How to Make Your Trade Show Booth Unforgettable

By Levitate Team

Creating an unforgettable trade show booth is key to success at any industry event. As the Levitate team prepares to attend Heart Rhythm 2017 in Chicago, we’re looking forward to experiencing—and critiquing—all the snazzy booths. With so many companies on display and competing for booth traffic, demanding attention and engaging the audience is a must. Check out these four tips for ensuring your trade show booth is unforgettable.

Make the Environment Unique

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a thousand retweets are more valuable. Your trade show booth should be visually stunning if you want to stand out from the crowd. Encourage attendees to snap and share pictures by thinking tall, bright, loud or beautiful. Create a space that people want to be associated with, and encourage them to engage and share. Think about what will earn your audience’s attention — then do it. And for good measure, go a little over the top.

GE Healthcare Exhibit, RSNA 2016. Photo credit Padgett and Company.

Give Away Useful Swag

Bouncy balls and wristbands may be fun, but a useful tote for attendees to carry all your swag in is brand visibility throughout the conference center and beyond. When giving away free swag, don’t give away items that hide out-of-sight in pockets—or worse—get tossed in the trash. The best swag giveaways include totes, umbrellas, water bottles and cell phone chargers. Sorry USB sticks, you’re not as cool as you used to be.

Live Demonstrations

Everyone at a trade show is interested and invested in the industry. From Marvel fans at Comic-Con to healthcare IT experts at HIMSS, people want to learn from experts doing what they do best. Whether that’s providing a forum for complex industry questions, forecasting the future of the industry or demonstrating the new capabilities of a life-saving cardiac device, trade show attendees are there to learn. Live demonstrations at the booth can attract an engaged crowd.

Influential Digital Content

Of course, not all attendees will personally engage with every brand at the conference. Some attendees are lurkers. They wander and look and soak up information but rarely step in and connect with the booth team. A reliable way to interact and educate all attendees is through compelling digital content. Digital content that loops on monitors at your booth is a no-brainer. But do it right. Remember, audio isn’t always an option so imagery and graphics matter. Consider an interactive touch screen that draws people in. Be clear and concise with your message, and direct your audience to a next step such as engaging with the company on LinkedIn.

Have your own tips? Let us know in the comments below.