Trade Show Booth Ideas to Attract Visitors and Stand Out

Do you want to turn your exhibit into an attendee magnet? We have a few tricks up our sleeve. Here are our top trade show booth ideas to attract visitors and steal the spotlight at your next trade show:

Grab attention

A hanging sign makes your booth easy to spot from a distance. This trade show booth design trick gives you a height advantage without the expense of a double-decker booth. Your only limitations are the height and weight specifications of the event hall.

Your trade show lighting is an important consideration for hanging signs. Some trade show locations, such as ballrooms, may have dim lighting. Hanging lighting along with your sign will add installation costs, but it’s a worthwhile expense for the sake of visibility.

Get Graphic

Famed graphic designer Milton Glaser once said: “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.”

You only have a few seconds to capture people’s attention, and trade show graphics are one of the best ways to do it. To make a powerful impact, aim for the following:

1. Brand Alignment: the colors, images and overall “personality” of your trade show graphics should be clearly associated with your brand.
   
   
2. Give them a reason to stop: Using minimal text, tell attendees who you are and what solution(s) you offer. 
   
   
3. Avoid distracting graphics: The “WOW” factor is often created through simplicity. Visual clutter distracts attendees from your message, so keep it simple with techniques like color blocking and large-scale images.

shed some light

Trade show attendees are drawn to a beautifully lit booth like moths to a flame—whether it’s bright and lively or warm and relaxing. 

The types of trade show lighting you should use will vary depending on your brand and trade show goals. Here are a few examples:

• Spotlights and floodlights are standard trade show lighting and add visibility to modular and inline booths
  
  
• Using backlit panels in your trade show booth design emphasizes important graphics
  
  
• Lamp lighting creates a comfortable atmosphere to hang out and network
  Intricate LED displays lend a techy, futuristic vibe to cutting-edge brands

Stay Active

Let’s face it...trade shows can feel a little dull sometimes. Activities can make your booth feel lively and generate buzz among show-goers. Try some of these fun trade show activities, or invent your own brand-specific trade show games, contests, or presentations.

Get a head start with pre-show promotions

One of the most valuable trade show ideas to attract visitors actually begins long before the expo doors open. Here’s a quick checklist of basic pre-show promotions that will keep your booth busy throughout the event:

• Let your contacts know you’ll be there: It’s likely that you’ll have current clients, past customers and leads present at your next trade show. Make sure they’ll know to look for your booth. Be sure to promote your trade show presence on social media as well.
  
  
• Launch targeted marketing campaigns: Coordinate emails and PPC ad campaigns targeting people who are likely to be interested in the upcoming trade show. Promote an activity, event, or giveaway occurring at your booth.
  
  
• Offer incentives for high-value customers and prospects: Provide free trade show passes, discounted registration rates, or other perks to encourage important leads and clients to stop in for a visit
  

Our final trade show idea to attract visitors? Bring in the experts! The gurus at Exhibit Options have your back, from trade show booth design/creation to pre-show marketing and trade show tips to setup and teardown.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know what trade show challenges we can solve for you.