When trying to attract potential new clients to your business at a trade show, it is particularly important to stand out from the crowd. There are many interesting ways to avoid having a bland exhibition if you take the time to prepare and try thinking outside of the box.
The truth is that many people have limited attention spans and become bored very quickly.
In order to avoid boring people, engage them efficiently, it is wise to consider using an entertaining gimmick to attract a crowd to your stand.
Flashy Design
One of the best and most impactful ways to stand out from other booths at a trade show is to have an entirely original and inventive booth design. Depending on the type of crowd at your trade show, the more elaborate and eye-popping your stand is, the more you popular it will be with attendees.
Take the time to plan out your use of lighting, fonts and graphics. The more attention-grabbing it is, the better. You can even make use of a modular exhibition stand that allows you to re-shape it for every new show!
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality technologies are fast becoming all the rage in the gaming market and offer limitless possibilities for innovative ways to bring people to your booth and keep them hooked.
Have a few pairs of VR goggles at your stand that can be programmed to allow attendees to test drive a race car, take a ride on a themed rollercoaster or do something more educational that ties in with what your company offers. You will no doubt see that people are gravitating to your exhibition to give it a spin.
Games
In a similar fashion to virtual reality above, having a game that people can play at your booth will provide a distraction from the mundanity of other booths while providing significant opportunities to engage new customers.
People, with their limited time and attention in today’s fast paced digital environment, will welcome a break from the formalities of less-creative booths that don’t offer much in terms of entertainment value.
Consider some of these game ideas as a jump-off point:
- Mini putt
- Spin-The-Wheel to win a prize
- Card games and trivia games
- Arcade games
- Whack-a-mole
- Electronic basketball game that tallies your score
Petting Zoo
Nothing relieves stress like petting a cute little ball of fluff. Having a mini petting zoo with small animals such as bunnies and guinea pigs will have people flocking to your booth in droves.
While people stop in to meet your lovable pets, use this as an opportunity to communicate with them about your business. Petting zoos are hugely irresistible to most people and sadly under-used at trade shows.
Food and Drink Bar
Another fantastic way to attract attendees to your booth is via their stomach. The options here are limitless but one thing is certain: people love to eat.
Think about satisfying your guests’ sweet tooth with an assortment of delectable treats or if you have the capability to keep things cold, an ice cream bar can work wonders.
Would you rather encourage people to eat healthy? Implement a salad bar instead. If you’d rather not invest too much time with preparation, consider offering snacks with your branding on them!
Summing up
Many people try too hard to maintain an air of stuffy professionalism at their trade show booth and then wonder why it wasn’t a wild success and nobody stuck around their booths for more than a minute at a time.
The fact is that people want to be entertained and have a good time at a trade show, while also keeping their business prospects firmly in mind. Take advantage of this and plan a trade show gimmick that will crush the competition at your next event!
