There are a number of different trade show accessories and add-ons available to exhibitors who are looking to spice up their trade show exhibit. From accent lighting to pop-up displays, these different accessories can help to set your company exhibit apart from others on the trade show floor and attract the attention of attendees walking past.

Many trade show accessories can also be utilized by your business out of the trade show environment, making these a solid investment for any exhibitor. One such accessory is the banner stand.

Banner stands have become a staple in the trade show world for many exhibitors, mostly because they are a quick, simple, cost-effective solution for pro-level exhibits. Also, because of their extreme portability and quick, snap-up set up,  these extremely versatile stands can be used in a number of different ways both on and off the trade show floor.

To help give you a better idea of how your company can benefit from banner stands, in both your trade show exhibit and your company’s day-to-day operations, here are four of the top uses for the common trade show banner stand:

1. Supplement Your Exhibit Branding

Redesigning and reprinting graphics for each and every trade show your company exhibits at may not be the most cost effective solution― especially if you are simply showcasing one specific product or service in each graphic. Instead, use affordable banner stands to highlight a specific product or one you may have just released. You can even arrange multiple units along your exhibit to form a striking back wall that highlights some of your most important products and services. Are you exhibiting in a larger space? Consider using a double-sided banner stand to take advantage of 360-degree traffic.

2. Announce A Show Promotion or Discount

Banner stands are the perfect resource for highlighting unique promotions or discounts that your company may be featuring just for trade show attendees. Plus, with the unique layering options that these graphics offer, your message has the opportunity to really stand out and grab attendees who are walking past your exhibit.

3. Showcase Your Company Outside Of The Trade Show

One you have returned home from your trade show exhibit, it may feel like a shame to put your high-quality, promotional graphics away until the next trade show season. However, because banner stands are so light and portable, they are perfect for incorporating in many different environments―including your company’s office or lobby, or even recruitment events and job fairs! Be sure that your company messaging is seen all year round by continuing to show off your banner stand long after your trade show.

4. Reinforce Your Message At Speaking Engagements

When your company is giving a professional presentation at a trade show or industry conference, having one of your banner stands on stage with you can help to reinforce your message and add a little more professionalism to your entire presentation. Featuring bullet points of what you are going to be covering throughout your speech can help those in the audience follow along better and get an idea of what your speaking engagement will be about, plus it can serve as an outline for them to take notes about what you are saying. Also be sure to feature your company contact information on your banner stand so that, if you say something that catches the attention of an attendee, they can write down your contact info right away rather than forget to ask once your presentation is over.

How does your company use banner stands? Be sure to let us know by leaving your comments below. Also, be sure to contact The Trade Group for any questions you may have about trade show accessories or exhibits. With over 25 years of dedicated trade show services, The Trade Group continues to be the premier trade show service provider.

In our blog post earlier this week, we talked briefly about the importance of brand storytelling to your company’s overall marketing and outreach efforts. Not only can brand storytelling give you a chance to provide your audience with a fun back story to explain your company, but it can also help to legitimize your brand by anchoring it to a story and character that is personable and easily relatable to your audience.

After all, no one is going to want to buy your products and services until they are first ready to trust you. To do this, you need to make your company feel real, accessible and approachable. Brand storytelling is one of the simplest and most successful ways of doing this―not just in your overall marketing plan, but also at industry specific events, such as trade shows.

Building successful relationships for your business and your brand at trade shows ultimately comes down to the stories that you tell, and the stories that other people tell about you. To help you get a better idea, here are just a few ways in which brand storytelling can help your company’s trade show exhibit and help you build a better relationship with those in attendance:

Builds A Buzz About Your Products

It is becoming very popular for companies to bring the hottest technologies and gadgets into their trade show exhibit in order to attract attendees. For instance, some exhibitors are now showcasing new products on a tablet device or showing a step-by-step demonstration of a new service on a touch-screen computer. However you can also use this kind of tech interest to share your brand story with your audience. For instance, consider telling your story in an engaging way using video or interactive slides. This will help to tell your story creatively, while also building buzz around your exhibit.

Gives Your Company Staying Power

Any exhibitor will tell you that it can often be a challenge to make your educational content entertaining, especially if you are in a rather conservative industry. However, creating a character to lead your audience through your educational content and help to make it more fun will ensure that your story has staying power among your audience. However, make sure that your story allows attendees to see your products in a new and entertaining way―something that is different and more engaging than your typical marketing efforts.

