How To Keep Your Trade Show Booth Design Fresh And Interesting
Exhibiting at a trade show, conference, or other event is a great way to connect with a large segment of your target market and exert influence through face-to-face marketing. Many companies find that trade shows are an invaluable piece of their overall marketing plan, especially when they’re able to customize their exhibit for each show.
If you own an exhibit booth, you’ve made a big investment, and of course you’ll want to get as much use out of it as possible. However, over time, an exhibit can start to look old and out of date. If you want to maximize the benefits of the marketing event, it’s important to keep your booth design looking up-to-date and make sure it’s optimized to help you meet your goals. The following are a few tips for refreshing your trade show exhibit before your next event.
Do Routine Maintenance
The first step in freshening up your trade show booth is to perform routine maintenance so that it looks its best. Inspect your booth for signs of wear or damage and repair what you can. Keep your booth clean by wiping it down after each show with a damp cloth to remove dirt and dust. Use a gentle soap to clean stains or scuff marks, and wash and iron fabric materials, like banners or table covers. Between shows, your booth should be stored in a cool, dry environment that is free of insects.
Update Graphics To Reflect Your Current Brand Image
In addition to basic care, you may also want to consider updating your graphics, especially if you are using new designs in your marketing or if you have updated your brand image in some way. Effective branding requires consistent messaging, both visually and verbally, so it’s important for your trade booth to reflect any changes you’ve made to your message.
Even if you’re not making fundamental changes to your color scheme, logo, or images, you may still want to think about how you can improve your visuals. Make sure that you have graphics that are placed high and are large enough to be seen from at least 100 feet away. You’ll also want graphics that are easily seen by people walking down the aisle toward your booth. Consider how photographs, graphic images, colors, and fonts can work together to have a visual impact.
Add To Or Improve Your Booth’s Lighting
Lighting can have a strong impact on the visual appeal and functionality of your booth. Lights that highlight individual products can make them stand out, and using different colors or tones of light can add interest to any booth. In general, lights that are warm in tone create a feeling of comfort, while cooler-toned lights can make a display look clean and modern. You may also want to consider using LED lights as part of your graphic design. Any lighting that you add to your booth will be a positive contrast to the ambient lighting of the venue itself.
Customize The Layout Of The Booth
Another way to add value to your exhibit booth is to change its layout so that you can get more use out of the space and offer more amenities to your visitors. If you do not yet own a booth but are thinking of purchasing one, consider investing in a booth that can be easily reconfigured.
Reconfiguring your booth might mean adding a few comfortable chairs and a charging station to create a lounge area. You may also want to use partitions to create a private space where you can sit down and talk one-on-one with a lead or potential business partner. Purchasing or renting modular elements can give you a great deal of flexibility in updating your booth’s layout.
Upgrade Your Technology
Adding or upgrading your technology can make your booth more attractive to visitors and more functional. For example, providing video or slide-show content on tablets that visitors can use on their own can increase their engagement because they’ll have more control over their experience. In addition, at busy times, visitors can learn what they want without having to wait to speak with a staff member (which they might not even do).
Technology can also add fun and excitement to your booth. For example, if you’re selling bicycles, you can let visitors experience a mountain ride through virtual reality. If you just want visitors to come and spend time at your booth, consider featuring super-sized touch-screen games, old-school arcade games, or motion-sensor games that will offer something unique and capture your audience’s attention.
Add Portable Elements
One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to update your booth is to add one or two well-chosen portable accessories. For example, just adding a new banner or sign can freshen up the look of your booth. Tables, kiosks, counters, display racks, and shelves are other examples of booth accessories that can be rented and changed from show to show.
Consider Renting A Booth
Unless you are exhibiting at the largest conferences in your field six or more times each year, you may want to consider renting a custom trade show exhibit when your current booth starts to show too many signs of age. By renting a booth, you can have a fresh exhibit for every show, and you can customize the details to best fit your target audience at each event.
Another advantage of renting is that it gives you the opportunity to test out booth design ideas without making a big financial commitment. When you find a configuration that works, you can use the same design or tweak it slightly for the next show. Finally, when you rent a custom exhibit, you don’t have to worry about storage or maintenance.
An effective trade show exhibit should stand out from the crowd and provide a unique and customer-centered experience to every visitor. It’s important to continually re-evaluate how well your exhibit is working and to identify the changes that will have the biggest impact on your success.
Christian has over five years of professional event marketing experience. He has handled everything from on-site labor supervision to managing exhibit design projects in-house. He also enjoys rock climbing and any other outdoor activities. He is a critical thinker who is constantly challenging the status quo.