1/18/2022
There’s a lot to be said about exhibiting your goods, services or company brand at a trade show, industry convention or other special events.
Event marketing lets you shake the hands of interested prospects at your booth or display, demonstrate your items in-person and obtain face-to-face feedback for your offerings and share your message with visitors both in-person and online.
At trade shows, you’ll also have an opportunity to distribute information by way of flyers, brochures or flash drives directly to interested parties, collect promising sales leads or, better yet, make a sale right on the spot!
Of course, your competitors will likely recognize these benefits to exhibiting at trade shows. So, don’t be surprised if they set up a booth or display nearby! Your challenge, then, becomes getting noticed.
Five ways to capture the attention of attendees at a trade show or event.
Adhere to these best practices if you’re seeking to get noticed at your next trade show or special event:
1. Employ the long-range/mid-range/short-range signage strategy
Long-range signs: Long-range trade show signs are ones that can be viewed from 100 feet away or further. They’re often mounted on a tower, suspended from the ceiling above your booth or display, or placed on back walls. As the term implies, long-range event signs alert attendees to the location of your trade show booth or event display from afar and will feature your company’s logo, mascot or primary product.
Mid-range signs: Usually viewable from 10 to 50 feet away from your event booth or trade show display, mid-range trade show graphics identify your company and its services or products. The intent is to attract visitors from nearby exhibits or those walking the exhibit floor to your event space. Mount them on the walls of your display or on the back wall of an inline display. Be sure to position them at or just above eye level, which is between 5 and 8 feet? from the floor.
Short-range graphics: Created to communicate your key messages once attendees are in your exhibit space, short-range graphics include text and images readable only from close distances. Meant to be read from one to 10 feet away and between five to six feet from the floor at eye level, they typically feature company or product information as well as charts, graphs, infographics or photos.
2. Go with the best booth or display possible: It’s a truism you have but one chance to make a great first impression and, among many potential customers, your trade show booth or display will offer that opportunity. Work with an experienced trade show display resource to create the most attractive and functional event display or event booth as possible. And, know that many special event booths and displays can be used at trade show after trade show and even at other special events — delivering excellent value over time after your initial investment.
3. Strive for impactful signage: While big is often good, “busy” is not! In fact, if it takes event attendees more than 5 seconds to read and understand your signage, they’re likely to pass you by. The solution? Keep your message short, impactful and to the point, and employ bold simple graphics!
4. Arrange your signage the way people read: Instead of one or two event banners, for example, many exhibitors will employ a series of trade show signs to communicate a key message. If that message is best communicated in a particular order, be sure to post your signage from left to right, and from top to bottom. Why? Attendees take in trade show graphics like they do magazine or newspapers, so it’s wise to ensure your messaging is arranged in the same way.
5. Keep signage colors consistent: Resist the urge to swap out your corporate colors with some that may be brighter or bolder. Adhere to your brand colors for all your event marketing touchpoints including your booth, displays, signage, handouts and giveaways. A special event is no time to confuse attendees as to your true identity!
Ready to begin? Look to Image360® Santa Rosa for any, several or all of your needs.
Image360 is your all-in-one source for graphics that enhance, signage that works and displays that inform. We work with you closely from imagination through installation to attain the high quality you seek, while adhering to your timeframe and budget. Call or drop by today to discover the many ways we can help you.