Cuts Through Clutter To Get Attention

It can be difficult to get the attention of attendees at a crowded trade show or event. However, having a personable booth and creative storyline to help convey your message will stick out among other classic, business-centric exhibits. Especially if you introduce your brand character into your social media efforts in the months leading up to the event, attendees will hopefully already have built a connection with this persona and will automatically feel more of a relationship with your company before even stopping by your exhibit.

Do you have any other tips for introducing brand storytelling into your trade show exhibit? If so, be sure to leave them in the comments below. Also, if you missed our Part One blog post on Brand Storytelling, be sure to check it out today!

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There is a popular quote from Henry Ford which says, “To see a thing clearly in the mind makes it begin to take form.” It is this idea which explains why many people are visual learners over textual learners, or why some people only begin to understand complex concepts once they are visualized in front of them. Therefore, when it comes time to explaining your company’s products and services at a trade show, sometimes being visual is better. After all, an image is worth 1,000 words, right?

There are many ways in which you can introduce visual elements into your company’s trade show exhibit to help spread your marketing message or further explain your products and services. For example, some leaders in the trade show industry have begun showcasing 3D graphic models and images of future products on monitors for attendees to explore and investigate on their own. Seeing these products in person―even just 3D concept art of future products―gets the idea across much better than simply using words.

If you are looking to liven up your trade show exhibit with exciting and informative visual elements, here are just a few ways in which you can showcase your products and services through a visual medium:

Infographics

If your company has a particular product or service that is complex in nature, infographics work as a great way to explain a lot of information in a few understandable words and images. This is because infographics are essentially visual presentations of information. However, they use the basic elements of design to display content in a fun and engaging way. Because infographics are also interactive and eye catching, they also make a great visual image that can be used for marketing needs outside of the trade show world.

Presentations

Trade show presentations are no longer about boring Powerpoint presentations where people read word-for-word from slides. There are many exciting, eye-catching presentation programs available for trade show exhibitors who are looking to build and tell a story in a non-linear format. One such program is Prezi. This popular program is visually intriguing and can add a serious “wow” factor to any presentation, while still conveying lots of information to trade show attendees.

Motion graphics are another great way to visually showcase your products and services on monitors in the exhibit space. The Trade Group can help provide your company with this service as a new way to connect with your clients. Another trendy option for showcasing your products in a interesting way is with interactive kiosks. From iPad apps showcasing products to freestanding tables allowing booth staff to provide targeted product information to an attendee, there are many high-tech options for showcasing your products to those who stop by your exhibit.

Consumer Images

One way to truly connect attendees with your brand while also adding a visual element to your trade show exhibit is to incorporate consumer images into your marketing plan. If you are promoting a product or service that people use in their day-to-day life, incorporate user-generated photos or videos of people using these things into your exhibit. This will not only add a little personalization to your brand, but it will also give attendees the unique opportunity to visualize your products and services in a situation outside of the trade show floor.

Do you have any other tips or suggestions for incorporating visual elements into your trade show exhibit? If you do, be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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When it comes time for a consumer to purchase a new product or service that they are in need of, you will find that many people are very brand loyal. When a consumer knows more about the background of a product or feels a personal connection to a company, they are more likely to buy from that brand. It is this loyalty that has us gravitating toward a particular type of soda or coffee when we are thirsty, rather than an unknown company. We like what we know about the company behind the products, so we will continue to support them by giving them our business.

However, it is not just products and services that can be branded. Nearly anything can be branded in this day and age, including a company or even an individual. Accelerated by growing social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, many companies are beginning to craft and maintain their brand story as a new way to connect with their audience.

In fact, even companies who are avoiding the personal branding movement are finding that, eventually, other people will do it for them. But, in this case, do you really want to leave the story and messaging behind your brand in the hands of someone else? It is this thought that is causing many companies around the world, from small brick and mortar stores to large, fortune 500 companies, to really think about how they can use brand storytelling to connect with their consumers on a new level.

What Is Brand Storytelling?

The idea behind corporate brand storytelling is to increase a consumer’s emotional involvement in your brand through content marketing stories and a thoughtful brand storyline. When these stories are woven into both your marketing initiatives and your consumer’s offline brand experience, it allows your audience to feel connected with your company on a more intimate level.

Storytelling can also be used at trade shows and events as a new way to attract and engage your attendees, while also getting your message across. A powerful brand story can work to create a connection and understanding with your audience, evoke emotion and, ultimately, cause an action that will benefit your company, brand and bottom line.

How Valuable Is Your Brand’s Story?

Creating a compelling brand storyline requires that you create characters that your audience will want to cheer for. This does not necessarily mean that you have to create a fictional character to base all of your marketing efforts around. Creating a brand mascot could involve creating a buyer persona and telling stories from their perspective. You could even tell stories from your employee’s point of view. As long as you are crafting a character that enables your audience to become more connected with the story they are telling.

