Participating in exhibitions is a big investment, but the partaking benefits cannot be overlooked. You get to interact with a highly relevant audience, generate quality leads, and establish brand identity. It’s a face-to-face marketing opportunity for businesses that strengthen relationships with existing clients while forging bonds with a new clientele.
However, to achieve this, you should know how to attract people to your exhibition stand. Brands prefer hiring custom exhibition stand builders, while small businesses often go for a do-it-yourself exhibition stand.
Nonetheless, it’s more than knowing how to set up an exhibition stand.
Learning how to attract visitors to your exhibition stand is a marketing tactic that can sweeten the deal. On one hand, businesses can create brand awareness; on the other hand, they can turn visitors into buyers. And we are here to tell you “how do you make exhibition stand more exciting.”
In this article, you’ll learn:
- What makes a good exhibition stand?
- How to stand out at an exhibition
- how to attract visitors to your exhibition stand
Tips on How to Attract People to Your Exhibition Stand
Exhibition organisers try multiple marketing tricks to entice people about their upcoming event. Building up FOMO (fear of missing out), doing press releases, running email campaigns, and creating unique hashtags are all part of marketing. Sometimes, they also partner with influencers or business partners who are going to attend the exhibition.
But these marketing tricks are more suitable for event organisers than for exhibition participants. As a businessperson or media manager, you need an effective strategy to attract more visitors to your exhibition stand.
If you are wondering what makes a good exhibition stand, below are the key aspects.
Understand the Audience
The best thing about an exhibition is the audience, as a majority of the visitors share the same interests. For new businesses, it’s a wild card entry to the competition. They can attract and engage potential customers without much effort, all with the help of a quality exhibition stand. On the other hand, existing brands can further strengthen their corporate identity.
But the trick is in knowing how to plan an exhibition stand.
Obviously, you’ll have to study the audience for this to get their attention. We at EMS Events recommend businesses contact exhibition organisers to get an idea about the audience. They can share the invitation list or tell you what type of audience they are trying to engage. This will help you improve your exhibition stand design according to the attendees’ passions or hobbies.
Improve Your Exhibition Stand Design
Let’s be honest; your exhibition stand design is going to be the first thing that visitors will see. Therefore, try making it as attractive and alluring as possible to make a great first impression.
If you know how to design an exhibition stand, there’s nothing better than it. And in case you don’t, hiring an exhibition stand designer is a good idea. They can provide you with a custom design that resonates with the target audience. You can also ask them to come up with an overall stall theme that matches the exhibition’s nature.
Work on Content and Graphics
An exhibition stand is supposed to be creative, regardless of the industry.
So, focus on creating inspirational content with imaginative graphics to attract the audience. Of course, this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. You’ll need creative ideas for exhibition stands that can grab the attention of passing visitors. Professional event branding and printing services can help you optimise your brand’s presence.
A full-service event production company can provide you with additional material, such as display boards, banners, posters, and brochures.
Don’t Ignore Pre-Event Promotion
The key to attracting more visitors to your exhibition stand is preparation and promotion. You should start promoting your upcoming exhibition participation through social media and email marketing.
Another secret trick is to utilise the exhibition organisers’ promotional strategy to your advantage. By confirming your participation, you can ask them to give your business or brand a space in their marketing campaigns. A simple participation post can help you reach a whole new audience within the industry or region.
Take Advantage of AV Technology
At EMS Events, we are frequently asked one key question, i.e., how do you make your exhibition stand stand out?
Obviously, there’s no short answer to that, but we do emphasise on using the AV equipment. Audio visual elements can draw attention and make people look at your exhibition stand. What’s more intriguing is that you can show off your expertise using an LED display screen. You can also utilise other IT equipment, such as a projector, audio mixer, or Gobo lighting, to engage the visitors.
Create Interactive Experiences
We don’t have to tell you that you’ll be up against the best at the exhibition. Each participant and business will be trying to attract visitors to their exhibition stand just like you. The key to staying ahead of them is being creative in approach.
People love creativity and trying out fun things at exhibitions and trade shows.
There’s no harm in renting creative tools or a VR system to stand out in the crowd. This will catch the eye and attract people towards your exhibition stand across the room. You can install a prize wheel or electronic basketballs to keep visitors coming to your space. They will love the experience, and you can enjoy free promotion of your brand or business.
Offer Free Wi-Fi
We know exhibitions are to market business, engage customers, and generate leads. But there’s no harm in letting people enjoy high-speed, reliable internet for their convenience. We have seen this trick work dozens of times, and it works like a magnet.
It’s free publicity within the exhibition that ensures people keep coming to your stand. You can install your own system or hire Wi-Fi for events from a reliable company.
Be Social Media Savvy
Today, social media posts travel faster than news, which you should do during the event. To get the most out of it, use your branded hashtag or create a unique one to create a buzz on digital media. And don’t forget to share the activities happening at your exhibition stand to grab social attention.
If possible, offer selfie frames to people visiting your stand. This way, you can increase the social media reach and create brand awareness without putting much effort.
Put Your A-Team on the Desk
Another way to attract people to your exhibition stand is choosing the right team. People at the exhibition stand are the brand ambassadors of your brand. So, appoint or bring team members who are fun to talk to and hang around.
If possible, pick those who are skilled at an instrument or activity to amuse people around your stand. Visitors love exploring things at exhibitions, but they always stay at exhibition stands, the ones which are fun to be at.
The Bottom Line
Learning how to attract visitors to your exhibition stand is nothing short of mastering a marketing strategy. You should start by understanding the audience to work on your exhibition stand design and event branding. Businesses can display their best version by using AV technology at the exhibition with a twist of social media promotion.
If you are struggling or don’t know how to attract people to your exhibition stand, EMS Events can help you. We can assist you in building a custom exhibition stand along with content creation and event printing services.
