How to A.T.T.R.A.C.T Visitors to your Booth

IT'S ALL ABOUT ATTRACTION AT A TRADE SHOW.

It's pretty true. If your booth is not attactive and inticing in some way then there's no reason to look or listen to what you have to say. We'll give you a few pointers on what you can do to spice up your next show.

A: ATOMPSHERE - Create an open atmosphere. If you booth does not have the 'open concept' feel you may be creating an unintentional barrier between you and your visitor. Move furniture including podiums to the sides and back. This will provide an 'open door' feel to all that pass by.

T: TOUCH OF SOFT- Ever thought of adding carpet to your booth. It not only will add an extra layer to cushion for your tired feet but it will also create an inviting feeling of home. Trade show carpet is available in a variety of colors, comes in interlocking squares and can match your booth colors and not the venue.

T: TRY A DRESS CODE - Ever wonder as you walk around who's a visitor and who's a booth staffer? Wearing ordinary office wear - even if it's your best - may not be the best option. Why? The first impression is YOUR a visitor too. Blending in with everyone else will not help attact visitors to your booth. Try having your booth staffers wear the same shirt, hat, vest, tie or jacket. This will help all visitors know where and who you belong to.

R: ROPE THEM IN WITH MOTION - When an object is moving, your eyes must follow - if you want to percive it clearly that is. So move something! If you don't have a product, TV, slide show or something that moves try something as simple as moving your arms, playing with a yo-yo or handing out a small giveaway.

A: ALL THE BEST - Staff your booth with the best employees you have to offer. Ones that know your product or service the best. Your booth staffers must be willing to approach visitors with a positive, upbeat attitude and keep a smile going all day long.

C: COLOR YOUR BOOTH - Drab neutral colors just won't do at a tradeshow. Your colors must have the impact to captivate the eyes and awaken the brain. Here is what some colors are known to do: Green - nature, Red - excitment, Yellow - optimism, Black - authority, White - purity and Blue, serenity. Put your visitors in the mood you want!

T: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY - Use all of the technological tools you can to interact with the visitors before, during and even after the show. Entice them with media options such as websites, e-mail blasts, web links, downloads, or even try multiple working presentations during the show too. These are all fairly inexpensive and easy to do. Tell them when, where and most importantly why they should see your company at the show.

Try to implement just one of these (or more) at your next show to see if you'll ATTRACT more visitors to your booth.

Trade Show in these harder times, why?

This little pig went to the market
This little pig stayed home
This little pig had roast beef
This little pig had none and....
This little pig cried 'YES YES YES' all the way to the bank

This week has been pretty rough on us Americans, well, really the whole world. All anyone can talk about is this Bailout or Buyout or whatever you want to call it, the Dow is down, losing jobs, the housing market, the almighty dollar, etc. All negative things are being reported. And rightly so, it affects all of us the large and the small.

BUT... this post is to say - hold on here - the doom and gloom is really bad but we're still here aren't we. Let's not give up! We're not ready to throw in the towel or cut our loses. We're here for the long haul through the good and the bad.

Well, Americans might be down but we're not out and you aren't either. Keep getting out there, keep meeting new people, keep spreading the word about you and what you do, be seen by the old and new. That's what a trade show is all about. It's the place to smile and be proud of the company you stand for. Trade shows are a fundamental avenue for any business to prosper.

And you know what we think is great about being in the Trade Show industry? Everything!!! It's in these times our services and ability to serve our customers is the most important. It's in these times that effective marketing makes the difference. It's in these times that we become creative and are willing to try new things. It's in these times that we work harder to win.

If nothing else, this post is to give you positive reinforcement that we all can do it and keep doing it no matter how rough it gets. Let's all weather the storm together! Don't stop trade showing, don't stop presenting your business, don't give up.

Muhammad Ali says it best, "Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even."