Are you getting ready to exhibit at a trade show? From small events to massive conventions, the best way to succeed at a trade show is to choose the right location for your booth.
Much like well-situated stores attract twice or triple the foot traffic, the right location for a booth also plays a key role in attracting foot traffic and generating a significant ROI. To help you choose the right booth location for your business, the following are tips to look at:
1. Avoid Being Near Competitors
Healthy competition is good, but this doesn’t mean that it should be side-by-side. Attending a small-scale trade show means you won’t have a lot of options.
However, you should offer quality services or products since visitors might assume that two businesses offering the same service or products can differ only a little. This means that if your competitors is near the entrance, then the chance of getting customers to visit your booth will decrease.
This is why having enough space between you and your competitors is important. With this, visitors will have an opportunity to focus on various products and services.
Using the experience you got from attending last year’s show, analyze your competitors’ displays as well as what they offer. Through this information, ensure your custom trade show exhibit design shows the difference and states more benefits your services/products offer when compared to those of your competitors.
2. Focus on the High Traffic Locations
Apart from being close to the entrance, the best booth location is along the main aisleways. In this spot, you will see foot traffic and get a chance to catch attendees’ eyes when entering the show.
If you can afford to book a spot near the entrance, well and good. But if you can’t afford it and are running a small business, you can opt for a front-row booth. Apart from these spots, you can also consider other high-traffic spots, such as:
- Intersections where main aisles connect
- Locations near food joints
- Lounge areas
- Bathroom areas
3. Be Near the Entrance
The entrance is basically not a good spot, but a location near it is simply the best. Once attendees attend an exhibition area, they will have an opportunity to relax and get ready to explore the trade show.
If your business booth is close to the entrance, project managers at Rise Exhibits & Environments say it will be the first for clients to see. So, you might want to capture their attention since this is when their engagement is high. Also, you don’t want to be very far away since being too far away means you cannot engage your attendees.
4. Consider Establishing a Rapport with Organizers
While seasoned practitioners and rookies alike shockingly and often overlook this, establishing a rapport with organizers is among the most important moves you must make to exhibit at trade shows.
Usually, event organizers allow the people with whom they share a bond on a personal level to book coveted locations on the show at a lower rate. Some even use their experience and knowledge to recommend suitable locations.
Leverage this by fostering a strong relationship with organizers early on. Ideally, you should book tradeshow exhibit planner services two to three months before sponsorship/partnership opportunities start to present themselves. This will give you an opportunity to set up your trade show booth in the spotlight and save your business money.
Choosing the best location for your booth is crucial to ensuring a successful trade show. It will influence your commercial success, interactions with visitors, and visibility in the industry.
