Joe Client is a long-time customer. The Small Fry, Inc. salesman developed
Joe’s account through cold calls and visits. Joe knows the company
through occasional advertisements and his own experience. He’s formed
an opinion of the company. They sell decent products, they are easy to deal
with, although their new ordering system is more complicated. Joe could get
the product from Major Distributor, Inc., at a lower cost, but would the
after-sales support be as good?
Joe makes a point to stop by Small Fry Inc.’s exhibit. It is a professional
looking booth, easy to locate, colorful, and contemporary. By the time he
leaves the exhibit, he has a strong impression of the company’s focus
and capabilities. Small Fry, Inc. is innovative, an industry leader, customer-oriented,
stable. Joe feels confident about keeping his business right where it is.
Attendees who’ve never done business with Small Fry, Inc., flow in
and out of the exhibit. They leave with the same positive impression. Even
people who never heard of the company manage to find the exhibit and come
away with the same bright image.
What did the Small Fry, Inc. trade show manager do to create such a great
and memorable impact? He knew his company’s mission statement, corporate
identity and market. He created an attention-getting exhibit that communicated
the message. When he sat down to plan the exhibit, he asked himself a few
questions:
The company’s name and logo should be visible and obvious to anyone passing by the exhibit. The casual passer-by should also be able to tell what products or services the company offers. The best test? If you could grab a stranger off the street, a volunteer, blindfold him and stand him in front of the fully decorated exhibit—give him five seconds to look before whisking him away, how much would he be able to tell about the company? Would he remember its name? What they sell?
Not just any message. The right message. Most companies have mottoes, or taglines. These taglines boil the mission statement down into a few memorable words. For example, the company who makes hardware that connects computers over networks and the Internet might have a tagline like, “We connect you to the world.” Companies often have a secondary message, a quality such as reliability, stability, innovation, technology leader, high tech and so on. So, do the exhibit’s colors say “high tech”? What about the shapes and forms used in the exhibit walls? Would that volunteer have a clear sense of the company’s message?
Designing an exhibit is like planning a wedding: all of the colors and materials must coordinate with one another. And although we may never understand the psychology behind poofy-sleeved antebellum bride’s maid dresses, we must consider psychology when choosing colors and shades for the exhibit.
It is one
thing to plunk down your products on a table, and quite another to use the
display to capture interest. Product displays need to be as interactive as
possible. Even a display for services needs to draw the attendee in, so that
he participates in some way. If possible, have your products performing their
tasks. You might also consider, at regular intervals, demonstrating the product’s
wondrous abilities.
Having your product open and available to attendees to look at and touch
is an excellent way to hook purists and technophyles—and specifiers.
Presentations also
add an experiential element to service-oriented products, and context to physical
products.
When showing products, don’t
pile them all on one table. Putting distance between them helps attendees keep
them straight so that they remember them later. Consider that the more products
you cram into your exhibit, the less memorable individual ones become.
A successful exhibit is laid out in a way that allows foot traffic to flow easily into the space. It is open enough to let attendees move about without feeling claustrophobic. Placing displays around the exhibit’s perimeter creates a barrier that tends to keep attendees out, rather than corralling them in. So, use interesting displays, signs and demonstrations to keep attendees in your exhibit. Keep enough space between them to allow staff and attendees room in which to gather.