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If you are new to exhibiting or haven’t exhibited in a while – the biggest worry that you probably have is that no-one will come over to your stand and all the expense and preparation will have been for nothing. Don’t fret – they will! And to guarantee that you attract visitors to your stand, here are five simple tips to increase footfall so you can connect with your audience.
5 ways to attract visitors to your stand
1. Choose the right event
It might seem obvious but picking the right event for your brand and the products or services you are promoting is vital. An event featuring many of your biggest competitors could leave you overlooked, or it can pay off if your stand pulls in more of the footfall. Similarly, if you pick an exhibition that doesn’t suit your product or service, you risk wasting money in advertising to the wrong clientele.
Over the many years we have been working at exhibitions, you’d be surprised at how many companies we have seen exhibiting at trade shows that just don’t fit their product or prospective clients!
Our advice is to do your homework. The more information you obtain about a venue and the companies exhibiting there, the better.
It also pays to promote your presence with targeted mailings and advertising beforehand to your potential audience so that you draw in visitors before you even step out onto your exhibition stand. You can also line up meetings with potential clients throughout the event, which will boost your confidence and the general buzz around your exhibition stand.
2. It’s all in the visuals
Visitors will be pulled in initially by the way your stand looks. One glance should give them the key information about what product or service you are promoting – they shouldn’t have to question what it is you do – it should be crystal clear.
Aesthetics are everything! Well-designed exhibition stands don’t need to cost a fortune. You might be on a tight budget without the funding for flashy interactive screens, but you can still present an attractive, eye-catching exhibition stand that will draw people in. The key things to remember are:
- Use bold branding and graphics that stand out and look enticing
- Make good use of lighting to create the right mood and to highlight your products if you are displaying them
- Use exciting or thought-provoking imagery
- Keep your brand messages pertinent and clear – don’t simply litter your graphics with vague on-brand statements as it will diminish the visual impact of your stand
- Include something surprising for e.g., we’ve seen a stand where a company had painted a life-sized model of a cow in their brand colours, and it really worked
3. Inviting staff
Your staff are the face of the company, and it is essential to get the right mix of experience and knowledge along with a friendly and welcoming manner to attract potential customers over to your exhibition stand. Consider who the best people would be to represent and promote your business. Skimping on resources on your stand or staffing it with employees who are not in a client-facing function, junior or new, can result in a poor experience for visitors and put them off visiting your exhibition stand in the first place.
Naturally, your sales staff will be the best people to sell your business and resource your stand. You will need to consider the business impact of taking them away from their day jobs and the revenue you may lose and implement a target/ reward for business leads generated at the exhibition itself.
If you are a small team, taking 3-4 members of staff away from the office may not be an option. You may choose to mix and match with hired staff who are experienced in working on exhibition stands. They may not have your knowledge, but they will know how to make your visitors feel valued and welcome which is essential to attract visitors to your stand.
It is also important not to swamp your exhibition stand with too many staff members as this can feel intimidating to visitors and put them off from coming over.
4. Include an interactive feature
People always like to interact with things more than just looking or reading so if you can include just one interactive aspect to your exhibition stand, you are on to a winner. It also doesn’t have to be expensive – for example games like darts, skittles, ‘don’t buzz the wire’ giant Connect Four or Jenga can be fun and create a buzz around your exhibition stand which will lure your visitors in.
If your budget allows you can also look at using interactive digital screens or LED walls, games using tablets or VR experiences to truly immerse your visitors so that they can experience your product and brand first hand.
See more ideas and information on how you can offer exciting interactive features to attract more visitors to your stand.
5. Freebies
Again, obvious right? You’d be surprised though as to how many stands miss a trick on providing useful giveaways to attract visitors to their stand. Gone are the days of tacky gimmicks with most exhibitors preferring a minimalist approach. However, putting your budget to good use to produce items that people will make good use of over a long period of time, is worthwhile.
In knots with exhibition terminology?
We’ve pulled together an A-Z of exhibition stand terminology and unravelled the difference between a rig and RAM. Make sure you bookmark it for future reference!
do you have more questions?
There are so many ways to attract visitors over to your stand and at Motive Exhibitions, we gain new ideas every time we go to an exhibition. If you are new to exhibiting or simply want some fresh ideas, then don’t hesitate to contact us as we have a wealth of experience to help you get the most out of exhibiting.
David Hennessy
David Hennessy is our Managing Director and co-founder of Motive Exhibitions. Based in St Neots we help businesses across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire exhibit across the UK and beyond.
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