by Charles Pacheco
on 29-08-2021

How to Stand Out at the Show


Most companies ‘fit in’ to the trade show and exhibition model. To make the most out of your massive investment, you need to do your best to stand out instead.

Walk around any trade show and you will you see the same thing...
• endless booths with backdrops,
• video screens of all sizes,
• some overzealous sales and marketing people, and
• an entire catalog of promotional products.

First, and Most Important, Be Prepared and Willing to Leave Your Comfort Zone

At any trade show or business expo, everyone is competing for attention. The booths that get most of the attention are the ones making a scene.

Be prepared to do what’s necessary to stand out. This can be REALLY hard for old-school business people. Can you picture yourself or your CEO throwing a branded stress ball at someone passing by your booth? If not, make sure you have someone there that is willing to do the dirty work.

The bottom line, you need to be willing to leave your comfort zone and stand out.

Stand Out Before the Trade Show Starts

A winning trade show strategy includes pre-show buzz for your booth. The challenge is that many other companies are also pre-promoting their booth. That means you need to STAND OUT with yours.

As a manufacturer, you’re in a slightly better position to stand out on social media because many manufacturers have barely even opened an account on Twitter for their company.

Jump to our: Maximizing Traffic at a Trade Show section for more on exactly what to do pre-show.

Innovative ways to stand Out During the Show at a physical event

While throwing stress balls at passers-by may not be the best option for getting attention at trade shows, there is a multitude of other steps you can take to become a magnet.

• Have a Theme:
Are you giving away a Hawaiian vacation? Then have a Hawaiian theme for your booth! I can already hear you saying, “But we’re a plastics manufacturer! What does a Hawaiian theme have to do with Plastics?”

It’s time to leave your comfort zone. Dressing in hula skirts (yes, guys too), and coconut tops rather than the standard trade show uniform of a branded polo shirt and khakis will attract attention.

It doesn’t have to be Hawaiian. Are you focused on having the best on-time delivery rates in the industry? Use a time theme. Hang large, obnoxious clocks around your people’s necks and give away clocks as promotional products.
Whatever you do, ditch the standard wardrobe and boring setups.

1. Hire Outside Entertainment:
for a physical event, there are endless opportunities to spice up your booth and draw in attendees with entertainment. A few that are sure to be a draw to include:

a. A Magician - Saw your attendees in half and email them a picture of themselves cut in two. You’ll get their email address (a lead!), you can share it on social channels, and call out the attendee on social as well!

If you’re not down for hacking people in half, a magician has plenty of other tricks up their sleeve (or in their hat) to draw people to your booth. You just have to plan a way to transition them into conversations.


b. A Comedian - I bet you can get them to throw stress balls at people! Everyone likes to laugh. Use a comedian to draw in attendees.


c. A Masseuse - Walking all day can be grueling. Carrying around your attendee bag can wreak havoc on your muscles. Hire a masseuse to work out the kinks.


d. An Industry Star - Is there an iconic engineer or innovator you can have at your booth? Keep in mind, this needs to be a well-known industry star.


e. A Fortune Teller - Much like a comedian or magician, a fortune teller can be a lot of fun, and in exchange for a business card, you can email the attendee a secret part of their fortune.


f. A Photo booth - People love photo booths! Add a bunch of company branded props to make them remember you. Have them share their photos on social for a chance to win something, and email them their photos after the trade show.

2. Have an Exclusive Party:
I first read this idea in the book, The Ultimate Sales Machine, by Chet Holmes. Chet shares a few tips that I think are brilliant.

a. Make the Party Exclusive - Exclusivity is key to driving demand for a company-sponsored party at a trade show. Spread the word on social media and by telling attendees. If they visit your booth, they can get a ticket into the party.

b. Pick a HOT Venue - If there’s a brewery, night club, or other area attraction that you can book, do it. These are places that many attendees want to go to anyways. You’re making it easier for them. Whatever you do, don’t pick a dive bar…

c. Pre-Negotiate a Per-Drink Price - Well ahead of the trade show and your party, contact the venues you’re considering. Let them know you’d like to bring in 100 of your closest friends for a party on a weeknight when the venue is usually slow. They will be drooling for the chance to get you in the door.

Insist that your party attendees don’t wait in line to get in and they don’t pay a cover charge at the door. They should be treated like VIPs. Then, arrange a per-drink cost that excludes water and soda. Give all attendees 2 chips for drinks that are only needed for alcohol.

d. Don’t Compete with Trade Show or an 800 lbs Gorilla’s Party - There’s almost always a trade show sponsored party. Don’t book your’s for the same night. You’ll regret it. The same applies to any 800 lbs Gorillas in the industry. You don’t want to compete with GE’s party!

You can however, piggyback on those parties if it’s possible. Have attendees migrate to your party after the other party. This one is a bit riskier and will take a bit more leggwork to make happen, but it’s not impossible.

You have to remember to stand out at the party. Your staff should be walking around asking if everyone’s having fun, and starting conversations. If not, your attendees simply drank and partied on your dime.

3. Give Away Unusual Swag:
Everyone gives away shirts, stress balls, thumb drives, and folders. To stand out, give away something unusual. How about that branded clock on a necklace I mentioned above to signify your dedication to on-time delivery? Here’re a few others:
a. A branded backpack to carry all of their swag.
b. Kids toys for all those parents that promised to bring their child back something.
c. An invisible dog on a leash.
d. Chia Pets.
e. Hangover recovery tool kits.

Stand Out After the Trade Show

If you took advantage of some (or all) of the ideas above, you may owe some attendees follow-up emails. Did you take the pictures you promised to send? Did you have a good conversation that you want to pick back up? Either way, follow-up will be important. There’s a whole section in this guide on making that happen!
Here are a few ways to stand out after the show:
1. Use Humor While Being Human - Everyone feels like they were hit by a train by the time they get home from a show. Make sure your follow-up emails and outreach use humor to stand out. For example:
a. Send an email with a funny subject line - “Enclosed - Recovering from [Name of Show] for Dummies”
b. Send all attendees an email with some of the funny photos you took at the show
2. Announce the Winners of a Show Contest - Keep attendees engaged after the show by announcing contest winners the week after. It will help if the prize is a big one!
3. Set the Stage for Next Year or Next Show - If you really have your stuff together, announce the big giveaway for next year’s show or the next one you’re attending

Yeah… But All of Those Things Cost Money

Yes, you will need to invest in materials for a theme. Yes, entertainment will cost money. Yes, that Hawaiian vacation will be expensive. How do those expenses compare to the lifetime value of a new customer? As a manufacturer, they are probably a drop in the bucket. If standing out at 4 trade shows per year will be too big of an investment, what if you pick the top 3 and knock them out of the park?

Blend In and Take the Scraps, or Stand Out and Take the Prime Cuts

You’re already investing a lot of resources into a show, so shouldn’t you be looking to maximize conversations, connections, and leads?
To get the most booth traffic, you need to stand out. That might mean leaving your comfort zone.

About Author

Charles Pacheco
Relationship Manager , Find Us On Web Limited

I am a postitive, tenacious, highly motivated and self driven person and have a consistant and proven track record of success and over achievements in sales, marketing and business consultancy. I have a wealth of experience working across all business sectors and worked for large corporates extensiv...

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