The single biggest challenge in trade show marketing is to get people to come to your booth, stop and look.

This is one marketing area where gimmicks work just fine. Visual gimmicks are common but SMELLS work great.

We've attracted visitors to a poorly located booth with a popcorn machine.

A client told us recently of using warm chocolate chip cookies the same way.

People follow the smell from aisles away....

Posted by Richard R. Byrd at 01:44 PM | Permalink

KISS, being of course, the famous acronym for "Keep It Simple Stupid" - usually a good idea in marketing (except for the "stupid" part).

There are only three things a trade show display can really do:

1. Make people stop and look. That is dependent on having one main graphic that is dramatic and colorful.

2. Let them know if it is something they should look at more closely. That is dependent on a very few words and possibly smaller graphics to tell who you are, what you do, and possibly, why you're different.

3. Keep them busy and interested for a bit so you have time to grab them if you are in the middle of an uninterruptible conversation with someone else. That is dependent on some (Some! Not a whole book!) of additional copy and possibly small graphics to provide more information.

Points 1 and 2 make trade show displays a lot like a billboard, where the rule is one main graphic only and not more than seven words of copy. Why? People driving down the road don't have time to absorb more than that.

It's not much different with trade show displays, but it is a bit different because they aren't moving as fast, and if they stop, they can look more closely and read more.

But point number 3 should never be so extensive as to interfere with the accomplishment of 1 and 2. And 3 should never be so extensive as to answer all their questions. You want to talk to them, and the best way to accomplish that (as in all marketing) is to get them interested but leave them with unanswered questions.

Posted by Richard R. Byrd at 10:49 AM | Permalink

We were presented with an interesting design problem the other day. The company was very well-known and branded nationally on a conservative blue color scheme. There was also some pewter in their logo.

The design was to be for a trade show display. But these must first and foremost grab eyeballs with dramatic colors and images. Reflex blue isn't going to do that. And it made no sense for the company to change their whole color scheme.

This is where the color wheel comes into play. There are other colors that will work with their basic colors and yet be much more vibrant. Done right, you end up with a group of colors that work well together, provide the correct kind of visual effect, look different than the competition and which have the correct emotional associations.

That group of colors is what is called a "color palette." This normally involves one or two main colors and one or more other colors to be used in smaller amounts.

The choice of a suitable color palette for a company or project, is one of the most important steps in marketing.

Art at work.

Posted by Richard R. Byrd at 08:23 AM | Permalink

There are a few considerations that go into purchasing trade show display hardware.

Most common are the "modular pop-up" displays. They've a metal grid that opens up to support the art or collapses to fit in a case for easy transport. They are available in several sizes, the most common are 8 feet high by 10 feet wide to function as a backdrop for a typical 10 foot booth.

Price doesn't always tell the tale. This is an industry where you can pay high prices and get junk. However, it's hard to find a good quality display cheap. There are reliable brands (such as Nimlok), but high price goes along with the name, and it isn't hard to get a quality "no name" display.

Good hardware is durable. Some (including the ones we supply) have a lifetime warranty.

They should set up quickly and easily. The best can be set up in about 2 minutes by one person, including hanging the art.

The should be sturdy, meaning, not wobble but have positive locking mechanisms.

A few options are routine. Lights that can be attached to the top of the display. A hard case for transport and protection. A conversion kit for turning the case into a podium.

Nine times out of ten, that's all there is to the hardware. You can get a lot fancier, and of course, the sky's the limit on price with custom displays.

But the design and production of the art are paramount. A good design can easily make or break a trade show.

Posted by Richard R. Byrd at 07:37 AM | Permalink

Let's say you've found a trade show, convention or meeting at which a large number of your potential buyers are going to show up.

Furthermore, you can afford it, it is scheduled at a time when you can attend and you have or can get adequate help to man the show.

By the way, any new marketing is experimental. You don't know till you've given it an adequate try if it will work for you. So don't try a new marketing scheme with your last dollar or one which just HAS to work or else.

So, what's next? What's the first thing you MUST do at a trade show to make a success of it?

You have to stop people.

The typical show has so many exhibitors that there is no way a visitor can adequately inspect and evaluate every one as to whether they are selling something of interest. In fact, after a while, many visitors don't even try. They walk the aisles on auto-pilot, waiting for something to grab their attention.

So your booth display and what you do with it has as its first target, to grab eyeballs.

Sheer size and superior location of a booth certainly help, but that can be expensive. Motion can be effective (as with moving parts of a display or with video). Tricks such as free popcorn (the odor attracts people from everywhere) and beautiful women often work.

The most basic (and usually least expensive and easiest) way to attract attention is with dramatic, different and colorful displays.

An effective display doesn't necessarily even cost more than a lousy one. But you do have to start out knowing that is what you are going for. It helps if you have an idea what other exhibitors are doing.

In evaulating a potential design you have to imagine yourself in the shoes of a prospector buyer at the show, and ask yourself if that display would make you stop and look closer? If it does, you've accomplished the first step of the formula to successful marketing.

Posted by Richard R. Byrd at 11:13 AM | Permalink

Well, I realized I have exactly zero articles in the blog about trade show marketing.

Since trade show marketing is one of our specialties (specialities to our British friends), time to remedy.

First of all, why do trade shows (and conventions, association meetings and the like)?

There is no other venue where such a concentration of potential buyers can be found in one place at one time.

Of course, that does make some assumptions:

The first being that the nature of the trade show or meeting is such that the people who come to it ARE potential buyers.

So the first requirement of trade show marketing is that you have accurately isolated who your potential buyers are and found a show that attracts a high concentration of such.

Exhibiting at trade shows is expensive. It can be VERY expensive. So to not waste your money, ensure you are exposing your products or services to the right people.

Posted by Richard R. Byrd at 03:22 PM | Permalink