Competition at exhibitions can be fierce, everyone wants attention to be directed their way so you have to do something special to get, and keep attendees engaged and interested. Here are some of our top tips to increase traffic to your stand and keep them there:
Consider Your Target Audience
Before the exhibition has even begun you can start to plan how you will engage with potential clients. To do this you should research the show and the venue and if possible even attend the exhibition beforehand to get a feel for what it will be like when you exhibit.
Through this research you can determine the average attendee to this specific exhibition which will help you to plan your engagement. For example a younger audience may appreciate a more interactive approach through the use of iPads and TVs etc. whilst an older audience may prefer an exhibit with less technology involved.
There are two main factors to keeping your audience engaged, curiosity and emotions if you can pique curiosity in your target audience and talk about something they are passionate about at the same time then there is a good chance that they’ll stick around to see what you have to offer them.
Stand Design
After catching the attention of exhibition attendees another great way to keep them there is with the design of your stand. A design that’s innovative but simple will allow people to properly take in the information that you are displaying quickly and draw in passers-by.
Stand design isn’t limited to just the graphics however, it also includes accessories, media and layout, all of which should be taken into consideration when designing your exhibition stand.
If you’re stuck for ideas on how you’d like your exhibition stand to be designed our Pinterest page contains a wide range of designs that you can use for inspiration. We also offer a graphic design service for pop up stands, banner stands, branded tablecloths, outdoor displays and bespoke exhibition stands. The cost of a graphic design service will depend on your requirements.
Leave the Exhibition Stand
As an exhibitor you don’t have to stay within your booth waiting for people to come to you, one of the best ways to engage attendees is to get out on the trade show floor and start conversations with people. This works especially well at B2B exhibitions where attendees are often busy, which means they are less likely to stop and look at your stand when passing by.
Often at trade shows attendees will be wearing name tags or some form of identification, use this to your advantage and start the conversation with their name. If you manage to pique their interest during your conversation then invite them to visit your stand and if they’re pressed for time try to arrange a later meeting.
Bring the Right People
Having the right staff manning the exhibition stand can have a big effect on engagement, staff that are outgoing and have good communication skills will be able to keep people interested in what you have to offer. Before the exhibition you should make sure that all staff attending are trained if they aren’t already and teach them about exhibition etiquette which includes simple things that exhibition staff should never do such as: crossing arms, hands in pockets and using mobile phones.
For more information on do’s and don’ts for exhibition staff please see our article on ‘How to Work an Exhibition Stand’
Get Interactive
If you’re target audience would enjoy a technology centred exhibition stand then take advantage of this. A simple way to make your stand more interactive is to include touch based devices such as iPads, depending on your budget they can simply be locked to your website so attendees can view your products or if you are a larger business with a bigger budget you could have an app or game developed that is relevant to what you are providing.
Social media is also an excellent way to provide interaction with attendees, before the exhibition begins think of a hashtag that you and your customers can use to communicate with each other. Your hashtag should be short, sweet and the same across all social platforms. One of the biggest benefits of using social media is that almost everything is trackable and you can look at statistics after the event to see if it was a success.
Social media can play a big part in engaging your exhibition audience, for more in-depth tips please see our article on ‘How to Use Social Media to Improve Your Exhibition Presence’
Giveaways
Giveaways can be a great tool to help generate traffic and increase your brand awareness at the same time, the right giveaways can also leave a lasting positive impression on your visitors and help to build a professional relationship.
Some of the things you need to consider when you are picking what to giveaway are that the item you are giving away represents your brand, something flimsy that will break easily or end up in the bin as soon as the attendee gets back to the office will leave the wrong impression whereas something sturdy and well-built is more likely to be used time and time again.
High quality desk stationery is useful, holds value and everyone wants it for free rather than out of their own budget. With this in mind when deciding on the right giveaway for your brand always remember ‘on the desk – on the mind’ and your giveaway will prove to be successful in engaging trade show attendees and gaining new business.
We hope these tips help you to engage your trade show attendees and have a successful exhibition. At XL Displays we create, design and build pop up displays and exhibition stands that get you results.
Please contact us or call our sales team on 01733 511030 for more information.
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