I'm going to my very first big trade show in a few weeks and I'm suddenly having a panic attack because I know Nothing about setting up for a trade show!
Let me clarify why I specify "big" trade show...Mary Sue and I thought we'd set up a little table at a local business expo last December. Neither one of us had the first clue what we were doing and just thought we'd try it out to see if it was a good networking for our new businesses. We shared a table thinking "How much room could we possibly need?" Ohh how naive we were~
This was our attempt at a display for photography and custom photo jewelry...actually not that horrible considering we had a little tiny table and not much of anything else! This was taken with my phone camera...
So this is where you come in! If you've ever set up a booth at a trade show I'd love to hear your favorite tips and advice. And if you've ever attended a trade show I'd love to hear what draws your attention when there's so many businesses in the same venue.
Here's a little info for you so you know what I'm getting into...
~ this trade show is at a local high school in an upscale community with about 6,000 people attending the expo every year.
~ most of the businesses are like mine, they're not selling anything that day, just advertising their services.
~ I will be advertising my Family Photography business in hopes of getting new client bookings. This show is very family oriented so I do believe it's a good spot for potential clients.
~ I'm on a budget people!! I'm new to this so I have to start making some money before I can start putting a lot back into it...it's a vicious circle....
~ The booth I have is a 10' x 10' space. I'll have 2 8' tables and 1 card table to set my giveaway forms on. Every business has to offer a giveaway.
~ They'll be about 160 businesses there so it's gonna be busy!
~ The hours are from 9:30am til 4:00pm, one day only.
I do have a few things already....my colors are black and pink so I've got black table covers with a little bit of pink tulle to lay over the tops and scallop at the edges...something like this...
I'm pretty stocked with biz cards...I've got a banner...and these canvas' to display...
I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures while I'm there too and tell you all about it...I'm excited...setting it up is half the fun!
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9 comments:
I am by no means an expert, I have attended a few trade shows
Think of it like a photograph, what do you want your focal point to be? Create a path for the eye to follow. Look at your display from 10 or 15 feet back, how does it look? What would your impression be if you saw this display for someone else's business?
The problem I see with the table you had set up is you need level changes. Get some stuff up off the table. You can use boxes covered with your black table cloths and tulle. And your most impressive photos should be at eye level because that is where they will be seen.
Again, I might be in left field and I can't wait to see what other peoples suggestions are.
Wow, that's already a big help! I think it's called "staging" with the different heights...great idea. I'll break it up with different points of interest on some of the tables....thank you!!!
I agree with the different heights on the table. And maybe you might want to think of making a little slide show with some of your photographs and some music with cute little sayings that either come up in between pictures or fade in on top of the pictures (kind of like you see on some photogs websites when they first open up). Those always get me. Really brings the emotion of the pictures through. You know what I mean? You can just have it run over and over on a laptop or monitor. That way you can show even more of your pictures.
Good luck!
A great way to get traffic into your booth is to offer a raffle of sorts. Have potential clients complete a form - maybe name and email and phone number. Offer a free session for the raffle, and then have a box on the raffle tickets for them to check if they would like to be contacted in the future for any specials you are running. You could use these email addresses for marketing blasts in the future. I know this isn't anything asthetic, but if someone is walking by, likes your work and then sees that you are giving away a session, they WILL stop by your booth.
I've produced consumer shows in my life before kids and your display should be colorful and eye-catching and it sounds like you're on your way!
Allow there to be space for people to walk in to your area and give them a REASON to walk in.
In addition to your give-away, have a book for them to join your e-mail list to receive "specials and seasonal promotions".
If you can have a couple of photos hanging a little higher (off the back of your back drop, if you have one) this will catch someone's attention from further away.
If I think of any more tips, I'll be sure to write back!
Ooh yeah, the slide show thing is a great idea!
You all definitely have the wheels spinning in my brain now!
I could hook up my mac and do a "Before & After" slideshow and that would allow me to show off more photos...
...I like the idea about hanging prints from the backdrop...or at least putting large prints in the back to draw the people in...
I have to offer a giveaway so I'll use that form as my email blast builder...
Keep the ideas coming!
Don't forget CANDY!!! People will always stop to pick up sweets. And, if you can find candy to match your colors - even better. And this may sound weird, but... I got comments about the quality of my candy. I've gone cheap & I've gone expensive. I tend to think the more expensive candy is more impressive... My color is purple, so I bought dark chocolate kisses, cuz they're wrapped in purple - it was definitely a reason for people to come in...
Good luck!
Thank You Monica! I just found some Palmer {yummy!} hot pink hearts left over from Valentines Day so I picked up those for my booth. I was thinking I was obsessing trying to match my colors to the candy but you just confirmed that I'm not the only crazy one!!
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