A trade show booth is the perfect platform to showcase your products and services to multitudes of people and explain to them exactly how they work in real-time.
Trade shows are one of the best ways to find new customers or clients for your business in a short time.
However, having a trade show booth does not automatically guarantee that you will have visitors. It is up to you to do your best to ensure most, if not all, trade show attendees pass by your booth so that you can get maximum ROI on the time and money you invested in your booth.
The following are some clever ways to lure trade show attendees to your booth:
1. Attend other trade shows to see how they work and if they are worth the investment
Not all trade shows are the right fit for your business. Before you purchase a booth at a trade show, attend as a guest first and see how other trade show booths are performing and if the crowd matches your organization’s target audience.
After attending as a guest, you will be able to see some of the things that make some booths successful and some mistakes other booths are making.
2. Do proper marketing before the event
You need to start building excitement for your trade show booth long before the trade show happens. Let your existing customers know about the trade show using your in-house mailing lists or by using your organization’s social media platforms. You never know; some of your customers could bring along their friends or colleagues.
Get pictures from event coordinators and share them on your social media platforms to give people a sneak peek of what to expect at the trade show. You may also hire bloggers and online influencers to further market the trade show and your booth.
3. Have a well-designed, noticeable trade show booth
You want your booth to be so attractive that trade show attendees notice it from far away and are unable to pass it without taking a quick look at what you have to offer.
- Have a proper design for your booth that suits your organization. Check out your competitors’ booths and make sure that your trade show looks better than all of them.
- Create extra-tall displays that stretch high above the other booths.
- You can also have an overhead display hanging over the booth and have some kind of graphic, such as an arrow, drawing attention to your booth.
4. Have your own light
The lighting of the trade show hall might not be sufficient to light up your booth properly. Bring your own lights to make the booth and your promotional banners easier to notice. The lighting should be cozy and intimate to encourage more people to visit.
5. Make your trade show booth welcoming
If you have a big space to work with, set up a few chairs for your booth visitors to rest for a few minutes. Trade shows can be exhausting for visitors when they walk around exploring different booths and there usually isn’t much sitting space.
Turn your booth into a place where attendees can sit and relax for a few minutes as you explain to them what your company is all about and what they can gain from being a new customer.
6. How about some free WiFi?
In the modern world of social media, people love to stay connected at all times, even when they are supposed to be looking at trade show offerings.
Free WiFi at your booth will attract people to your booth and encourage them to stay close. You could also offer a free phone charging station where your visitors can get a quick recharge of their phones as you pitch your products and services to them.
7. Have a special trade show deal
Everyone loves feeling like they got a great deal on a certain product or service. You may offer special deals to your trade show booth visitors such as coupons, discounts, and freebies.
8. Make sure your staff members are friendly, approachable, and professional
It will be hard to attract visitors to your booth if your staff members seem angry or rude. Your staff should put on their best smile and be ready to charm the attendees into visiting the booth. They should also be in a position to answer any questions that the attendees might have.
9. Engage your booth attendees with a game
Set up a few easy, fun and competitive games at your booth and reward the participants with various prizes. The games could be anything like Jenga, a singing game, darts, or any other fun game. Just make sure the prize is worthwhile. Check out all the cool giant Jenga games that are available here.
10. Are you providing snacks and beverages at your trade show booth?
Trade show attendees will probably be exhausted and hungry. Having some snacks or beverages at your booth for your guests will definitely attract people. And it doesn’t have to be expensive; a cookie and small cup of coffee are enough to make everyone at the trade show want to come to your booth especially if other booths are not doing it.
11. Hand out airbrushed party favors
Party favors are a great way to reward attendees for visiting your booth, but everyone will probably be doing it as well. If you want to make your party favors really special and memorable for your booth visitors, hiring a team of airbrush artists to customize party favors can do the trick.
A company like Airbrush Events provides airbrush artists who can set up stations in your booth and make custom party favors for the guests. Each guest chooses a party favor, such as a t-shirt or a mug, then chooses their preferred design, color and text they want the artist to create as they watch. People will attend your booth for your pitch and the art.
12. Have the biggest bag
When you are handing out the party favors, promotional materials, or giveaways to your booth visitors, make sure that your bag is the biggest and that it’s clearly branded.Trade show visitors will probably be getting other items from other booths and if your bag is the biggest, they will probably put the other items in there.
