5 Ideas to Boost Trade Show Engagement

Creating energy all day, every day that you exhibit at a trade show can be a challenge. In this article, we will focus on tips to build an exciting and engaging environment in your booth that will not only attract visitors but keep them engaged too.

1. No Boring Sales People: Proper training and hiring the right people will help avoid this problem from deterring from your trade show booth efforts.
2. Run Contests: Try out different contests to see what works for you. Make sure that your contest is engaging but also quick and easy. Make sure that you have worthy prizes to attract enough people and create a buzz of word of mouth for people to come to your booth.
   • Dropping cards in a fishbowl isn’t the most engaging or fun activity, although it is quick.
   • Instead try doing a prize wheel. Everyone who spins wins something!
   • Try a social media contest to really boost engagement of attendees and other fans not in attendance.
   • Interactive games are also a fun idea and can attract attendees simply who need a break from all the business dealings.
3. Have a Well Presented Booth: Find just the right balance between presenting enough information about your company through banners, product, and digital displays and leaving enough open for questions to be asked. Make sure that all of your banners are in easy to read fonts than can be seen from a far distance away. You only have about 3 to 5 seconds to convince buyers passing by to stop in your booth. Think about presenting what makes your booth and your company different from all the other hundreds of booths at the trade show or exhibition.
4. Presentable and Knowledgeable Sales Staff: Your booth staff will ultimately make or break your trade show for the company. Did you know that it is a major faux pas to have staff eating in the booth? Make sure that all staff leaves the booth for their meal breaks. This also gives them a chance to take a break and come back refreshed. The sales staff must be knowledgeable and great at selling without being too pushy.
5. Promotional Products and Giveaways: Request something from buyers in order for them to receive your free branded gifts or promotional product giveaways. They should have to at least give you their business card. For nice promotional products you can require them to fill out a form or watch a demo. Lastly, make sure that your promotional products represent your brand and are useful to the recipients so that it makes it back to their home or office.