by Exhibitions and trade shows are typically very busy and crowded. That’s why companies are always scrambling to come up with creative ideas for exhibition stands.
If you’re also wondering how to attract visitors to your exhibitions stand, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve put together a list of 15 exhibition stand tips that’ll help you stand out.
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1. Offer free Wi-Fi
You’d be surprised how many exhibition centres still don’t have good Wi-Fi. That’s bad news for them, but great news for you—because now you can use it to draw people to your stand.
Tip: Read this article on how to offer free Wi-Fi to people visiting your exhibition stand.
2. Provide refreshments
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when you design your exhibition stand. Nothing can draw people to your exhibition stand like the smell of freshly made coffee and tasty cookies.
Tip: You can rent a coffee machine specifically for exhibitions. Some of them even come with their own barista!
3. Make a presentation
Your exhibition stand is not just some pretty visuals and a logo. It can quickly be turned into a platform for you to present the latest industry knowledge or showcase a new product you’re offering.
Tip: Read up on the best practices for hosting a presentation at your exhibition stand.
4. Live stream it
An exhibition centre can only fit so many people inside of it. But that shouldn’t stop you from sharing what’s happening at your exhibition stand with the rest of the world: Live stream it!
Tip: Read our guide on how to live stream your event (also works for exhibitions).
5. Host a competition
Gamification is a buzzword you’re likely familiar with. The best exhibition stands should invite interaction or friendly competition. Attract more people to your stand by hosting a contest. Why not make the prize one of your products or services?
Tip: Check out these exhibition stand competition ideas to get some inspiration for your own.
6. Live tweet the exhibition
If you don’t have the equipment to live stream the exhibition, why not live tweet it instead? Use your own hashtag and have you offsite team engage with tweeters if you’re too busy at the stand.
Tip: This article goes through everything you need to know to live tweet from the exhibition.
7. Provide a workstation
Another feature exhibition visitors will appreciate is a workstation. Provide them with a space to send some quick emails and organise their schedule. (And don’t have your sales team approach them until they’re leaving.)
Tip: You can find some very affordable exhibition workstations at Discount Displays.
8. Offline likes and tweets
You can use the exhibition as an opportunity to boost your presence on social media. Provide visitors with a QR code or NFC tag and have them like or tweet your product or service.
Tip: You can quickly and easily create your own QR code by using an online generator.
9. Bring a tablet
Tablets are handy at exhibitions for several reasons. You can give a product demonstration, ask visitors to fill out a survey, or use the tablet to collect contact details.
Tip: Install one of these apps to help you capture leads at exhibitions and trade shows.
10. Use VR and AR
If a tablet seems a bit too yesteryear and you’ve got a big budget, why not try some virtual or augmented reality? These can give you a whole new way to showcase your product or service. Make yours one of the cool exhibition stands.
Tip: Read this guide on how to use VR at exhibitions the next time you’re setting up.
11. Give away free swag
It’s no secret that people like free stuff. Branded swag is an excellent way to make visitors remember you, as well as make them promote your brand to other people. Just don’t give away pens; it’s cheap and outdated.
Tip: Find some inspiration in this list of over 100 different exhibition giveaways.
12. Set up a photo booth
Although everyone has a camera in their pocket, photo booths still have a certain appeal. You can keep them modern by using technology to enable live posting and streaming from your booth.
Tip: Look at these creative ways of setting up selfie walls and photo booths at exhibitions for inspiration.
13. Donate to charity
Why not combine the trade show with a charitable cause? You could donate a certain amount of money to a charity for every visitor that checks in at your exhibition booth.
Tip: You can search the government’s charity register to find the ideal good cause to support.
14. Launch a product
Exhibitions are an excellent opportunity for you to launch a new product or service. After all, that’s what the attendees are there for: to see and hear about new things they didn’t know existed.
Tip: Read this in-depth guide on how to launch a new product at an exhibition or trade show.
15. Host a Q&A session
An exhibition is also a good way for you to engage with the public and answer any questions they might have about you, your company, and your offering. Host a session where visitors can ask you anything.
Tip: This guide details how to host a Q&A session at a conference, but it can also work for an exhibition stand.
Exhibition stand design templates
“This is all well and good,” you may think, “but how do you design the booth itself?” Glad you asked.
We’ve pulled together some websites where you can download free exhibition stand design templates in Photoshop, Illustrator, and PDF formats.
Check them out below:
You can use these to craft your own design. Alternatively, you can hire professional designers to help create your exhibition stand. Here are some designers to get you started:
Exhibition stand examples
If you’re looking for purely visual inspiration for designing your exhibition stand, here are a few great places to start:
The above should give you plenty of exhibition stand examples to spark new ideas for your own stand.
Billetto is a ticketing platform that helps you manage, promote, and host events. Set up an event page and start selling tickets in 5 minutes.
CREATE YOUR EVENT >>
Conclusion
There are many ways you can stand out at exhibitions and trade shows. But no matter how cool your design is, and how fancy your technology is, nothing beats human interaction.
Make sure your staff are energetic, welcoming, and engaging. A personal touch will go a long way to make people remember you, your company, and what you’re offering.
Happy exhibiting!
What should be the proper refreshments?
I would like to add Gaming to the list.