However, another way to test the value of your brand’s story is to ask yourself a few enlightening questions: How are you serving and supporting your audience with your story? Does your brand have an origin? Does your brand feel authentic?  Answering these questions will help you get a feel for just how much value your brand story can hold.

For more information on how you can incorporate brand stories into your trade show exhibit, be sure to tune into our Brand Storytelling (Part Two) article coming later this week on the TradeGroup.com blog.

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When your company is exhibiting at a trade show, it takes a lot more than simply showing up and shaking a few hands to gather the best possible leads for your sales team. Sure, meeting and interacting with as many trade show attendees as possible may generate a high volume of leads for your company. However, it will not produce the high quality of leads that you need for a solid return on your investment.

In fact, in a Marketing Sherpa study, a whopping 78% of business to business marketers agreed that “generating high quality leads” was their top challenge at trade shows. So, where are exhibitors going wrong when it comes to identifying qualified prospects and driving them to their booth?

The reason why many trade show exhibitors fail on gathering and managing their trade show leads is because there are many roadblocks in their way that they do not recognize. These obstacles not only keep them from collecting high quality leads in the first place, but may also prevent them from getting the full value from the leads they do collect.

Here are just a few examples of common roadblocks that may be keeping your company from gathering quality leads at trade shows:

Poor Lead Management

Nearly 80% of all trade show leads are not followed up on, mostly due to poor lead management. Therefore, it is to your company’s advantage to come up with an organized, systematic approach to follow-up with attendees before you leave for your trade show. The Trade Group offers the industry’s most powerful lead management software tool that allows exhibitors to integrate pre-show, at-show and post-show marketing communication in order to better leverage every sales opportunity.

Untrained Exhibit Staff

A large majority of your company’s success at a trade show lies in the hands of the people who are staffing their exhibit. Therefore, be sure that all of your staff members are trained in how to communicate effectively in terms of both business to business and business to consumer. Communication training is also a beneficial resource if you are looking to improve the way that your staff attract and connect with guests at a trade show. To learn more about the benefits of training your exhibit staff, be sure to check out The Trade Group’s Booth Staff Training page.

Slow Or Incomplete Lead Fulfillment

If you put all of your effort into collecting quality leads at a trade show, but fail to follow up on them after the event, you are doing your company a serious disservice. Not to mention, attendees will remember that you broke your promise to follow-up with them and may skip your exhibit all together the next year. Therefore, be sure to follow up with leads within a day (preferably) and a week at the most after your trade show.

If you are looking for information about gathering quality trade show leads or need help managing your leads at your next company trade show, be sure to contact The Trade Group today. With over 25 years of trade show services, The Trade Group continues to be the premier trade show service provider for companies all across the country.

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It is easy to feel like you are restrained or limited when it comes to planning out the perfect space for your trade show exhibit. Many venues offer exhibitors only a limited amount of space in order to comfortably house the hundreds of other exhibitors and attendees that will be at the trade show. Therefore, it is important to make the most out of all the space that you have.

Luckily, there are many ways in which you can use certain trade show accessories to enhance and improve exhibits of all shapes and sizes. Whether your company will be using an island exhibit, an inline exhibit or a large, double deck exhibit, these accessories can help to improve the overall look of your trade show space and impress attendees who are walking by.

Trade Show Flooring

One particular trade show accessory that may seem like a small addition, but can actually make a huge impact on the entire look and feel of your trade show exhibit, is flooring. Different types of flooring designs and finishes will help to set apart your exhibit from the rest of the trade show spaces on the floor, and will also add an eye-catching element that will help to attract attendees.

Additionally, depending on the type of flooring you choose, you may find that attendees (and maybe even other exhibitors) will be flocking to your comfortable, carpeted or padded flooring simply to get a break from the rough, tough feel of the cement flooring of the trade show venue. This is a great chance to share your company messaging with attendees who have open ears.

Types Of Flooring

If you’d like to add an extra design element to your trade show exhibit, here are four types of flooring designs and finishes to improve the look of your space:

• Mezzanine – A raised hardwood interlocking floor system that offers a modern, professional look to your exhibit. Provides built-in wire management and finished hardwood sloped edges and corners. Available in 21 different finishes, including unfinished MDF.
• Nexus – Quick and easy high-density foam flooring that comes in a large variety of options and finishes. Whether you are looking for tile, carpet, plush, Arisan or logo inlays, Nexus flooring provides minimal set up time and convenient interlocking tiles.
• ViewPoint – For a comfortable, relaxed image inside your trade show exhibit, consider plush carpeting that will compliment the look of your exhibit. ViewPoint exhibit carpets come in a large number of colors and thicknesses that can be chosen to match the look and feel of your exhibit.
• Virtuoso – A  textured rollable vinyl flooring has a great look and comes with built-in padding for extra relief. If you are looking for a sleek, modern type of flooring that still offers all of the comfort of padding, Virtuoso vinyl flooring is one of the best ways to go.

