Walk any trade show floor, and you’ll find yourself bombarded with touchscreens, video walls, workstations, and more. As brands go toe-to-toe in this digital world, creating a purposeful presence is vital to capturing attention. But winning over audiences isn’t as simple as adding a monitor to your booth space.
To create an unforgettable experience, you need to first decide your brand’s message and examine how technology can help achieve your goals.
This discovery process is necessary to develop a winning strategy and create positive communication and clear expectations with your exhibit house. But even the best-laid plans can fall victim to mistakes, budgeting woes, and poor execution.
Act With Intention
Before attending a trade show, it’s important to lay out a detailed plan of your strategy. Your plans should support and complement your ultimate reason for attending the show. Whether it’s your brand’s message or one-of-a-kind engagements, leave no stone unturned. Stay focused on your goal.
“Having technology for technology's sake is both distracting and detrimental to a trade show audience. You don't want to waste your first impression on something that doesn't add value to an attendee’s experience.”
What makes the perfect engagement?
A trade show booth should do more than just catch an attendee’s eye. It should draw them in and engage them—ultimately getting them to take an action.
When planning an engagement, decide what you want it to accomplish. Maybe it’s lead generation, maybe it’s a product demonstration. At the end of the day, your engagement should always support your program’s goal.
“By creating a powerful and meaningful engagement that both entertains and informs, you build authority, earn trust, and create memorable experiences that attendees won’t soon forget.”
Expert Advice
There’s nothing worse than “technical difficulties” on the show floor. After spending thousands of dollars, the last thing you want to encounter is something unexpected. While things can happen, problems can be prevented with careful consideration and expert insight.
What content is playing on your monitors? Who’s creating your custom engagement? Where is the content coming from? Is it a flash drive, computer, or something else? Where is the power source? Are cable runs built into your booth structure? Are you purchasing Wi-Fi? Often, these obvious questions can get overlooked during the design and budgeting of your project. But by partnering with knowledgeable experts, you’ll help avoid these potential pitfalls.
“There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to implementing technology in trade show spaces. You have to think about everything from power sources to internet capabilities and even content creation. The slightest oversight can result in an obvious misstep in front of a potential client.”
By doing your homework and maintaining an open line of communication, you will be better prepared for unexpected issues and therefore more likely to stay on budget. Not planning for the proper equipment and resources can become costly when last-minute fixes are needed. So, it’s important to start a dialogue early with your exhibit house to ensure that all needs and expectations are met.
“With the constant introduction of new technologies, staying up to date in the digital landscape is becoming more and more difficult. Whether it’s the NEXT Lab team or another exhibit house, I can’t help but stress the importance of partnering with experts to stay ahead of the curve.”
Remember, it’s unlikely your exhibit house handles every aspect of your booth technology. Whether they rent equipment, outsource content creation, or hire third-party support, make sure you’re familiar with everyone involved in your project. Communication, and transparency, will help keep your trade show program on track.
By planning ahead, asking questions early, and being open with your exhibit house, you can expect a successful trade show that is sure to surprise and delight your audience. If you’re looking for more help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for more expert insight. With creativity and our industry knowledge, we can create an unforgettable experience for your brand.
