5 easy ways to draw people to your exhibition stand

Attending a trade show can be difficult, especially if it’s your first time. You’ll be competing with many other businesses, as well as the activities on offer. With everything that’s going on, how do you stand out? 

In this article, we’re going to take a look at five of the easiest ways to draw people to your exhibition stand that actually work. They are guaranteed to provide a steady flow of traffic, which you can then focus on turning into leads.

1. Contact the attendees

Two weeks before the event is set to happen, contact the organisers and ask them for a list of those who will be attending, there may be a fee associated to this. With the list in hand, you can contact appropriate attendees and let them know about your business, your stall, and ask whether they’d like to meet you and your team before the show. Make sure to mention any competitions, giveaways or stand activities you will be running and begin to generate a buzz for the event. You can do the same with your existing clients too. The more buzz you can generate beforehand, the better.

2. Consider the visuals

Ideally, you should start planning your exhibition stand 4-6 months before the show is set to take place depending on the size of stand you will be exhibiting with. Work with an exhibition stand designer who can help you create an eye catching and attractive stand. Take a look at the pop up banners from marlerhaley.co.uk for a examples of the type of products available. Bold graphics, a unique design, and striking content are all going to help you here. Avoid the boring white, corporate displays and opt for something eye catching. Your stand needs to be visible down the aisle, while communicating a clear message. Get this right, and you’ll receive a steady flow of traffic throughout the event.

3. Giveaways

Giveaways are always popular at trade shows, so it’s a good idea to think of something that will attract people to your stand. Think about your audience and what they will find useful. Rather than just giving away any old thing, though, consider something memorable that you can imprint with your brand information. USB sticks containing your company logo, for example, are one good idea. They’re something that most businesspeople need, why not load a presentation to the stick in advance so that people have your information readily available. If you can afford to have some pens printed with your branding on too, this can be another good idea. You won’t necessarily need to make them part of your giveaway, but you can let people take them as needed throughout the event.

4. Pick the right team

If you’ve ever watched The Apprentice, you know that some team members are fantastic at socialising with people they don’t know, while others come across as a bit awkward or off-putting. When choosing a team to man your exhibition stand, try and pick people who fit into the former group. Happy, friendly, talkative employees will give your business a good name, and those who are knowledgeable about your products and services, and can turn leads into customers, are even better. Some exhibitors have a selection of staff – those who can hook people in to your stand, and those who can sell.

5. Research

Finally, another good idea is to research what other businesses do. If you have time to visit an exhibition before the one you’ll be attending, do so. Take a look at which stands seem to be the most popular, and try to work out why. In some cases it will be obvious due to the design or giveaways, but in other cases it may just be that the message behind the stand is exciting. If you can emulate the successful stands, you may just be on to a winner.

Exhibitions and trade shows can be exciting ways to generate new leads. Keep the above advice in mind and you should see success at your next event.