The point of a trade show is to introduce and promote your brand, products and services to a new audience, connect with and learn from other industry professionals, and get leads. In order to achieve this, you must be able to stop traffic and attract it towards your booth—which means your trade show display must be eye catching and provide useful information. Here are some tips on how to design an attractive trade show display to get the most out of your event.
Represent Your Brand, Professionally
Presenting your brand in a uniformed and professional manner is one key component of an attention-grabbing display. First, your trade show display must be able to illustrate who you are and what you do in just a moment’s glance. To do this, ensure you incorporate your company’s logo and color scheme. To effectively showcase your products and services, have plenty of brochures, and if possible, samples and testimonials.
To help give your brand a good first impression, look towards what else you can provide in your booth. Try and include a special trade show promotion or sale, contest or giveaway to entice people into your booth. Create a lounge area for tired visitors (who may read your literature or strike up conversation when relaxing). Also consider investing in branded giveaways (such as pens, notebooks, or USB sticks with your logo and website), which put your brand name in front of a larger audience while also providing something useful for your guests. If you can spare some extra dollars, you could also have some candy, food, or beverages in your booth (just check with your show organizers first).
Lastly, don’t forget that employees are the brand—aim for your staff to have some sort of uniformity in dress (either by color or through company shirts) to create a polished and well put-together display. Each staff member should have plenty of business cards.
Make Your Message Clear
Another component to a striking trade show display is making it easy for passersby to understand what you do. When planning your show, narrow your focus to one overarching message and make it clear within your display.
Usually, your message pertains to who you are, what you do, and why you are the best choice.
When showing who you are, present your company by including information on its history and core capabilities not only in your literature, but on your retractable banner, display backdrop or event sign. If you have a product launch, make that a main focus to exemplify what you do as a whole, and the new and innovative things you’re doing now. To show why you’re the best choice, try incorporating a trade show specific promotion, sale or contest, and make sure it will be effective by having that information illustrated in a designated place that stands out.
Whatever your message is, make it clear and to the point by using both words and pictures in your display. For example, include your company’s mission statement or motto atop your tradeshow banner, a picture of your logo or set of products, and a few bullet points (10 words or less) on what you do. Avoid using too much text on your banner, and as a general rule, keep your text at or above eye level and have your pictures and logo large enough to see from a distance. You can also look for other elements that help make your message clear, like an iPad display with your website or relevant application open, TV with video loop, or computer display with Power Point presentation. These tools also go a step further and work towards increasing engagement within your booth.
Choose the Right Design
The design of your display brings your brand to life and ties it to your message to create a first impression for your business. It must be attractive, and enhance your message without overshadowing it.
When designing your trade show graphics, draw from your brand colors and logo elements to create one cohesive look throughout your display. Avoid having multiple banners or signs with different designs, because it will distract the eye and can confuse your intended message. Your design elements should reflect a tone that is established by what your brand represents (for example, using cooler colors like white, green and blue for a calmer look and warmer colors like red, orange and yellow to create excitement).
To help your booth stand out, use contrast in your coloring and include high resolution images that are interesting. Also make sure you’re using color combinations that enhance readability of your message. For example, instead of just having your company name and a picture of your product, have your company logo (large and on a complementing background) and a high resolution picture of your product being used. Lastly, try and be creative with your display. Show how you differ from your competitors by doing something different.
Need some ideas for your next trade show display? Check out our trade show display gallery and contact us for a free estimate on your next vinyl banner backdrop, retractable banner, pop-up display, or contour cutout event sign. Good luck!