Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Trade Fair Booths

Anyone can set up a booth at a trade show but it takes careful thought and skill to make it a success.

It’s not enough to merely put up a poster and have some literature on a table. All the stall holders at the trade show will be vying for people’s attention so upping your game and ensuring your booth stands out from the rest will make all the difference.

There are several mistakes that are seen time and time again at trade shows. Make sure you’re not tripping yourself up by falling victim to these errors:

Get the right size booth

Having a display that doesn’t fit in the booth properly looks unprofessional and uninviting yet it’s such a common error that can be seen at any type of trade show.

Look at what you want to display and how you want to display it. Set it up if you can so you determine what size booth you need.

Get it wrong and you could end up with something too small and cramped or a booth so substantial, you struggle to fill it.

The last day is just as important as the first day

Trade shows notoriously get untidier and shabbier as the event goes on, particularly on the last day. Just remember that the last visitor through the door deserves the same experience as the first person. If you’re not fulfilling their expectations, you’ll be overlooked.

Yes, trade shows are long and exhausting but that’s no excuse to not keep your house in order or to have bored or tired staff on duty.

Plan the days, so staff have adequate breaks and start each morning and afternoon with a thorough tidy and clean to maintain your booth to a high standard.

Not having enough stock

Underestimating required stock is a common mistake, particularly during long trade shows.

A lot of stall holders get to the last day and find they’ve run out of stock or paperwork and therefore miss out on lots of sales. Never mind the fact that having an unstocked booth is just pointless, it’s also unprofessional and shows you’re disorganized.

Plan adequately in advance by ordering enough stock. If you can’t store it all at the event, make sure you’ve arranged storage nearby, so it’s quick and easy to restock when necessary.

Keeping to the safety of your booth

It’s easy to assume that the other booths are your competition and therefore should be avoided. However, you’re missing a trick by not talking to other booth holders.

Friendly conversation can open all sorts of doors. You might find out about new/better suppliers, better trade shows or events, people you could collaborate with and a whole host of other useful information.

If other booth holders don’t want to give you their time, that’s fine. At least you’ve tried but, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised at how friendly, and approachable other stall holders are.

Not getting your pre-marketing on point

It’s amazing how many businesses don’t bother letting their customers know they’re going to be present at an event. It’s a wasted opportunity to drive visitors to your booth.

You probably have a long email or contact list. Use it to your advantage and let your customers know you’re going to be at the trade show.

Offer incentives such as discount vouchers, competitions or freebies to encourage people to visit. Customers love to know they’re appreciated and this is an excellent opportunity to thank them.

Selecting the wrong or poorly trained staff

You need to carefully consider which of your staff will be there to help you at the event.

It’s all very well knowing the product or services inside out, but if they’re not approachable or friendly, then they’re not going to be an asset for you at the trade show.

Similarly, if they’re too pushy or use obvious sales tactics then this is also going to put visitors off.

Unfortunately many booths at trade shows have off-putting staff which instantly kills business.

Select staff with the right energy and the all-important “can do” attitude. Trade show days are long so your staff need to be able to remain consistent and be happy to work hard.

Give them the appropriate training and make sure everyone knows their duties inside out well in advance of the show.

Clear the clutter

Having a cluttered “busy” booth is as off-putting as an empty one. Looking like a yard sale won’t get you positive attention.

Keep your booth design clean and streamlined. Posters should be clear and concise – avoid the dreaded information overload. Visitors should be able to understand what you are about without having to read a load of display text.

If you have a lot of stock or products then incorporate adequate storage into the design to keep it out of the way.

Keep product displays neat and organized with prices clearly in view.

Don’t try to do everything

It’s tempting to display every product you have or talk about all of your services at once. This bombards the customer with too many options and is actually very off-putting as they get overloaded with too much information.

Select just a few products or services to focus on. By narrowing down the choice it gives you more time to sell their features and visitors can easily see what’s available and suitable for them.

Focus on your bestsellers or newly launched items and only talk about your other products if someone asks about them.

By avoiding these mistakes you can look forward to a lucrative and successful trade show that beats the rest of the competition. Your future shows will be something to look forward to rather than something to stress about.