Top 3 Things Exhibit Marketers Wish Their Boss Knew

Exhibit marketers share the top 3 things they wish their bosses knew about trade shows: The value of trade shows, how to exhibit better, and how much effort they take. Click Here to read more...

7 Big Hairy Exhibit Design Questions

Okay, okay, I admit it. This is reprinted content form our web site (http://www.skyline.com/Trade-Show-Tips/d_dsgnqst/) But it's still really good information and I wanted to pass along. Enjoy...

In designing an exhibit that fits your needs, you have to ask a lot of questions. Here are 7 essential questions - and why they matter.

1. What kind of image do you want to convey?
Your exhibit conveys your company's personality - worthwhile because it creates an emotional reaction with your customers, and people buy for emotional reasons. The shapes, materials, surface treatments, colors, images, and even typography you choose help convey your company image. A company that wants a high-tech, innovative look will end up with a completely different exhibit than one that seeks a professional, established image.

2. What are you trying to accomplish?
Believe it or not, your objectives can dictate the actual shape of your exhibit. If you want to generate a lot of leads, you need an open, inviting space that allows easy entry for attendees and open sightlines for booth staffers. On the other hand, if you're looking to build relationships with a select number of key individuals, then you need an exhibit with conference rooms where you can spend quality time closing sales. Two different objectives, two radically different exhibit designs. Exhibitors that want to build their image tend to go for bigger graphic images and larger architectural elements to create a bigger impression.

3. What booth sizes are right for you?
Many companies use several booth sizes - island exhibits for their national shows, and then inline exhibits for their regional or vertical market shows. With foresight and planning, exhibitors can design one large exhibit that can be reconfigured for their smaller booth spaces. Not only do they save money by not having to purchase multiple exhibit properties, but they also present a more consistent look at all their shows.

4. How can you stretch your exhibiting budget?
Everyone wants the Taj Mahal. Yet everyone must come up with a justifiable budget. Balancing those needs is the goal of every exhibit designer. Skyline uses its compact, lightweight exhibit materials to deliver an effective exhibit that still saves clients thousands of dollars in operating costs compared to traditional custom exhibits. For some exhibitors who need to preserve capital or only exhibit in a big space once a year, rental exhibits help maximize the budget. And reconfigurable components let exhibitors create many exhibits from one.

5. What matters to your target audience?
Answer this question, then make sure that's what you're showing on your exhibit. You'll get to what matters by determining the benefits your clients are seeking and then what your key advantages are. It can take a lot of discussion to arrive at this, starting with what your products are, moving to their features, then the benefits of these features, until you distill the message down to the key benefits that drive your buyers' purchasing decisions.


6. What message do you want your visitors to get in the first three seconds? And what do you want them to remember after visiting your booth?
Do you want them to remember your new products? Your competitive advantage? Or your company's brand image? Keep it simple. Designers who are used to creating brochures or ads have a tendency to overload exhibit graphics with way too much information to be effective in a trade show exhibit. Think billboard, not bulletin board. It's better to go for impact -- less is definitely more in trade show exhibit copy.

7. What functional needs do you have?
In creating an exhibit, you're also creating a temporary workspace for your booth staffers. What are their needs? You may need to create areas for demos, presentations, conferences, and storage. And still balance that with your need to create an accessible exhibit with graphic messages.

Are You Sponsoring an Event?

Event sponsorship is a great way to get in front of a targeted group of local decision makers. Usually when you sponsor something like a Chamber of Commerce breakfast or a charity event, you get to set up on a table during the mingling time and get a couple minutes of microphone time once everyone is settled. This is the time when you don't want to look like you brought in your kid's science fair project. Your display needs to say, "I'm a professional and This is what I have to offer". Guaranteed, folding cardboard and printouts from your computer isn’t going make a big impression. You would be better off to show up in a clown costume and hand out free balloons.

At the very least have a table throw with your logo and a banner stand or rental table top with some poster size graphics from the quick printer. Here are some ideas to think about...

Banner stands can be used at full height or at half height for a table top display.

Table throws can be a fully fitted table covering with a graphic panel covering the entire front space or just a runner that is used with a solid color throw.

Pop-up style table top displays are available to rent or purchase with either carpeted panels or full mural graphics. Lighting systems are also available.

Welcome Trade Show & Event Marketers

It’s August, the time when we realize summer is getting shorter, and that the trade show busy season is right around the corner. Here are 6 articles to help you get back in gear:

• The Surprising Value of Introverted Trade Show Booth Staffers
• 4 Biggest Changes For Exhibit Marketers
• Go Beyond The Back Of A Business Card: Creating A More Complete Trade Show Lead Management System
• Whether You Know It or Not, Trade Show Marketers Are Brand Managers
• Trade Shows Are Hard – But What Marketing Isn’t?
• My Trade Show Fantasy

Face to Face vs. ...this

Don't get me wrong, "This" is great! Anybody who has used, read or posted to a blog understands the power of it. Millions of you out there are reading what I have to say right now. Although it is a little like playing for mosquitoes at an outdoor concert in the rain. I'm sure you’re out there, I just can't see you.

So how did we ever get along before blogging and social networking? Believe it or not, people actually used to go to trade shows and conventions. Just imagine, a room filled with potential customers all milling about looking for someone to talk to. The best part is that they are all there because they are interested in your industry. Heck, they may even be your competitor's customers. What a great opportunity to steal them away but how are you going to do that? Well to start with I guess you’ll have to be there so you can shake their hand. That's social. And while you are chatting they may introduce you to one of their associates. That's networking.

See how this works! It’s all very much like what we do online at a “Social Networking” site only we get to do the one thing that the internet has yet to provide: Shake hands.

Thanks very much for visiting today and come back soon for more good reasons to get out there and meet your customers.

The Show Booth Guy