companies to engage in meaningful two-way dialogue, where both the prospect and the company can exchange contact information, discuss requirements, and compare solutions – one-on-one. Businesses can also properly gauge the value of the leads, and by qualifying strong leads, shorten the sales cycle.

There is something intensely trust building in shaking someone’s hand and looking them in the eye. Knowing that there are actual humans behind all the technology & stats is innately reassuring. This type of connection cannot be recreated digitally, or with even the most compelling advertising. Because of the personal nature of face-to-face interaction at expo booths, connections established here often yield fruitful results.

There are some tips to enhance the ‘personal’ touch at your exhibition stall. While creating a bespoke exhibition stand design goes a long way, the ‘human interaction’ can be augmented by: 

1. Sending out personalized invites on social media or by email.
2. Appointing well-trained staff to interact with visitors – people who are pleasant mannered, cordial and informative, able to engage with prospects with sound knowledge of your products and brand.
3. SWAG or giveaways that are attractive and of value to visitors.
4. Informal lounge areas where prospects can sit and chat in comfort. A cup of coffee with the discussion would certainly help – considering how large most trade shows are; visitors are usually tired and thirsty!.
5. Posting a thank you note to visitors – telling them how much you enjoyed meeting them, and inviting them to your office or offering the next Call-To-Action for taking the lead forward.

SEED (Strategic Exhibition & Environment Display) is a leading exhibition design company that offers creative, timely and hassle-free Exhibition Design solutions - from concept to commissioning. SEED provides a complete exhibition design solution with bespoke display design to attract attention and enhance brand value. SEED can also suggest promotional items or eye-catching installations or interactive engagements which can get the message across better while adding value to the experience. SEED can also help with communication before and after the event.

As a proven pan-India and globally operating Exhibition Stand Design Company in India with over 25 years of real-world experience in creative exhibition stall design, you can trust SEED for all your expo booth design, environment design, brand activation and event design & planning needs.

www. smartexhibitiondesign.com

International exhibitions Connecting Your Business to the World

Planning to participate in an international exhibition?

International trade shows are targeted at a specific industry; each one a grand platform to introduce or build your brand on the world stage.

Participation in an international exhibition establishes credibility for your world-class capabilities, presenting your brand on the international stage with a cutting edge brand image to reckon with.

 Hence, it is imperative to have an exhibition stand design to convey your expertise and USPs. You need a creative exhibition stand that builds a brand story and attracts maximum visitors to your stall, where you can then connect with them through your products and services.

We at SEED have the expertise to offer you a complete promotional solution to GO GLOBAL.

SEED (Strategic Exhibition & Environment Display) is a proven pan-India and globally operating Exhibition Stand Design Company in India offering complete Exhibition Design solutions from concept to commissioning. SEED has an experienced team of architects and graphic designers complemented by a widespread network of reliable production vendors, stall builders & contractors. This ensures your booth design is designed with compelling, brand-enhancing creativity and executed with timely, hassle-free efficiency.

With over 25 years of real-world experience in creative exhibition stall design for hundreds of B2B and B2C companies, SEED is a leading Exhibition Design Company in India. SEED has successfully executed world-class exhibition stand design and build in Germany and USA besides different cities across India.

Make SEED your international exhibition partner for competent and creative solutions for all expo booth design, environment design, brand activation and event design & planning needs.

Visit Us: www. smartexhibitiondesign.com