For more information about which type of flooring would be best for your trade show exhibit, be sure to contact The Trade Group today.

The wise and well-known Dr. Seuss once said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” While he may have been speaking about the magical and imaginative ways in which reading can transport you, these clever words can also be applied very accurately to the business world.

The day that we stop learning and reading about our industries is the day that we stop growing in our fields. Staying educated and informed about all of the different trends, studies and current events within your field will not only help to make you one of the leaders in your industry, but it also makes you a source that others in the industry look to when making decisions. As a trade show exhibitor, this is key when gathering leads and making connections with attendees.

Luckily, there are a lot of great books available to trade show exhibitors who are looking to learn more about the world of exhibiting and how they can improve their success at each event. Here are just a few of our favorite trade show related reads that will help you to grow and succeed as a trade show exhibitor:

Guerrilla Trade Show Selling by Conrad Levinson

Levinson’s book was the first of its kind to apply guerrilla sales and marketing tactics to the high-pressure environment of the trade show floor. This book is packed full of tips and techniques from several leaders in the trade show industry and covers topics such as trade show selling and selecting the best trade show for your company.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

While this book may not be specifically meant for those in the trade show industry, it offers great advice and tips for solving personal and professional problems, and has become a cult favorite book in the business world. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People encourages its readers to take advantage of the many opportunities that are available to them and shares important principles that gives us the security to adapt to difficult changes.

Customers For Life by Carl Sewell

If you are looking for more information on how to turn a one-time buyer into a lifetime customer, Sewell’s book is one of the highest praised among many sales and marketing experts across multiple industries. Presented in a clear, easy-to-read way, the advice and tips offered in this book are great for anyone who is looking to improve the effectiveness of their operations on the trade show floor.

The Social Trade Show by Traci Browne

For exhibitors who have a grasp on the daily operations of exhibiting but are looking to learn a little bit more about the social aspect of trade show marketing, The Social Trade Show will help you better understand the way you market trade shows, exhibits and events online. Browne’s book covers every step of the social process, revealing tried and tested advice on what works and what doesn’t.

Do you have any more suggestions for great educational books that would be helpful for trade show exhibitors? Be sure to leave them in the comments below!

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Given that most trade shows are annual events, it is not uncommon to see many companies exhibit at the same show year after year. After all, if it is an industry-specific event that attracts many clients and potential leads for a particular business, it is only natural to keep coming back to these events―that’s where the leads are!

However, given that many annual trade shows also tend to attract the same attendees year after year, it is important that you are offering new and timely information to these attendees each time you exhibit. New technology, product information, statistics or techniques is what will continue to attract attendees that may have already visited your exhibit in the past.

Unfortunately, not every company has a new product or service to introduce every single year. Or, if they do, it may not be exactly timed to fit with their trade show schedule. In this case, how can you keep your exhibit timely and exciting for seasoned attendees?

Here are just a few tips for keeping your trade show exhibit fresh and new year after year:

Let Attendees Interact

People love to touch and play around with products. If you have only spoken about certain products in the past or introduced them on an interactive digital display, consider bringing the actual product along to your next trade show. Many attendees are drawn to exhibits where they have product displayed and they can get a hands-on feel for what your company is selling.

Tease Upcoming Products

If you have a new service or product that is currently in the works, but it is not yet ready to be introduced for purchase, tease your prototypes digitally or in photos. People love to get sneak peak of new or upcoming launches, and you have to make your products fit with the timing of the trade show.

Introduce Your Company In A New Way

Sometimes presenting the same products and services in a new way is enough to make an attendee truly take notice. Therefore, spice up your surroundings and exhibit to give your company a fresh, new feel. For example, update your graphics with new photos and messaging, or introduce digital content such as motion graphics  to your exhibit to showcase products and services.

Re-introduce Unknown Products

If you do not have any new or upcoming products coming out to showcase at your event, consider taking an older product or service and reworking it. Many well-established companies will fine tune existing products and reintroduce them as “new and improved” products after they are updated and improved upon. The same goes with “limited edition” products that are introduced in new colors or formats.

