Many businesses spend millions of dollars every year designing exciting visual displays that highlight their products. Think about department store windows during the holiday season. Stores like Macys, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus have become destinations as the result of their fabulous holiday season displays. The investments these retailers make to showcase their goods pays back handsomely in additional retail sales.
Contrast this with how many trade shows simply miss the boat when it comes to visual displays. Unfortunately, many trade shows are just visually boring. There, I said it, but don’t be discouraged; it is only a half truth.
As we return to live events it has become apparent they are principally about the networking opportunities involving exhibitors and attendees but it also includes interest among attendees with other attendees as well as exhibitors with other exhibitors. Trade shows are now all about in-person engagement and interaction that cannot be replicated digitally.
This networking can be enhanced in many ways, but more importantly, it can and should follow the example of retail department stores (despite the financial woes of large department stores that stems from changing consumer preferences) their visual appeal remains breathtaking in many cases.
If there’s one major takeaway from the virtual events that helped to fill the gap created in 2020 by the absence of face-to-face shows, it is this: visually engaging and fully customized branded booths are nearly always preferred by exhibitors over traditional drape that is not only boring but psychologically creates two categories of exhibit booths. Custom designed and constructed exhibits are the stars of most shows while traditional drape relegates those exhibitors to a much lower less desirable rank. We’ve created a two-state system inadvertently as a result.
When most visitors walk into the exhibit floor they are often initially enamored by the dazzling spectacle of the custom big budget island booths with their vibrant colors, awesome designs, and hanging signs. It’s not unlike the opening of a Broadway show. However, as you progress further into the show, you typically see the same old dreary appearance of the, often drape, inline booths. Welcome to the other world. The user experience has drastically changed from the Broadway experience, to a random sedate side street experience.
You may be wondering, what you can do about those inline booths that don’t have the budget to showcase their brand as dynamically as island booths? Those smaller to midsize companies that spend the lot of their marketing budget for your event in the hopes of gaining more business are often overlooked by the casual attendee or exhibitor. This, despite the fact, that inline drape 10’ x 10’ exhibits are the financial backbone of the industry by virtue of their numbers compared to the large island booths.
What if, you could deliver to them that powerful “wow factor” branding experience of an island booth at a fraction of the cost?
What if, you could provide them with an extraordinary custom graphics-laden booth that would move them into the spotlight?
What if, you could now generate a new and significant direct revenue stream as a result instead of hoping for indirect revenue from miscellaneous revenue from show services and required add-ons seldom read in the fine print of your exhibition contract?
What if, you could do all of this for each of your inline booths? Adios, second class exhibits. Your show now becomes an equal opportunity showcase for every exhibitor regardless of the size or cost of their exhibit booths.
Well, we have news for you. We believe the days of the same old same old, are done. Visually boring inline booths lining up and down the aisles are now history. We believe in you, the wonderful progressive organizer, who can deliver beautiful graphics that help your exhibitors stand out and draw more leads and attendees to their booths.
With the imminent return to live events now within reach, organizers can seize a preciously rare opportunity to provide the small to midsize companies with a truly game-changing breakthrough. These exhibitors are the financial epicenter of our events. We think we have an obligation to help them stand out from the crowd. What better welcome back to F2F events gift could we give them?
Do you want to help your exhibitors Show Better? Of course you do: we all do!