3 Prints That Impress Trade Show Attendees

Article Contributed by Randal Whitmore

Trade show season is underway which means you and your competitors will be journeying nationwide to impress attendees with your company’s offerings to drum up some new business, raise brand awareness, and put faces to your company’s image.

Alongside the representatives of your business, print plays a vital role in displaying your company brand at a trade show and increasing the likelihood of a response from attendees once the show has ended.

You could have the best salespeople in the world promoting your company but in a situation such as this where other businesses are adding to the advertising noise you need to make an impression that stands out and captures the attention of your target attendees.

So you’ve decided to be an exhibitor…

… and by now you might have a space booked at a business convention of some kind and you’ve identified which employees will be attending to represent your business in the best light possible. The next step is to organise your printing, which is why we’ve provided three printed must-haves required by trade exhibitors to help make a great first impression with potential new clients and increase the likelihood of an aftershow response.

1. Exhibition Stand

When exhibiting at a trade show you’re usually provided with a space that includes 2-3 walls made of chipboard coated in felt so that you can hang photos, banners, or some other kind of advertising material. If you’re on a tight advertising budget then this might be your preferred option.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to make an impressive appearance then having a custom printed exhibition stand will allow you to completely personalise that space with your branding.

As you can see in the image above there is a collapsable lectern, which can act as a good addition to your stand if you intend on running a mini-seminar within your booth to promote the products or services you offer.

Tip: provide seating and allocate seminar time slots to make your seminars appear more official. Try providing information of value that your visitors can use when they leave the show rather than using it as a hard sell opportunity. Not only will it capture your visitors’ attention but it will also show that your company is an expert in its field.

Collapsable exhibition stands come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes so before having one printed you should ensure that:

• the exhibition stand fits within the dimensions of the exhibitor space you have booked (some event organisers dislike exhibitors whose displays spill over the perimeter of their allocated space);
• it is easy to construct (there is nothing worse than toiling over an exhibition stand before a show. Purchasing an easy-to-construct stand will help with keeping you calm);
• the stand allows space for other advertising materials, such as a pop-up banner, and for visitors to move around within (you want to invite attendees into your exhibition space, away from the distracting traffic that flows in between the stands).

2. Pop-up Banners

A pop-up banner is a must-have piece of advertising material for trade show exhibitors that can break down your company’s products or services in bite-size chunks of information. A pop-up banner should a) attract the attention of passers-by of your stand, and b) match or compliment your company’s brand identity in message and visuals.

If you can’t afford a custom exhibition stand then the pop-up banner is a much cheaper printed alternative that will customise the space you’ve booked. It can, however, be used in addition to an exhibition stand if your budget permits one e.g. your custom stand would display your company’s brand name, logo, colours and graphics with a pop-up banner nearby displaying the products and services you offer.

Most pop-up banners come in two parts (the banner and the stand) and are very easy to construct. The main difference between providers is the quality of print, therefore, you will want to choose a professional printer that produces the highest quality possible to aid your design in creating a great impression with trade show attendees.

3. Professionally Printed Flyers

It is always a better idea to have your flyers printed by a professional flyer printing company because the quality will be much higher than what you can produce in-house, plus you can choose from a range of finishes, customised cutting options, and other personal touches that can be produced on a large scale. It is also a much lower cost to outsource this kind of promotional activity.

Once your employees have spoken to, and hopefully impressed, a potential new or existing client it is a great idea to hand that visitor a flyer that displays your company brand, products, services, and contact details. This will give them something to take away that will remind them of the experience they had at your stand when sorting through the materials they have picked up from the show.

To increase the likelihood of a response from your flyer you should include a hook of some kind e.g. a trade show exclusive offer. Providing an exclusive voucher code will allow you to measure the ROI of your trade show exhibition activity and give the client an additional reason to re-visit your company (the first being the experience that your representatives provided).

Enjoy the Trade Show

Exhibiting at a trade show is a rare opportunity for your company to be displayed face-to-face in front of your target market so the first impression you will want to make with potential clients is a good one.

By organising these 3 trade show exhibitor products you can be sure that your company brand will be displayed to attendees in a positive way that makes you look professional and stand out from your competitors who may not take advantage of such an opportunity in the same way.

About the author:

This article about impressive trade show print was written by Randal Whitmore who regularly contributes articles related to graphic design and business to Solopress – a high quality printing company based in the UK.