Attending a trade show on behalf of your business can be a great opportunity to grow your brand and gain
exposure, but with a venue buzzing with hundreds of other businesses, it can be difficult to stand out among the
crowd. It’s important to have an inviting and captivating trade booth that draws in attendees and sparks a
conversation.  Here are 4 things you can do to design your trade show booth to both attract attendees and sell your product or service:

Interactive Display
One sure-fire way to garner attention from trade show visitors is by having something hands-on. Designing your
booth in a way that’s clearly interactive and inviting goes past the actual features of it; it’s important to also have
colors and graphics that are bright, welcoming and exciting.

With bright, colorful and clean printed materials, it will help to begin their transition from passer-by to engaged
guest. From there, find ways to be hands-on with your product or service, whether it’s by actually demonstrating
how to use it, or identifying the problems that they may have that can be solved by using it.

Just like when a customer walks into a brick and mortar store or visits your website, it’s important for trade show
attendees to be able to easily understand the “why” of your business and what makes you unique.

Use verbiage and imagery to clearly state this, and challenge yourself to make it impossible for someone to walk
away from your display without knowing what makes your business different. A few ways to ensure this happens
include:

● A single, clear statement that is easy-to-read
● Testimonial quotes on the display from clients who enjoyed your product/service
● Clear and vivid imagery that showcases your differentiator
● Demonstrations that reinforce the value behind your product/service
● Staff that is equipped with talking points that break down what they’re selling and presenting in an
easy-to-understand way for consumers

Bring Your Banners To Life
One way to certainly blend into the crowd is to go with a standard banner and call it a day. But, if you think
outside the box, you may be able to bring a whole experience to life with only two dimensions.
Think of ways that you can take your company’s product or service and make it a life-size experience for
attendees. If your company represents the lifestyle of a fun-loving and adventurous customer, have imagery that
is immersive in that way, and create banners that can help them to step out of the hustle and bustle of the event
exhibits.

Make Your Display A Conversation Starter
If you’ve ever seen a commercial so different or visually-stimulating that you just have to go check them out to
see what it’s all about, then try and bring that into your trade booth.
Go beyond the logo, and try something different that’s bound to draw in attendees first out of curiosity and then
give you the open door to start chatting.

Here are a few examples of how you can do this for your display:

● Use Optical Illusions
● Have Original Illustrations and Artwork
● Bring in Wild Statistics and Facts

Which of these Trade Booth design practices do you plan on incorporating into your next trade show?

About the Author
Brianna Long, Marketing Director at Thomas Printworks (brianna.long@thomasprintworks.com)
Brianna Long been managing and directing the marketing department at Thomas Printworks for more than 20
years. As marketing director, she coordinates advertising campaigns, customer promotions, and store remodels.
Briana plays an instrumental role in the branding of the largest family-owned reprographics company in the
nation.  https://thomasprintworks.com/about-us/the-thomas-blog/154-tips-for-effective-trade-show-banners