10 Tips to Check Off for Your Next Trade Show

July 14, 2012

Lisa Apolinski

Lisa Apolinski is a professional speaker, blogger, and digital strategist. With her company, 3DogWrite.com, she works with event managers to get their message to attendees, particularly through digital channels, on and off the show floor.

As you do your final checklist of your trade show, there is a list of 10 items I highly recommend you check off so you can say you are complete.

1.  Light it.  Lighting is your friend.  Don’t make it seem like a prison – have illumination to set the scene.  Bright is not always better.

2. Connect it.  Have connection in your booth, both with abundant technology and each demonstration tying into your overall message of your booth.

3.  Pick a star.  You need to have a single point of focus in your booth, either in a display, demonstration or product.

4.  Choose the back up.  You also need to have ‘back up’ to your star so that it gives a sense of completion and containment in the booth.

5.  Size matters.  Do not stuff too much or have too little in your booth.  Be aware of the space and use it appropriately.

6.  Give the personal experience.  If your attendee comes into the booth, they should be rewarded by a good experience.

7.  Start low and work up.  Review your booth from the ground up and make sure each section ties into the next and guides your attendee through the booth experience.

8.  Focus on other angles.  Your attendee may come into your booth a different way, like from the back.  Don’t have everything only engaging in one direction.

9.  Use modern technology.  This goes without saying.  Keep your booth technology up to date and appropriate for the demo.

10.  Make it fun.  If there is a lot of extra work involved, the attendee will get turned off.  Make the demo fun and engaging.

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