Trade shows are often stressful for many people. In some cases, they can be a make-or-break point for a business. That’s because they can be very costly. You typically have to pay for space on the show floor, which can be thousands of dollars at major trade shows. You then have to pay to have your booth materials shipped to the show’s location and, if it’s your first trade show, pay to have those materials created. You also have to pay transportation and lodging for the employees working the show if it’s not local.
All of that cost means you need to see a return from a show. In some cases, this comes from product sales or service contracts done on the show floor. In other cases, it means customers reaching out after the show. Either way, if you don’t generate some new sales from one of these shows, it can be very hard to justify the expense. If you have too many poorly performing shows in a room, it can greatly impact your company’s annual budget.
One important part of making one of these events a success is your tradeshow display. If your display doesn’t properly showcase your company, what it’s about, and what you offer your customers, it’s not going to bring in that many people. While you may be tempted to only allocate a small amount of money towards your tradeshow display, here are some of the reasons it’s important to make certain that this display is well-designed and fabricated.
Your Tradeshow Display is Your First impression on Potential Customers
To really understand how your tradeshow display acts as your first impression on people, you need to put yourself in the shoes of a tradeshow attendee. You’re surrounded by a crowd of people. Some bump into you from behind, while others cut in front of you to get across the aisle, causing you to almost trip or run into others. You’re clutching the handles of a bag full of pamphlets from other booths while trying to remember which companies are worth exploring partnerships with and which weren’t.
You see row after row of booths, logos, company names, and product posters when you look up. After a few rows of this, your eyes start to slide right over the various banners and signs. If something doesn’t jump out at you, it might as well be in the background. There are just so many things to see and so much noise around you that it verges on being overwhelming. Then, of course, the staff at each booth is trying to get your attention or shoving more brochures into your hands.
Many attendees may try to be polite to booth staff at first. They will let the booth worker give a short explanation of the company and what they do. After a few dozen of these pitches, though, you may be worn out. All you want to do is find the companies that would have an impact on your business. Sometimes, that really is just about every company at the show. At other times, though, it’s not. You don’t need to stop at every booth.
Now think about your own tradeshow booth. Is it going to stand out to those looking for you? If it doesn’t make a good first impression by quickly communicating what you do, it’s likely going to fail to catch people’s attention. Someone may be looking for what you offer, but because your tradeshow banners and displays make so little of an impression, their tired eyes slide right over it.
Standing Out Doesn’t Mean Being Over-the-Top
Some business owners believe that to really stand out, they need to do an over-the-top booth design. This leads to using bright colors, adding lights, adding taller banners, and adding extras that really have nothing to do with their businesses. It can be too much, and in some cases, it can even violate the rules of the trade show. For example, some tradeshows do not allow banners or other signage to be hung higher than ten feet off the ground.
You don’t need to do all of that. Instead, you need to create a cohesive booth display that quickly and easily communicates what your business does and what you’re offering to people. Remember, your services or products are the stars. Focus on them and what makes your business unique. You don’t have to have the flashiest booth display at the show or even get every single person to stop by your booth. Instead, you want to make certain your display design draws in the right people—those who are interested in what you offer.
Your Display Should Be Concise
A tradeshow display that’s made up of posters, banners, and other displays packed with information may seem like the way to go, but it can actually be too much for attendees. Remember, people who are at a trade show are being bombarded with information about multiple products and services. While they may take some notes about key companies they’re looking to buy from or partner with, it can be almost impossible for them to remember everything about every company that has a booth at the show.
This means that instead of creating a display that has a lot of information, it’s better to concisely hit the high notes. Your displays should highlight what your company offers and the value that brings to your partners. Attendees should be able to quickly skim your informative banners and displays so they know if they need to learn more. If they do, they can talk to the representatives at your booth.
Let Your Handouts Go into More Detail
While your display should be designed to be concise, your handouts are where you can go into more detail. Attendees can look over your product brochures later in their hotel rooms or when they’re back home. These printed materials should still summarize your company rather than go into very technical detail, but they should also provide contact information for attendees. Include your company’s website or a scannable QR code so attendees can learn more and reach out if they’re interested in what your company offers.
It may help to have multiple handouts: one general brochure introducing your company and then a specific set covering your flagship services or products. This way, attendees can take the information most relevant to them.
A Well-Designed Display Should Be Durable
If you arrive at a tradeshow only to find that your display looks horrible, you’re going to be unhappy. While wear and tear will naturally occur on any material, your tradeshow booth should look good for years unless it’s damaged while in storage or during transport. You shouldn’t need to constantly need new banners, displays, backdrops, or other parts of the booth, even if you set up at a show every weekend.
What do you do if pieces of your display are wearing out quickly? There are two things to consider. First, if the pieces have to be replaced due to damage, the problem may be in how you’re shipping them or storing them. Look at what happens to your tradeshow displays before and after the booth is set up. The issue could be there.
However, if that’s not the case, it could be the materials used in the construction of your booth. Low-quality cardboard, vinyl, and other materials can tear, bend, and rip easily. Some inks don’t hold up to constant exposure to sunlight, so if you do outdoor tradeshows and have a lot of faded display materials, it may be an ink issue. Working with a fabricator who uses higher-quality materials can help keep your tradeshow display looking amazing.
Remember, the more years you can get out of your tradeshow displays, the better your return on investment is. If you have to replace your display every few months, it’s costing you too much money. You have to make sure you’re getting a lot of return on every tradeshow you do if that’s the case.
Finding the Right Production Partner is Invaluable
Without the right production partner, you can easily end up with poor-quality materials and a tradeshow display that wears out very quickly. To get the most out of your budget, you need to work with a well-known team that will never cut corners or use materials that wear out quickly.
TNT Signs and Graphics is here to provide you with everything you need for your tradeshows. We can assist you in creating custom backdrops, banners, signs, displays, and much more. We work with a variety of materials, sizes, and designs, so no matter what you have in mind for your tradeshow booth, we can help you create it.
In addition to creating items for your tradeshow booth, we print banners, custom signs, stickers, labels, and more. We even do full vehicle wraps. We can ensure that all of your printed marketing materials for your tradeshow and store match, creating a coherent marketing campaign. Contact us today to learn more about what TNT Signs can do for you.
