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 shows - Let's be real here

I love this little gold trumpet guy. For some reason he just makes me want to take action.

He's yelling at me, "Come on everyone, let's go!"

We should listen to him, don't you think? I mean, yeah, let's go! Let's make the end of 2009 better than it's beginning.

You know just as well as I do that the big talk of 2009 has been... "How's business?" We get asked this so many times I've lost count.

The trade show industry is slow and that's a fact - I found stats anywhere from 8%-22% down. Trade shows cost money - alot of money. And right now, everyone is watching their money and how it's spent.

That's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. We all should tighten our buckle once and awhile.

While others are holding back, we find this a great time to re-invent things. We're a trade show company! We can invent and take on any new product we want to. And that's what we've decided to do.

So, we're changing gears from status quo to full speed ahead.

AIRLINE TRAVEL with carry on, what to take... what NOT to take

TRAVELING TO YOUR NEXT SHOW BY PLANE...

If so do you know what you can carry on with you?

If not, get educated with the below chart provided by the TSA.

Tips on Trade Show Speaking

With public speaking, it doesn’t matter who your audience is. What matters is how you properly present yourself. The same goes for being at a trade show. Being at a trade show and representing your company is a form of public speaking - the attendees are your audience.

Whomever you approach or approaches you will know right away how prepared you actually are. You must be ready at all time by knowing your product or service inside and out, by being upbeat, by focusing on the audience whether it’s one person or a group and practicing before show time.

So, here are FOUR tips to help prepare you before the next big show.

Tip 1: Knowing your product or service. Obviously, knowledge is a winner in sales. And as a consumer, nothing is worse than ending up with a salesperson that knows nothing about what they’re selling – no matter what it is. So, if you don’t feel confident you’d better start learning all there is to know now.

Tip 2: Arrive upbeat and stay that way. If your morning began on a bad note, leave it at the door. You owe each and every person at the trade show the same enthusiastic presentation from the first to the last.

Tip 3: Focus on the audience whether it’s one person or a group. Keep your eyes planted where they should. No looking over their shoulder or at your feet. It’s important to keep the attention on them and make them important.

Tip 4: Practice. From an early age we are taught that practice makes perfect. And as an adult nothing has changed. Practice even the simple things like saying who you are and what your company does. Practice until it sounds effortless. Also, practice keeping the pace of your words moderate, try not to rush through.


Attitude and confidence are also key factors in confident trade show speaking.

Tip 1: Try this the night before, positive visualization. Whether you believe this works or not, try it. Imagine yourself on the show floor being confronted by a new prospect. Imagine how you want to handle yourself.

Tip 2: Be in control. Act confident, be ready, hold your head up high, stand up straight and lastly but most important… smile. Avoid keeping your hands in your pockets, rocking side to side, twirling your hair or touching your face. These are all signs of self doubt.

Tip 3: Accept nervousness, we’re all human. Everyone gets nervous but the difference is all in how you handle it. Turn your jitters into positive energy that radiates off of you.

Tip 4: Lastly, it’s not the end of the world if you have a bad day. There’s always the next show to make up for where you lacked today. It’s called learning - embrace it.