Planning for a trade show, exhibition, or convention requires close attention to detail. Most people start planning three to six months in advance, which allows plenty of time to hone all the important details. There are plenty of elements to juggle: marketing materials, freebies, booth setup, and team training, among other things.
Once you’ve selected a trade show to attend, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations, including submitting the proper paperwork and payments. From there, establish a budget to cover trade show materials, booth fees, travel costs, and equipment. Keep the size of the event space and your booth in mind, as well as the estimated number of attendees in mind. This ensures you know how many print products to order and what size signage to create.
Part of the early planning is ordering all the products, signs, and giveaways well in advance. Eye-catching trade show booths are the first step to getting people to stop and talk. Coordinating a visual look throughout your presentation will help you stick out in people’s memory well after the trade show packs up. Keep reading for all the materials you should order beforehand.
With those early steps out of the way, you can focus on what matters: your sales pitch. Every detail, from your business cards to your informational displays, is part of your presentation. Your team needs to be prepared for their specific roles. Depending on what your trade show display entails, you might need separate people to run product demonstrations, gather people’s contact information, and sell items. No matter what, everyone should be prepared with their main talking points and working toward a common goal, whether that’s lead generation, sales, or brand awareness. After all, what is a trade show? A place to increase sales and get more customers.
With that in mind, here’s everything you might need to create a custom trade show display that people won’t forget.
Booth Decor
Your trade show signage should be simple and straightforward. People won’t stop to read cluttered or wordy signs, especially since there is so much to see and do at a conference. Put the most important promotion or sales information in clear, bold text. Visually, your signs should be cohesive with your overall brand aesthetics. Show off your logo, slogan, and any other established imagery, like a mascot or spokesperson.
Pro Tip: Here’s GotPrint’s guide to all things event signage.
Starting from the top, you can hang a custom vinyl banner so people can see your booth from afar. Marketing above people’s eyeline is especially helpful in a crowded event space. Inside your booth, you can promote products or share services on custom foam boards. Use large retractable banners to grab people’s attention; they can also serve as backdrops for photo ops. Then, place smaller tabletop banners with more detailed information for people to read once they are inside your booth. No matter the size, your trade show banners are crucial to designing your booth.
Giveaways and Swag
When someone leaves your booth, you want them to walk away with something to remember you by. Trade show giveaway ideas can get repetitive, but there’s a simple way to place your branding across unique items. Create a custom sticker to put your logo or business name across any compatible surface. Use branded stickers to customize other products, like notebooks, phone stands, phone chargers, and planters, for unique trade show giveaways. Otherwise, custom notepads and branded mousepads are common freebies that are easy to order in bulk. Custom calendars and catalogs are also simple items you can give out that provide more information about your company.
Your event staff should be decked out in branded swag – everyone who approaches your booth should instantly know who works there. Custom hats, t-shirts, or polo shirts are simple ways to get everyone in matching uniforms.
Marketing Materials
Besides freebies, you should come prepared with print products to pass out. Come prepared with plenty of custom business cards for all your networking opportunities; here’s a guide to figure out how many business cards you should order for a trade show. Create a display with custom flyers, rack cards, or brochures for people to take with them. These customizable materials provide space to go into further detail about your products or services. After all, people see a lot of trade show displays. Writing out what sets your company apart on printed paper will help remind potential customers of what your sales team pitched.
Trade shows are much less overwhelming when you go into them prepared with everything you might need. Many of these products, like the custom signs, can be reused at multiple events. Ensure you can capture emails or phone numbers so you can easily reach out with a follow-up email after the trade show ends. Check out more of GotPrint’s trade show display and marketing essentials.