Trade shows continue to play an important role in enabling companies to network, showcase products, and develop brand recognition. However, as the competition grows and the number of distractions online continues to increase, exhibitors will be required to develop strategies to get people’s interest while also getting them engaged both on the show floor and virtually. Creating an exhibit alone will no longer guarantee traffic or engagement at the booth, but creating an impactful environment before, during, and after the event will drive significant traffic to your booth. Many companies now have established partnerships with professional tradeshow exhibit companies, as these companies provide companies with high-quality visual displays created in conjunction with their professional branding capabilities. A well-developed, targeted marketing plan will ensure that every minute spent at a trade event is productive and generates measurable results.
Five Strategic Ways to Drive Real Traffic to Trade Show Booths
1. Leverage Online Awareness and Promote Used Exhibits
Building momentum starts at least a year before your event. Digital marketing utilizing social media sites, email blasts, and industry groups is an excellent way to create buzz and anticipation for your event before its actual occurrence. Displaying functional exhibit designs, sharing the story behind their design and development, and showcasing used exhibits built with recycled materials will enhance a potential exhibitor’s engagement and demonstrate sustainable social responsibility to align with today’s modern businesses. Promoting “behind-the-scenes” of the build process, product teasers, and pre-event interactive activities increases the likelihood of interaction with potential exhibitors on a digital platform. A potential participant can build familiarity before attending the event, thus making their visit to the booth that much more engaging, resulting in higher conversion rates and stronger on-site results.
2. Build Immersive Experiences at the Booth
Rather than relying solely on passive exhibits, show attendees prefer to visit booths that provide hands-on interaction. Hands-on product demos, touch screens, product sampling areas, and live product demos all motivate visitors to stop and interact with the booth and often build stronger bonds between brands and show attendees. Including sensory elements in a booth, such as lighting, tactile surfaces, sounds, and movement, enhances how a show-attendee experiences the booth. The various ways a booth allows a visitor to engage with the products help the attendee remember the brand when discussing it later and show greater interest in the brand’s products after leaving the show. The overall goal for a booth is to create memorable, purposeful experiences as the visitor enters and walks through the booth.
3. Use Strategic Giveaways That Reinforce Brand Identity
Giveaways are a fantastic way to attract customers to your business, so long as the products offered have real value to them or fit in with the overall theme of your company’s brand. Practical giveaways (such as tech accessories, office supply items, or everyday lifestyle products) keep your brand name in front of and visible to customers well past the time that they visit your business booth. You can use custom package designs, QR-enabled cards, or packages prompting visitors to connect with you digitally after the event to encourage visitors to engage more fully with your company. In addition to increasing the perceived value of your brand, carefully curated giveaway items provide an opportunity for visitors to associate your company with quality and relevance. The interactive engagement provides value beyond simple giveaways; these can work together to increase engagement between your customers and business rather than just providing promotional giveaways that encourage engagement.
4. Coordinate Pre-Booked Appointments and Exclusive Invites
Pre-event scheduling is an important strategy to generate consistent traffic at a trade show booth. By pre-inviting potential customers to private demo sessions, consultation sessions, and early-access sessions, you can create opportunities for quality conversations instead of just relying on passersby’s curiosity. By offering exclusivity, such as private previews, launch announcements, and guaranteed presentation times, you encourage attendance at the booth. This not only increases the activity of your booth, but it also adds an opportunity to build stronger relationships with potential customers. In addition to turning sporadic drop-bys into intentional connections, the value of time spent interacting with brands is maximized when the event is scheduled in advance.
5. Use Digital Integration to Extend Engagement Beyond the Event
The digital relationship created through conversations should persist. QR codes, which redirect to product pages, virtual tours, or downloadable content, enable the attendee to learn about your product at their own pace. The mailing of thank-you notes after the trade show and the sending of follow-up surveys or personalized emails continue to create a digital connection and build a bridge for future engagement. Sharing ‘event recaps,’ booth displays, and educational materials across several social media channels can strengthen your brand presence during and after the trade show. Digital integration gives you a larger audience and allows you to turn a momentary connection into an ongoing relationship that has measurable value.
End Point
To attract attendees to your booth at a tradeshow, an effective strategy should combine digital outreach, experiential booth design, and audience-centric engagement. From utilizing social media before the tradeshow to providing engaging experiences through your booth and memorable giveaways and follow-up emails, each piece works to create a strong presence/brand awareness and increase lead generation opportunities. With help from trade show exhibit companies/experiential marketing solutions, they can have an enhanced opportunity to connect with their audience. Successful trade show exhibitors create strategies that leverage high volume (traffic) and the quality or depth of engagement with potential customers as critical attributes for building an ongoing relationship with your business and driving continued growth.
