The Exhibit Source Blog

Trade shows are your company’s chance to debut a new product, find better vendors and suppliers, reach out to potential clients and find new talent to bring in to your company. But if you want to grab people’s attention at a trade show, then you will need to make and follow a plan and use some good trade show techniques. The company that is prepared to maximize the opportunities at a trade show is the company that will walk away feeling like the investment in the event was worth it.

Marketing Materials

One of the biggest mistakes companies make when they prepare for a trade show is a mediocre trade show display and deciding to use the existing marketing materials they have on hand. In order to make a big impact at a trade show, you need to give people something that will make your products stand out. You need to have new marketing materials and pop up trade show displays made up for the products and services you will be featuring at the show.

Make and Follow a Plan

Your company is investing a lot of money into being on a trade show floor. Do not go into the show without having a plan. Your trade show booth may look impressive, but if you do not have a message for attendees that they can understand, then you will not draw traffic.

If you want to release new products at this trade show, then develop your approach around those products. If you are going to use this trade show to try and attract new distributors for your products, then you will need a presentation more geared towards the benefits of doing business with your company as opposed to just product benefits.

Have the Right Team

If you are focusing on product sales at the show, then you will need sales people and you will need product engineers to answer detailed questions. If your presence at the show is designed to attract vendors or distributors, then you will want members of the logistics team, marketing department and executive team on hand to make a good impression.

The Giveaway

Too many companies underestimate the power of the free giveaway at trade shows. Giving away toys or notepads with your company logo on them is nice, but if you give people something they can use word will travel fast among the crowds.

When you have a good plan for a trade show, then you can maximize your investment in show resources. Take the time to plan your presence in advance so that you can attract more visitors and collect more useful information.

LuxeLounge

Pop up displays and enhancements for your trade show exhibits are easy and versatile. The Exhibit Source in Newton, MA now offers pop-up displays and trade show booth enhancements that are affordable and easy to set up. If you are creating a new exhibit or if you are trying to jazz up your existing trade show displays, these pop up enhancements and accessories make a big hit with booth visitors. Trade show pop-ups and enhancements are available for 10' x 10' and 20' x 20' displays.

Portable Pop Up Display Systems add a new dimension in flexibility to portable displays:

• Create a dynamic custom look
• Easily reconfigure for 10ft, linear, or island booth spaces
• Endless configuration possibilities
• Wide variety of frame sizes, fabric colors and accessories

These pop-up displays are available for rent or for purchase. Contact The Exhibit Source for availability.

Finding the right trade show to take your business to is very important. Trade shows can be expensive, when you consider staffing, your trade show booth, promotional items and literature, and you want to make sure you’re going to be getting the best value for money. Going to the right trade shows means you will find the right target audience.

Determining your objectives

The first thing that you need to think about is what you actually want to accomplish at the trade show. Do you want to generate leads? Meet existing customers? Get exposure for your brand? Meet industry experts? Branch out into a new sector? Get contacts in the media?

Once this is decided, you can better research which types of events would most likely to help you achieve your objectives?

Finding an exhibition

Of course you have some knowledge about what events take place throughout the year, but it always pays to be thorough. There are several ways you can find out about exhibitions that are taking place.

• Trade show search engines and directories – yes there are such things! These are databases of events that are taking place that are searchable by various criteria such as dates, location and industry. Try http://www.tsnn.com/, http://www.biztradeshows.com/ .
• Industry publications – these are really good for finding events in your sector. They’ll probably list all the big industry-wide events. Individual publications may also list events they have organized themselves.
• Your contacts – Ask around people in the industry that you know. You can find out quite a lot by word of mouth. This can also help when narrowing down your list – if someone mentions that an event was badly organized, you might think twice before signing up.
• Your competitors – take a sneaky peek at your competitors’ websites. They may have lists of or news items about the exhibitions they’re attending over the next few months. And if you go to the shows your competitors are going to, it not only gives you the chance to compete for the same audience, but also to find out what your competitors are doing in terms of marketing, products and services.
• Industry associations – check their websites for event listings or give them a call to find out if there are any upcoming events.
• Local event and convention centers or chambers of commerce – these will often have events listings on their websites, or you can call them up and ask. If you’re not looking to go too far afield, this could be a good option for reaching new local customers.

