Almost every industry has at least one annual gathering where all of the brands and companies you’ve ever heard of (and many you haven’t) come together to hock their goods. But the good majority of them don’t know much about trade show marketing. Whether you participate in a show that is strictly B2B or open to the public at large, there are many ways to help your brand stand out and draw extra customers to your booth.

1. Custom Booth Design.
First things first, how you present your brand in the footprint you are provided by the event is key. Your booth needs to be more than just a folding table and a retractable banner or two. Before a customer even walks up and speaks to anyone or sees your product they should be interested in what you have to offer.

Trade show booth for Lewmar marine

2. Non-traditional Tactics.
The space of any given trade show can be cluttered, crowded and loud. Your physical booth does not have to be the only space you get in front of your potential customers. There are lots of other non-traditional places to get your name out there. Think about all the other areas the trades how attendees will frequent besides the trades how floor during the event, and you can come up with some clever ways to promote. Partner with a local car shuttle service and wrap their vehicles, create table tents to put into restaurants and bars near the convention center – you can even use window clings in bathroom mirrors at the show. All these items should direct people to your booth number; this will not only drive foot traffic to you but it will also give you a conversation starter with the potential customer.

3. More than just sell sheets.
It’s a given; you need to make sure you have product brochures, sell sheets or some other kind of literature that people can physically take away with them when they leave your booth. But, make sure this is not the only way you showcase your brand. While you have lots of engaged customers, try to impress them by creating memorable experiences at your booth. If your product is small enough, make sure to have samples there that people can interact with (or possibly take home a free one in their swag bag). This is also the perfect time to take advantage of new technologies. You can make a product demo or virtual tour that can be displayed on a tablet or interactive kiosk in your booth. These set-ups are also nice because it frees your booth staff to interact with others while customers are engaged with your video/interactive tour.

Divan hotel virtual tour app

4. Pre-Show Promotions
Maybe this should have been Tactic #1, but before you even arrive at the fair you should be getting people excited about the fact that you will be there. Email marketing, print advertisements and direct mail pieces to your lead list (and if you can gain access to the show attendee list) should all be considered. Talk about the new products, free samples, or custom demos that you will be offering to attendees. Be sure to prominently display your booth location and possibly even the name of the sales people who will be a the show to talk to.

 5. Customer Service.
This is not a groundbreaking concept but it bears being repeated. Every person walking though that fair is either a potential customer or a competitor. You need to make sure the team staffing your booth is on point. They need to be knowledgeable about your products, engaged with the attendees, and in general excited to be there. But the conversation also has to be natural. People are there to learn and network, not to be sold to. Talk to them like you would talk to a friend. And be sure to follow up with hot leads. Seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised at how many leads are lost after a trade show. And competitors are usually there to scoop them up pretty quickly.