How to Make Your Exhibition Booth Stand Out

A great exhibition stand is important for two reasons: firstly it attracts visitors, and secondly it keeps them there. The trouble is that you will be competing with potentially hundreds of other companies, so it is easy to get lost in amongst the crowd. B2B and B2C shows are often an expensive investment and therefore it is essential that you get your money’s worth. Having the right stand can help you do this, so if you are struggling to attract and engage visitors, here are a few tips.

Stand Out from the Crowd

The first bump in the road is attracting visitors. Many businesses focus on creating informational displays, which is good for building brand, but not exciting enough to drum up interest when visitors are jaded from many hours wandering around a busy exhibition centre. To stand out from your neighbours, you need to think outside the box.

• Stand design is crucial. It needs to be eye-catching and spectacular. Use light and colour to draw attention. Be bold and innovative and visitors will soon be drawn in like moths to a flame. Alternatively, look at exhibition design by Finesse Exhibitions for ideas.

• Be entertaining and people will come. Hire a celebrity to chat to visitors, or have a film clip playing on a loop. Anything you can do to spark a bit of extra interest is a useful way of gaining attention in a crowded room.

• Live demos and workshops are always popular. People like to see products and services in action; it helps them decide whether your company is worth talking to. So develop fun and entertaining workshops that effectively target your ideal audience.

Engage Visitors

Whilst attracting visitors to your stand is not always easy, keeping them there is arguably harder. With so much to see, people are often quick to move on to the next interesting stand so you have your work cut out. However, if you play your cards right, there are lots of techniques to help you successfully engage with visitors.

• Ensure everyone working on the stand is engaging and personable. Nobody is going to want to talk to people who are unfriendly or unapproachable – and it doesn’t matter how knowledgeable they are.

• Serve free tea, coffee, and sweet treats. We all love a freebie, especially when everywhere else is charging for the privilege. Visitors usually feel obliged to stick around if they have accepted a free drink, so you have a 20-minute window of opportunity to engage them in conversation.

• Make sure you use technology to capture contact details. iPad apps can be used to collect details for off-site lead development.

• Take advantage of social media on the day by connecting with visitors and encouraging them to tweet questions and comments live.

Follow Up on Leads Generated

Hopefully your day was a huge success, but in order to capitalise on new contacts made, you need to follow up with visitors as soon as possible after the event.

Lastly, don’t forget to advertise your presence at the exhibition beforehand. The more publicity you have, the more people will come to your stand on the day.