After you have done your research, you need to collate the results and weigh them against your objectives. Which shows are most likely to help you achieve these? And how good is the ROI likely to be? Those trades shows that require you to travel, consider whether the expense is worth it.

Your customers

Think about where your customers are most likely to be. If you can, talk to them and see if they’re going to any upcoming exhibitions or trade shows. If your existing customers are going, then the chances are that other attendees will be interested in you too.

Once you have narrowed down your list a bit, you could also try contacting the organizers of the exhibitions and asking them for lists of last year’s attendees. This will help you narrow down your list even further. Review your list whilst keeping your objectives in mind, and you should arrive at a shortlist of the events that are most likely to help you achieve them.

Then all you need to do is sign up for each event and contact The Exhibit Source so we can get to work on an incredible trade show booth display that will wow your target audience and make them want to know more about you.

Business 2 Community

A 10x10 trade show booth is not the biggest booth, but there’s no need for small businesses to go overboard. This size booth gets your name in front of clients and helps build brand.

With delegate appointments set in advance for the booth location, it’s a much more effective way to meet people.

That’s a solid trade show exhibit strategy, especially for a smaller company. Nothing replaces the “face-to-face” contact opportunity that a trade show offers.

In fact, an increase in trade show participation is expected this year by small businesses, an expectation based in part on the amount of planning and preparation work done during the fall.

Trade show participation needn’t be a budget breaker. No one is going overboard and spending $1 million on a booth. It’s possible to outfit a 10x10 trade show booth for under $2000.

That doesn’t include the space rental fee a trade show charges, but it is low enough to make exhibiting a real possibility. For example, roll-up banners — single-sided, lightweight retractable units that can fit into overhead carry-on bins — can cost less than you think.

Further, the same banner that helps your booth stand out as delegates roam the trade show floor can be used to add appeal to the podium when you give a speech at the general session — or back home at the Rotary Club — or as part of a welcoming display when important clients or prospects visit the office.

A power point or some other type of video will be useful when you talk to prospects at your booth — and will cost additional dollars. But you likely can do a decent power point in-house.

Renting a display booth is another generally low-cost option. So is sharing a booth with sister companies or noncompeting like-minded businesses.

Original article – The Daily Herald

The Exhibit Source, for a limited time, is offering a Free iPad Kiosk with the purchase of an Exhibit Source trade show display, booth, or exhibit. This extraordinary offer is being met with resounding success at a wide range of Boston tradeshows and conventions.  Some conditions apply, contact us or visit our iPad Kiosk webpage for details.

While visiting our website, be sure to take a look at our portfolio page and just imagine what that type of professional presentation can do for you. Exhibitors, we provide you with a full range of services that include storage services, exhibit installation and dismantling services, shipping support and more!

There is a reason why The Exhibit Source remains a consistent award-winning exhibit booth provider.   We offer singularly the best products on the market and back them with exceptional service support both before AND after the sale.

When planning your trade show displays, you need to think about how you are going to transport your booth once it is created. The Exhibit Source will help you design portable trade show exhibits keeping transportation costs in mind.

If you are considering a tall trade show display, consider having it designed so it can be broken down easily.

If using a transportation company to move your trade show display, be sure to incorporate the transportation expenses into your trade show budget.

The Exhibit Source can build high quality, trade show booths that are transportable. But here are some tips if you are using a transportation company to move your display.

Contact the trade show organizers and find out what the earliest available delivery and set-up times are. If you know this you can provide a bigger delivery window to the transportation company and get off-peak rates.

Instead of printing your trade show materials beforehand if the trade show is located in another town or state, have your marketing material made into digital files. You can have them printed near the trade show location to save on transportation space and fuel.

Contact The Exhibit Source for portable and impressionable trade show displays.

