While you shouldn’t hold out for trade shows to run your biggest promotions, they can provide a windfall for some companies. While trade shows are a great way to get to know the state of your industry, it’s also a way to flex your muscles and show off in front of fans. If people see your trade show booth ideas displaying lots of great content with great technology, they’ll want to hang around.
Here are five booth ideas to try out at your next trade show.
1. Use QR Codes
While they might not be as popular as some developers would have liked, QR codes can still be found everywhere. For some users, QR codes are a great alternative to figuring out complicated URLs or having to remind users where to go. QR code users are committed to the format, so take advantage of that.
If you add one QR code, you should use them throughout your trade show event. Whether it’s on digital displays, on standing signs, or during a presentation, QR codes are a great way to engage with your audience. When you make it a must-have aspect of a presentation, you’ll get users on board.
QR codes are a little clunky for uninitiated users but for those who like them, they’ll get a lot out of your trade show booth and displays. Don’t be afraid to add them because once you start, you might as well add them everywhere. If you attach them to promotions and deals, you can entice more users to engage.
2. Add AR to Your Booth
If you have an app, a trade show might be the perfect place to play around with some AR. You’re going to have to pay a developer who knows what they’re doing to add AR content, but it could be a huge hit. People engaging with your booth and your display via your app will have a memorable experience.
Give users a reason to download your app if they’re new to your brand. Rather than having to beg users to try your app, when they see people enjoying it, other people will jump on board. The unique experience of having augmented reality on your phone is enough for anyone to try it once.
Add special bonuses or promotional codes all around the trade show. When people find a certain image or item while walking around, they should be rewarded.
Make sure you’re always rewarding people for using your app. People should be rewarded when they devote their time to you and your products. Make sure you always say thank you.
3. Send SMS Notifications
SMS isn’t the most recent technology to hit the market by any means but using it to target your audience is new. When you collect information from your customers, make sure you collect their phone numbers. This way you can utilize this information to get in touch with users.
Save your users numbers and get to know their devices. You can send out blasts of information promoting your products.
What you can also do is to offer Wi-Fi at your trade show booth. When people log in, you can prompt them with a login screen or a welcome page that promotes your products. Now that you’ve gotten their device ID, you can send a message whenever they walk by.
Imagine how much business you could gain just by pinging all the devices that walk by you. Leave your network open and people will connect to you all during the trade show. The more people who know your brand’s name and information, the better off you are.
4. See What Drones Could Do
Drones could be the thing that you’re looking for to make your next trade show booth shine. If you can’t get people to look at you and pick you out of the crowd, maybe you can get them to look up. Having drones that fly around, directing people to your booth can make a huge difference at your next trade show.
People will use your booth as a meeting place, texting each other “meet me by the drones”. When they stand over there, they’ll get some extra time to see what you have to offer. They’ll remember you at the next trade show as the booth with the drones and some other great things.
Make sure that you’re not all flash and no follow through. When you attract attention, you need to be ready to deliver. Giving visitors a lot to look at without giving a lot to take with them will leave them feeling disappointed.
For cool display ideas, check out www.eventdisplay.com.au.
5. Accept All Forms of Payment
While you might not think it’s a big deal, accepting all forms of payment is huge at a trade show. One of the biggest mistakes that any trade show booth will make is to only accept cash or credit cards. If you’re ready to accept anything, you’re ready for every customer that comes along.
Your customers will be using Paypal, Venmo, the Cash app, Apple Pay, and everything else under the sun. You need to be ready to accept it all if you want to stay competitive. Most people will have a preferred method so if you don’t accept one, they might not have an account for the others.
Be ready to accept payment and you won’t have to turn away any customers. Once a customer is ready to purchase, it would be foolish of you to not find a way to take their money.
Trade Show Booth Ideas Need to Fit Your Style
It’s hard to balance your style with the latest technology, but your trade show booth ideas need to marry both together. You need to be able to fit that latest technology into what you’re already doing. If you just force the two together, you won’t be able to get what you want out of either.
When taking advantage of technology, follow our guide to also prioritize cybersecurity.