Trade Fair Tricks – 5 Ways to Stand Out Among Thousands of Other Vendors

Trade fairs can be a tricky endeavor. Potential customers are walking around with swag bags from a variety of vendors with items they may never even look at, much less use. So how do you stand out amongst the crowd and create not only name recognition but also the opportunity for a future sale? Below are five ways to stand out among thousands of other vendors at a trade fair:

1. Provide Unforgettable Promotional Products

Every booth at a trade fair is going to offer a promotional product. Typically, a company buys a few different items and offers them until they run out. If you want to hand out some unforgettable promotional products, do a little research. Check out the booths of all your competitors at the first trade fair of the year and see what they are offering. They are most likely going to be offering that thing all year. Then, research in hand, create some radically different promotional products branded with your company logo. Get creative! What would capture your attention at one of these events? Make that.

2. Offer to Charge Cell Phones

Trade fairs can consume the whole day, and people are busy texting, talking, answering email, and checking their social media during the affair. One easy way to drive some traffic to your booth that will either stay a while or return a second time is to offer cell phone charging stations. Take advantage of those drained phone batteries to create a conversation with potential customers.

3. Create an Interactive Experience

Encourage participants to visit your booth by creating an interactive experience with your brand. If your product line is broad, create a questionnaire to help potential customers understand which of your products will meet their needs. Allow them to engage with it on their cellphones or a touch screen in the booth. If your product lends itself to an in-person experience, invest in some virtual reality headsets and offer the opportunity to try it out.

4. Pull a Stunt

Create a buzz around your booth by pulling a noteworthy stunt. Find something relevant to your business that would capture the attention of trade fair attendees. Maybe you could bring in some actors and create a soap opera about your business that airs live every hour. Perhaps a puppet show might get people laughing. Maybe you can convince the keynote speaker to let you pull a humorous stunt during his address. The only limit, aside from decency, is your imagination.

5. Utilize Social Media

Even though people are at the trade show in person, you can still drive them to your booth by utilizing the power of social media. Start early, before the show by creating hashtags and social media campaigns that will make them want to visit your booth to be part of what is trending. During the trade show, take advantage of people checking in to their various social media apps to geotarget them with ads about your booth.

If you want to stand out at a trade show amidst thousands of other vendors, you must be memorable, helpful, and meet people where they gather. Be memorable by creating unforgettable promotional products, pulling a stunt, or creating an interactive experience with your brand. Be helpful by offering to charge attendee cell phones. Meet people where they gather on social media by creating compelling campaigns and geotargeting. The more creative you can be about your presence, the more likely you are to draw in potential customers.

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