Trade shows are designed to let businesses meet numerous potential customers face-to-face in a short period of time.

Every size business does well at trade shows. Overall, booth space is inexpensive and small companies can usually afford attractive trade show displays. With creative marketing and trade show exhibits, small businesses can appear as substantial and profitable as larger corporations.

Those who use captivating and sophisticated trade show displays do well at trade shows no matter what their size, while those who show they are small and inexperienced can waste thousands of dollars and possibly do more harm than good.
 
Trade Show Benefits
 
The Trade Show Bureau claims that the average total cost of closing a sale in the field is $1,080, while the cost of closing a sale to a qualified trade show prospect is $419.
 
Generating sales leads is the most common reason exhibitors participate in trade shows. To do this, you need an appealing and compelling trade show booth. Contact The Exhibit Source for your display needs.

Trade shows. For a small to medium sized company, preparing for them can be time consuming and overwhelming. What are some of the DO’s and DON’Ts of  trade show exhibits? Deciding what to include in your exhibit and how to set it up is one of the first decisions you’ll have to make. But even prior to that: how big is your booth and do you have electricity?

Once you have the answers to these questions, you can begin to think about the actual trade show displays, what you want and what you can do.

Don’t Jam Pack it. Often simple is better. Overcrowding a booth with products, logos, displays and information turn people away and don’t send a clear message of why attendees should stop there.

Make your message simple. What is the main objective? Is there one main product you want to push or introduce? Having fewer, but larger visual elements in your exhibit will reduce clutter and get more attention from attendee’s while creating a lasting impression.

Just a few products. Don’t bring your entire product line to the trade show. Just show the products you want to showcase or the products that make you the highest profit margin.

Moving trade show displays are better than static ones. Have something rotating or moving. At the least, have a tv showing a looping video.
 
If you have a large trade show booth, be sure to have an area set aside, with table and chairs to bring prospective customers to sit and chat.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your trade show display, contact the Exhibit Source. 

There are numerous trade shows this year in the Boston Area. If you want to stand out in the crowd you need a trade show exhibit that sets you apart, shows off your brand, and draws potential clients to your booth; but it also needs to function flawlessly.

You need large-scale graphics that utilize color saturation and seamless designs, and if you want it, you should have an exhibit up to 10' dimensions.

The Exhibit Source provides a complete selection of event and trade show exhibits for clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Our concept-to-completion suite of services includes exhibit design, construction, shipping, install and dismantle, graphic design, and signage. With an extensive product line and custom modular trade show displays, we deliver the look of a custom exhibit with all the practical benefits of a modular product.

The Exhibit Source's turnkey approach factors in all aspects associated with cost and efficiency including graphics, show services, shipping, ease of installation, dismantle, and more for each marketing solution.

Contact the Exhibit Source for your trade show and event booth displays.

Trade Shows can be expensive endeavors. It is important that you capture the right potential customer’s attention and draw them to your booth. In this scenario, a trade show exhibit that is different and captivating is always best.

The Exhibit Source is proud to announce the first ever fabric backlit pop up display. Our exclusive lighting system creates images with color and pop far beyond what traditional front lit systems achieve.

Grab customers’ attention! It has never been easier or more economical to own a 10 ft back lit trade show display.

Quality & value

Our Quick Fab™ is built from the highest quality components combined with a wrinkle resistant fabric graphic that stays attached to the frame. The ability to back light the fabric graphic, makes this the most reliable and versatile fabric pop up on the market. 

Lighting fixtures

Our exclusive Light Blanket creates a uniform glow to illuminate and draw attention to your graphics. Lighting fixtures use standard bulbs that can be found at most hardware stores. Light Blankets are easy to attach. Only one plug is required and will work with any standard outlet.

Portable & lightweight

The Backlit trade show display  is easy to set up - the display can be set up by one person in five minutes, with no tools, and the entire display, including the lights, collapses into a sturdy rolling hard case for convenient storage and mobility. Lights are wrapped in a protective fabric sleeve.

Contact The Exhibit Source for more information on eye catching exhibit ideas.