words Al Woods
If you’ve ever been to an event, then chances are you know that it’s flashiness that sells, right? People are attracted to something that’s loud, fun, and flamboyant. People tend to go wild for that kind of thing! When you go to an event, what usually catches your attention?
It’s the flashy stands, right? So, why would you go through great lengths to go to your next corporate event, bring your business, only for it to be bland. So does it mean to be bland? Nothing exciting happens, nothing unique happens when it comes to showing your business. No free items, no music, nothing to entice people to come over. If you know what grabs your attention, why not try to utilise that?
You want to ensure that you’re gaining something from these events such as ROI, right? Well, this means that you’re going to need to invest enough time into it. You’re going to want to invest enough money and maybe even some other company resources too. When it comes to marketing your business, especially for an event, you’ll have to go bold. How else will you stand out from the crowd? These industry related events, whether they’re conferences or trade shows, you’ll need to be strategic. You’ll need to find ways to stand out so people will remember your business’s name, but your name too. So keep reading on to figure out how!
Consider giving out freebies
Also known as “free swag”, these are grab bags that are given out by people who pass by. These could contain a variety of items but it usually comes out to be promotional items by the company, it’s a marketing tactic but people usually love this one. Giving out a Dynamic Gift could be your way of getting your brand known. So what are some examples of free promotional items that you could give out? Some could include:
-Branded sunglasses
-Branded tote bag
-Bottle
-Frisbee
-Keychain
-Lanyard
-Pens/ Pencils
-Notebook/ Sticky notes
-T-shirt
-Socks
-Mug
These are some of the more typical items that tend to be given out. But you’re going to want to keep in mind a few things. Do people want these items? How often are these items in demand? Put yourself in their shoes, would this be something you would get excited over? Would you happily accept these promotional gifts? What would you do with these promotional gifts?
Another thing you’re going to want to keep in mind as well would be the environment. Environmental consciousness is a very touchy subject. Consumers are more aware now than ever about their environmental impact and the impact on businesses. So, you’ll want to keep this in mind as well. Don’t invest in promotional items that would be considered wasteful.
Doing so means you waste money, but also you may be impacting your reputation. So before you go running and buying promotional items to make your booth at your next corporate or industry event appear more fun, interesting, or boost attention. First, you’ll have to think about whether or not it’s worth it and if people want it.
Do some research on competitors
If this is your first industry event, you’ll need to do some research, maybe some major research. Think about it, if you’re wanting to make the most eye-catching display that makes your brand pop-out from all the others, you’ll need to look into how your competitors do things and maybe look at brands you want to imitate (but not copy). So, what should you research?
-What your competitors booths look like
-How they go about displaying themselves
-What they try to do in the same of getting attention
-Do they give out any freebies?
-How do they get involved in this major industry event?
Afterwards, you’ll want to look into industry leaders, how they do their displays, and maybe how brands outside your industry do their displays as well. This will all give you some fun ideas that you could try. Another question you may ask yourself is how exactly you’ll find this information and ideas for displays. A few ways to do this can include:
-Looking online for videos such as YouTube, Instagram Reel, and TikTok for possible video content
-Look on your competitors website for their setup
-Look into social media pages, this include LinkedIn
-Check out photos or other content from the website of the industry event
Doing this type of research will definitely be worth your while. It’s one of the best ways to get some ideas, brainstorm, and really come up with something grand that could potentially shake up the whole industry. When it comes to these industry events such as trade shows, bigger is indeed better and everyone loves that! So don’t feel shy at all! Give it a shot!
Understand that you need to invest
Oftentimes, businesses, especially smaller ones, will try to cut corners every possible way that they can. Sometimes cutting corners and going cheap is completely fine, but not all the time. When it comes to marketing, in all forms, this is where companies make the mistake of not investing enough money. This can also be said about these industry related events. You do not want to stride into these events and have your booth looking like all the rest. People will walk by you, your booth will get ignored. If you’ve been to an event before then you’ve probably walked by other booths because there wasn’t anything fun or flashy about them.
So you should absolutely, 100%, try your best to not skip out on this! Invest in a great booth, get yourself an awesome display! You need to blow everyone away with what you’re offering. Get the attendees to flock to you, and try to get your competitors in the dust! These booths are a major marketing investment. These can be reused for as long as you want. So, you don’t need to just assume that you buy it every single time you have an industry event. That’s far from sustainable!
Ideas for your display
Since there is great importance on investing in your display and your booth, you’re going to want to add various items that can easily grab one’s attention. This could include things such as a banner, some majorly branded table cloth for the booth’s table. You can print colorful banners here with logos, graphics or a message from your company to show off. You could even go as far as adding the “as seen in” onto your banner or sign. This is going to be a great way to get your business looking much more credible. Attendees usually enjoy stopping at tables, but the tables need to look interesting enough so it’s worth stopping at. So investing in something eye-catching could hands-down be worth your while. You could even go as far as adding the “as seen in” onto your banner or sign. This is going to be a great way to get your business looking much more credible. Attendees usually enjoy stopping at tables, but the tables need to look interesting enough so it’s worth stopping at. So investing in something eye-catching could hands-down be worth your while.
Have some fun
You and your team deserve to have a grand time while doing this industry event. Your attendees can go to the event to have a nice time and to learn about some upcoming changes in the industry, so why not do it yourself? Yes, these can be very professional events where people within said industry gather around to network, talk, learn, and so much more. This is what it’s meant for. But being professional doesn’t always mean that it needs to be boring. Why try to be uptight? No one enjoys being uptight at these events.
It’s meant to be a time to just let loose, have some fun, and let your brand shine. Plus, letting yourself, your team, and your whole brand have fun is going to be exactly what makes it relatable. It’s going to be exactly what attracts people to your booth. So just have some fun, be quirky, be welcoming, and overall, just be yourself! The more fun you’re having means the more fun everyone else is having. Once that happens, more and more people will flock to your booth!
Consider creating a fun experience
Some booths will try to outdo their competitors by having some type of experience. Think about E3, that major gaming convention as an example. A lot of booths there will solely try to aim to make a fun experience for the attendees. Having lines of people come see and experience your booth will speak volumes about your company. It gives them the chance to learn more about your brand and it’s a great way to build up a reputation too. There are plenty of ways that you can create an interesting experience for your display.
This could include something such as a TV display, something state-of-the-art. But you don’t need to go too big or too bold either if you don’t want to. Sometimes (not always) going simplistic can be fine too. This can include offering a tiny lounge, free coffee, something interactive, carnival games, or maybe a spin the wheel prize too. All of these add up and can bring something grand. But you’re not limited to that. Why not check out what other brands (in your industry or not) and see what they’ve done. Look around on websites such as YouTube and maybe even social media as well.
