3 Ways To Energize Your Exhibit… on a Budget

Wouldn’t it be great if every time you exhibited at a tradeshow you could build a sexy new exhibit and pitch the newest, hottest product on the floor?

And wouldn’t it be great if you were always the prettiest girl or the handsomest guy at the dance?

Sigh.

The truth is, most exhibitors need to reuse their existing booth structure for several years, and tell essentially the same solution story as well. (And personally, I haven’t been the handsomest guy at the dance since … … never.)

But while these factors may be out of your control, one thing is always in your control … the experience your attendee has in your exhibit.

Here are 3 ways to upgrade your exhibit experience. .. on a budget:

  • Change Your Attendee Greeting. Seems simple, but it’s amazing the impact. When greeting new attendees in your exhibit, ask new, provocative, open-ended questions. Times change, challenges evolve, and you may need to change it up and push some different buttons to catch someone’s attention. If your initial engagement with an attendee piques their interest, half your work is done.  And the cost?  You do the math.
  • Exhibit Feng Shui. Get a second or third opinion about your current booth layout. YOU may think it’s fine, but then again, you’re used to it. So is your exhibit house (if you have one) A new set of eyes may tell you that your exhibit feels cluttered or hard to navigate.  By simply rearranging your existing kiosks or furniture … or perhaps eliminating some … your booth may gain a new flow that results in greater traffic. The cost?  $0 … and if you eliminate kiosks or furniture, your drayage may be reduced.  Win/Win.
  • Spotter Campaign. A Spotter Campaign pushes your message outside of your exhibit walls for little cost.  Here’s how they work; 1) An attendee interacts with your booth staff  (watches a demo, shares their challenges, etc.); 2) They are rewarded with a special button or sticker to wear on their badge or lanyard.  3) They are told to wear this throughout the show because 2-4 time per day, you will have “spotters” out looking for attendees wearing the special button or sticker, 4) If spotted, they will instantly win a prize. Prizes can range from a $5 Starbucks card to free product.  It’s simple, but can deliver a nice payback.  Additionally, the special buttons or stickers are conversation starters and create buzz on the show floor.

And that’s just three ways.

It should now be clear that even if you are using your existing exhibit and telling an existing solution story, you can still energize your exhibit by concentrating on communication and not carpentry.