When attending an exhibition, your display needs to be eye-catching and engaging to attract visitors and fend off competitors. For small businesses, it is easy to get lost in the sea of bigger exhibitors. While choosing the right design for your exhibit will be a factor in your level of success, you should also use innovative ways of engaging customers to make your brand memorable.
Exhibiting is a powerful marketing tool and an opportunity to advertise directly to customers. If done well, an exhibition can see a high return, with statistics from the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) stating 91% of buyers attend trade events to buy goods.
Display the right brand message
Create a big impact with the right exhibition marketing strategy. Bright, bold displays can grab attention, but well designed stands that reflect the brand image you are trying to sell will keep it. Consistency in design, matching your brand identity, is more likely to convey clearly to attendees who you are and encourage them to engage with you.
Take Lee Stafford’s 2015 Christmas display at the Ideal Home Show as an example. The stand incorporated two different sections.The first, a brightly coloured pink and white section, showcased their range of hairstyling products and was predominantly aimed at their younger target market. The bold, stereotypical colours reflected their youthful high street image aims, drawing on understood associations with pink and the newness of white.
The second section used a less striking colour scheme of white and green, linking to the message of ‘salon science’. The less garish, more nature inspired, colour choice conveyed a level of professionalism which was in-keeping with targeting audiences who are not seeking a brand name but rather looking for a solution. Each creates a colour scheme to draw in and represent certain target audiences.
Choose your stand wisely
If you’re planning to make your mark at various shows, opting for a portable modular stand is a cost efficient choice because it can reused at multiple events without losing its effect. The disponibility of a modular exhibits allows them to be arranged, modified and disposed of depending on a company’s desire. The ability to change the poster displays and layout of the stand means the exhibition display can be reinvented with up-to-date information and adapted to fit each individual event venue without the hassle of designing a brand new exhibit.
However, for single or more prestigious shows, like The Business Show in London, a custom stand is a fantastic way to display your company in a uniquely designed set. Whilst modular stands are easier to adapt to each event, a custom stand is built to a higher specification specifically for your company and are suited for various events, from large product launches to information stands.
Be interactive
Incorporating interactive technology into your displays, including videos, IPad surveys and fun gaming zones are all proven successful ways to engage with audiences. Traditionally interactive technology would involve iPads for collect mailing list data. This still a valid tactic and your lists can be enhanced by companies like Electric Marketing who can add phone number and postal addresses to your collect emails.
However, as these have begun to become the norm at exhibitions and trade shows, you might want to consider the next tech. Augmented reality (AR) is proving to be a popular advertising trend, linking physical stands with a brand’s digital presence. For example, AR allows smartphone users to target images on their camera, at which point their device will “trigger” a video, audio clip or website to pop up on screen.
Clothing company Net-A-Porter have utilised augmented reality on storefronts, allowing customers to window-shop with the Net-A-Porter Karl App. When smartphone cameras are shown the AR display, a product summary appears, with a 360° video, pricing and the ability to purchase the product in app.
Virtual and augmented reality has only recently begun being implemented by businesses, but has caused lots of hype and engagement with customers. It is not restricted to modern, younger audiences either, with ABI research predicting the market for AR will rise by 73% from 2015-2020, making it increasingly popular technology. Using it within your exhibitions now would be very much getting ahead of a growing trend which will reap positive rewards for you business and will certainly get you attention at exhibitions.
Cover photo credit: Moto “Club4AG” Miwa / Flickr
