Written by Northwest Event Show Team Member- Victoria Blasich
So, you’ve decided to exhibit at a tradeshow, congratulations! Tradeshows are one of the best ways to get valuable face to face with potential customers and clients. Now that you’ve got a booth space…. what are you going to do with it? Tradeshow booth design has become a huge part of any exhibitor’s plan for attracting attendees to your space, because if your booth is boring, it won’t attract attendees! You may be thinking that creating a captivating booth space may be too much work and too much money, but our friends at Event Manager Blog (EventMB.com) have put together an incredible list of 100+ amazing tradeshow booth ideas that range from DIY to the extravagant. Here is just a taste of 10 of our favorites!
Give your attendees a taste of the outside-
Because most tradeshows take place inside stuffy buildings under florescent lighting, giving attendees who come by your booth some greenery can be a literal breath of fresh air! Even if your company has nothing to do with plants or nature, a green space is very inviting and welcoming to any guest.
Keep costs down by investing in fake plants that you can use over and over again at future tradeshows. If you are at a multi-day show, create different arrangements for each day, don’t be afraid to rearrange to freshen up the space. Trust us, attendees will notice!
Say Cheese!-
Photo wall, Photobooth, Step and Repeat- whatever you want to call it, attendees love having a photo op! Make sure it’s branded with your company and have a branded hashtag ready to tell attendees to use when they share on social media. In fact, offering a giveaway or raffle for those who post is a great way to entice people to your booth, learn about your offerings, and to gather content from all those who post!
Everyone has a camera phone nowadays, so you save on costs by skipping hiring a professional photographer at your booth.
Smoothie Bikes (you read that right)-
If you’ve been to a few tradeshows, you’ll know that the food offerings are not usually the healthiest or the easiest to navigate when you have dietary restrictions. Offering attendees, a healthy treat that they get to make themselves is both nutritious and a great marketing idea. Especially if healthy living and wellness is something your company focuses on.
Smoothie bikes have popped up on a few tradeshow floors and allow attendees to pick their ingredients and then jump on a bike to blend them all together! You’ll have a line, so be sure to plan for that in your logistics!
Cardboard-
Sustainability is top of mind for a lot of companies lately, and there is a huge opportunity to showcase your companies’ offerings while also demonstrating your attention to the environment and it’s limited resources.
Cardboard is cheap, highly customizable, packs flat and is lightweight. Which means your shipping and storage costs can be significantly less that with any other traditional booth material. Not only that, but cardboard is surprisingly sturdy, so you can even use it as chairs & tables.
Gamification Activities-
Take your SWAG giveaways up a notch! Instead of offering all your SWAG to whomever comes to your booth, try adding a game that attendees have to complete in order to get a prize. Anything from a simple putt-putt green, or a “guess how many candies are in the jar” can be a great conversation starter and gets attendees excited to stop by your booth!
If you can somehow link what your company does with the game, even better! That will reinforce with the attendees about what you do and how you can help them. Multi day show? Have a different game each day so attendees keep coming back!
Interactive Walls-
The usual goal at tradeshows is for companies to show attendees all about what they do and how they can help the attendees with whatever their goals are. But how often do we get to learn about the attendees on the show floor?
Take a step back from selling and get to know the people at the show with an interactive wall! Have them answer a fun question and leave a note on the wall. Or have them take a poll by placing a token in a jar for their opinion. It’s a fun and free way to gather some great information for your own as well!
Modular Designs-
This idea may be a little more costly to invest in initially but could be very beneficial if you exhibit at many shows during a year. Modular designs are great because they work like building blocks, you can rearrange them as needed to make whatever you need! Higher backdrop needed? Easy. More seating? Done! Create low walls for a more privacy? Of course!
Every show floor is different, even if you always get the same amount of floor space for your booth. Use the modular design’s ability to be flexible and switch things up each time. Your staff will be excited and any attendees that see you more than once a year will be too!
Enclosed Booths-
Big footprints and large, airy openings are typically what you see on a showfloor. So large tents, canopies, or even full enclosed, ‘secret’ booths instantly attract curiosity.
From affordable pop-up tents that fit within your booth space and can be spotted from anywhere on the floor to a custom build that keeps attendees guessing at what is behind the screen, you’ll have lots of eyes on your booth.
Custom Carpet & Flooring-
All tradeshows are different, not all come with all the same amenities. Flooring being one of the items that sometimes is included, and sometimes isn’t. So if you know you’ll be in a booth with no carpet, why not bring your own (if the tradeshow will allow of course)?
Besides giving your feet a cushy place to stand and for attendees to relax, you can brand the carpeting or flooring in your company’s colors and with your logo. A pop of color, texture or a fun print will really catch attendee’s eyes!
Meeting Areas-
The best way to close a deal, is to sit down face to face with people. That is why tradeshows are so amazing for networking and lead generation. However, tradeshow booths are mostly focused on standing room only…
Create some soft seating, away from the aisle, for you to sit and chat with attendees. Invite people in to sit and talk, ask about what they need, how their day is going, keep it relaxed and make your booth the place to go for a great sit down meeting.
Are you ready to make the most out of your next tradeshow as an exhibitor? Register now for the Northwest Event Show and get your Advanced EDU or VIP All Access pass if you haven’t yet, and if you would like to upgrade your General Admission pass, click here!
Victoria Blasich– Event Marketing Manager atFreemind Seattle. A boutique marketing agency focused on creating distinctive marketing campaigns and impactful event strategy to help you connect with your customers in cool and unusual ways.