Showcase Your Staff

Another great way to give a new angle to your trade show exhibit is to give attendees a chance to engage with the people behind the scenes. For instance, host a “meet and greet” with one of your executives or your company’s founder. This is not only a great way to drive traffic to your booth, but it also gives your prospects a chance to have a personal encounter with the person behind your brand.

Do you have any other tips for keeping your trade show new and relevant year after year? Be sure to leave your tips and suggestions in the comments below!

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When it comes to marketing your company at a trade show, there are several different avenues that you can take. Some exhibitors choose to use flyers or promotional pamphlets, others have moved all of their marketing efforts online in the last decade. However, without a doubt, one of the most popular forms of marketing that continues to be effective is the use of promotional products

Promotional products not only consistently bring in the desired results of sales and profits, but they are also a long-time favorite of trade show attendees. These products help to keep your brand at the forefront of your consumers mind, while also providing them with a valuable tool that can be used in their day-to-day lives―if you choose your products wisely.

Many trade show exhibitors have also found that a valuable promotional item can provide significantly extended coverage over many of their other marketing channels.  For instance, studies show that the average trade show attendee said that they held on to a promotional item for an average of 5.8 months. This means that this item is delivering a set message for a far longer time that a traditional form of advertising.

However, it’s important to remember that trade show attendees are also receiving promotional items from other companies too. Therefore, you should always be unique in your approach and choose an item that provides value and worth. Here are just a few tips for picking a promotional product that is also an effective marketing tool for your company:

Choose Products That People Use Every Day

The best way to decide on a product of value is to choose an item that attendees will actually use, and will continue to use over time. For instance, while a tin of mints with your company logo on the outside will be a tempting treat for attendees, this is an item that will be thrown away as soon as the tin is empty. Therefore, choose items that people will use and interact with on a daily basis; a tote bag, a blanket, a pen, an umbrella, etc.

Tie In Products To Your Event

If you really want people to remember your company, it is helpful to associate your company with the trade show you are attending. However, do not be too blatant or overly promotional. Choosing a design that features a relevant logo or symbol will help to evoke a certain concept and trigger the memory of your interaction without spelling it out.

Remember That Your Products Reflect Your Company

The promotional products that you choose say a lot about your company―what you represent, what you believe in, who you are as a brand. Therefore, choose products that reflect your messaging and beliefs. For example, if you are a company that prides themselves in being socially responsible, consider using eco-friendly products to reflect this at your event.

If you have further questions about promotional products, or you are looking to purchase some custom products for your next trade show event, be sure to contact The Trade Group today.

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While some companies may already be in the throes of exhibiting after getting started in January and February, for many business professionals, the springtime is the start of yet another busy trade show season. In fact, with the official start of spring being just a few weeks ago, it won’t be long now before many companies begin pulling their exhibits out of storage from the season before, looking over old marketing materials to examine what worked last year and what didn’t, and training their staff on the familiar lists of what should and should not be done on the trade show floor.

However, before your company jumps into one of your many upcoming spring trade shows or conferences, you should take this changing of the season as a chance to do some last minute “spring cleaning” to your exhibit, your staff and your overall marketing plan.

Often times, when companies return home from the long stretch of many weeks and weekends of trade show exhibiting, they simply pack away their exhibit and materials as they are and take the opportunity for some much needed rest. However, this can lead to some big surprises when it comes time to finally unpack your trade show things the next season.

If you are going to begin a fresh, new trade show season in the next few months, here are some spring cleaning tips that will help you to clean, update and upgrade your trade show routine for the upcoming year:

Dust Off The Dirt

Between packing away your exhibit, moving all of your materials and graphics from one trade show to another, and storing everything for months on end, it is no surprise that your trade show supplies can begin to show a litter dirt and dust after a while. Therefore, the first thing you should do when pulling your trade show exhibit out of storage is to give it a quick cleaning.

You should also examine all the components of your exhibit, even small shelves or accessories for damage. Consider having your exhibit provider set up your display and completing a full evaluation for any damage or wear and tear. This ensures no surprises once on the show floor.

Update Old Messaging

Your trade show displays are not the only thing that age season after season. You may also find that your graphics or marketing materials may need an update before your upcoming exhibiting season. While some companies may want to reuse old marketing pamphlets or books from previous trade shows, giving out items that are not specific to your trade show audience will turn attendees away, rather than create an interest in your company.

Reassess Your Goals

The start of a new trade show season is also a great time to reassess your goals when attending a trade show. Perhaps last year you went in with one specific goal in mind―to make a certain number of industry connections or to collect a certain percentage of qualified sales leads. How did this goal work out for you? What do you think you should change or improve upon going forward? Redefining your goals can not only help you grow as an exhibitor, but can also give you a higher ROI in future trade shows.

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