Ryan

Exhibiting smarter is a great strategy with the current economy and you are not alone in changing up your trade show marketing and exhibit booth size.

Small exhibits can be vibrant and can accomplish the same goals and objectives as large exhibits.  It is much better to define your plan with a smaller exhibit than it is to eliminate trade shows completely.

Companies that send their buyers to trade shows are being more selective of who they send and why they are sending them.  With a more focused and qualified audience walking the trade show floor your opportunities to receive qualified leads seems to be increasing.

Redefining your marketing to encompass all the trade shows you are looking to get exposure at is a good marketing strategy.

Rick

Dear Rick,

Thanks for the question, there have been a few trade show trends that we have seen in the last year in the Manufacturing and Industrial Industries.

With need for larger trade show booth space for equipment,  many exhibitors are shifting to pop-up fabric booths & displays, they are light weight and very versatile.  The exhibits seen at many of the manufacturing trade shows are focusing on more spacious exhibit spaces, less clutter and more conference area’s for meeting with prospective clients.

With more high end A/V Equipment for product demonstrations, customized for the particular industry as well as interactive software that will grab the attention of trade show attendee’s and present a variety of solutions to them.  Buyers like to be able to see products in action, touching and feeling the equipment to see how it is handled, with table top displays and portable solutions that can be changed from trade show to trade show, you are able to capture your audience with a show specific message.

Designing your trade show booth to focus on your complete process and not just a single piece of equipment can help your booth visitors see an entire process that will best fit their needs.

Some of the features that we have seen incorporated into trade show booths are:

Lead Capture Technology
Cutting Edge Signs & Graphic Displays
Bright Lighting that will spotlight Products/Services
Flat Panel Video Screens
Video Presentations
Wireless Technology

Some of the basic concerns when you are developing your trade show strategy and marketing and designing your trade show exhibit are quite simple.

Research exhibit costs, so you can find out the cost and begin your trade show budget.

When will your get your exhibit, plan accordingly and map out your trade show calendar at least 6 months before your trade show.

Make sure you know are aware of all the packing and shipping details, with the rising cost of freight, look into light weight trade show exhibit solutions.

Are your trade show graphics interchangeable or universal and if so, what are the costs if you want to change them out for different trade shows

Does the trade show exhibit have any type of warranty.

Where is are they manufactured.

We are currently considering exhibiting at CTIA Wireless 2009 and are interested to know if you have any pointers that may give us better direction in what we as a company should concentrate on when deciding on our exhibit design.

Thanks
Bonnie