If you’re a business who attends trade shows in order to generate a large number of sales, how are you going to stand out against the other businesses in the room? The best space at an exhibition can cost a large amount of money, money that you may not have.

You could secure a standard space and utilise this in a creative way to ensure you can still generate those sales without breaking your budget.

At Kaizen Print, we regularly produce marketing materials to assist our clients with trade shows.

Ultimately, to stand out at a trade show you will need a strong brand to be carried through all of your promotional materials in order to create a memorable experience and showcase your brand personality.

Brand, brand, brand

Your brand should be instantly recognisable through your branding including in all promotional materials, videos and presentations … even down to your uniform.

It can be so effective for everybody in your trade show team to wear the same. People will know who they’re talking to.

Let people know you’re there

Your social media channels are an easy way to reach a wide audience. Posting prior to the trade show lets people know you’re there. Post in groups and industry related online resources to increase real interest. Most events will have specialised hashtags – use this to see who else is attending.

Don’t be afraid to post whilst your there too. Your followers love seeing behind the scenes footage – it brings your business to life.

Experiential marketing 

Show don’t tell! It’s simple to be drawn to the basic idea of just showing your products on a rail or speaking to people about your service. 

If you think outside the box you will be able to think of a way to do this in a creative way. This will be memorable to the audience, so even if they don’t purchase on the day, they may think of you on the way home and head to your website.

For example:

• If you are a fashion business, instead of using a rail or mannequins to show your clothes you could have real models walking around the trade show catching people’s eyes and diverting them to your stand
• If you are in technology or the digital landscape you could incorporate some virtual reality into the experience

You could also think of a contest or game relating to your product or service – this is a sure way to gather a crowd around your stall if done effectively. 

Think outside of the limits on your stand

Yes, you may be told you can’t enter the centre of the hall itself, or be given an area to stand. You can however hold outside events in areas surrounding the trade hall!

This could create a buzz – especially if you utilise social media.

Invest in good video

“A picture is worth a thousand words. A video is worth a million”.

Videos are an affordable, and easy way to dramatically improve what people think of your brand at a first glance. Make a good first impression – what does your business solve for people? Answer this in 30 seconds to keep interest.

A good video in the background of your stall can act as a way to get people intrigued about what you do. With so many stands, it can make attendees lack attention and just walk past if nothing catches their eye. The video should be under 3 minutes long, show what your product or service is about and show that it is in demand

Be prepared

You want to look professional and make communicating with customers an easy process. Having everything you need is a tool that you shouldn’t forget.

The checklist:

• Signage – people see your business name and brand immediately
• Promotional items – brochures, flyers, posters
• Business cards – hand out as many as possible (even to other traders)
• Giveaways – e.g. freebies, pens, stress balls or industry related gifts 
• A presentation
• Your laptop / iPad – to easily show your website
• Photos of your stand – social media content!
• Breath mints and hand sanitiser – yes, essentials
• Bring your personality … bags of it

At Kaizen Print, we offer high quality digital, litho and large format printing that will be excellent tools when exhibiting your business at a trade show. 

We offer business cards, leaflets and flyers, banner stands and more. Head to our website to visit our full range of print and design option.

We realise it’s a lot to remember but feel free to contact us – we care about you will always be happy to help, regardless of your query. You can call us on 028 9002 2474.