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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PLANNING A SUCCESSFUL TRADE SHOW! PRESENTED BY STRIKE VISUALS

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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PLANNING A SUCCESSFUL TRADE SHOW!

PRESENTED BY STRIKE VISUALS

Table of Contents

#1 Intro To Trade Show Planning And Execution

#2 Analyzing The Show You're Attending

#3 Show Logistics

#4 Trade Show Booth Design Best Practices

#4.5 Planning Your Booth: Tips & Considerations

#5 Pre Show Marketing: Creating Pre Show Buzz

#5.5 Pre Trade Show Email Templates To Create Buzz

#6 Getting Your Booth Made/Built and Shipped

#7 Pre-Trade Show Checklist

#1 Intro To Trade Show Planning And Execution

Why Exhibit At A Trade Show?

Trade Shows are a great way of bringing exposure to your company by showing potential customers, and future leads, what you have to offer. If properly executed, the return on investment towards a tradeshow can make a big difference in sales growth for months to come. Keep in mind that not all Trade Shows will be able to provide the benefits of growth and lead generations, so make sure to research which one best suits you and your company. A good way of doing this is to possibly walk the show and see how you can benefit from being there with a booth. Also it is good to keep an eye out on what the other companies attending the show have to offer so you are aware if there is any competition. With this said, here are some great marketing ideas to help you stand out amongst the rest.

Where To Start?

Do your research, looking into what companies have attended certain Trade Shows during previous years, will help you know what the targeted audience is that the show is trying to reach. Each event is unique as to what companies are attending, where the event is held, and during what time of the year it is scheduled for. Each one of these plays a major roll on whether you should definitely attend or use the funding to attend a different event. By knowing what companies will attend, you are able to see what the customers are interested in. If your company is known for selling insulated bottles for people interested in an outdoor lifestyle, and you have a major, well known, outdoor clothing company also attending the show, then there is a good chance both companies will attract similar customers. By knowing where the event is located will also help focus on how attending the event will benefit your company. A surfing company would be better off targeting their money towards attending an outdoors sporting expo in Southern California instead of one in Northern Utah. The location is key due to where it is being held, and what the surrounding are has to offer in terms of audience demographics. The time of year when the Trade Show is being held is also important, with this information you are able to decide whether it is during your companies busy season or something you are able to set time aside in order to attend. This will also help narrow what audience are interested in depending on the season, a bicycle company has better odds in attending an Outdoor Trade Show during the summer in comparison to attending one during the middle of winter.

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Interactive Zone

Example Trade Show Booth Layouts?

The Both Layout will differ depending on many factors: what your budget is, how big of an area you have to work with, and what you will be showing/providing at the event. Another major thing to take into consideration is to reach out to the trade show coordinators as soon as possible once the event is announced. The sooner you are able to reach out, the better chances you have of getting a spot that works best for you and your company.

Knowing your budget will help when looking to purchase a trade show booth, trade show booths tend to range from a few thousand dollars all the way up to millions of dollars, therefore there is a large spectrum where different companies are able to look for options. Make sure to set aside funding specifically for this purpose since it will help avoid financial complications down the road. Dimensions of area are also important because it limits you as to what you are able to work with, you do not have to be the biggest both in order to generate leads and sales. Displays will be the best place to start, having display that are able to promote your brand are key into visually capturing customers prior to reaching your booth. This is possible through back wall displays, banners, or even televisions running your company ads. Having open areas within your booth will also allow customers to feel welcomed, provide furniture allows for different ways of being able to interact with customers generating leads or even writing up quotes. Your company spotlight item also has to be something you take into account. If you offer smaller items such as coffee, setting up multiple tables in order to provide sample is the best way to go about this, allowing for multiple interactions at once. If your company items is something of a bigger scale, such as a car, a center display with plenty of walking area around it would be the best approach, allowing for customers to freely move around to visually take in what you offer.

#2 Analyzing The Show You're Attending

How To Attract Visitors?

Creating attention is important in order to generate an audience for your trade show booth. Interacting with future leads in fun, enjoyable ways is sure to leave them thinking about your company even after the show is over. This is important since there will be multiple companies promoting their products at trade shows, it is important that you make yourself stand out.

Social Media is a great place to start when trying to generate attention towards your companies booth. Make sure to inform your clients through social media in order to make them aware that your company will be attending a show. You can use social media to your advantage in multiple ways, one is allowing your audience to decide between items to give away at your show, or even what to showcase. Interactive games will help create awareness towards your company, allowing customers to win different prizes by playing different games would be a fun way of providing free items, in addition to this, make your prizes unique in the sense that the customer won’t end up with fifteen pens from fifteen different companies by the end of the show. A good idea for an interactive mini game would be to set up a small section of your booth for a one hole mini golf, this will allow the audience to have fun while also being able to win some prizes. An immersive way of providing interactions with your customers would be to integrate a virtual reality or augmented reality section to your trade show booth. With the direction technology is going, if your company specializes in heavy winter jackets, placing virtual reality goggles onto you customers while placing them in a temperature controlled room will allow them to get first hand experience with your products while also creating a moment to be remembered.

Execute Your Trade Show Booth

Now that you know what to plan and properly execute your trade show booth, gather your plans and turn them into action. Turning your trade show booth into a lead generating source is something that will definitely pay off for months after the actual event, if properly executed. By gathering all this information and making it work for you and your company, you will be sure to see a difference in sales and customer growth. Remember that attending a trade show event as a company is no easy task, but now that you have this information, you should be closer to properly executing your next trade show booth and event!

During your pre-show prep, it’s important to get as much information about the audience and people who will be attending the trade show you’re exhibiting at as possible.

Before you get all the info you need to plan a good show, you should know if the show in question is a good fit for your company. But maybe you’re testing out the show to see how it goes. If that is the case you should at least know what industry the show is in and the industry should be one that fits your target market to sell your products and services.

This is usually done through the trade show management team or company that is hosting and putting on the trade show. Meaning the people in charge.

Start by asking your contact at the trade show company if they are the right person to get information about the show from. If they aren’t, then ask them to introduce you to the right person who can help.

Here is an example email script to do just that.

Here are the important questions to ask to get the right information that will help you plan for the show.

Q1: How many attendees were at the show last year (Assuming this isn’t the first show) and how many do you expect to be there this year?

Q2: What are some of the main topics attendees will be interested in?

Q3: What are the top demographics of attendees?

Q4: What are the top professional interests of attendees?

Once you get answers to those questions and any more than you think would be relevant to you and your company, Save it in your planning folder to reference during other trade show planning phases.

To: "[Trade Show Contact]"

Subject: I have some questions about (insert show name)

Hi (contact’s name), I'm reaching out because I have some questions about (x) show. Are you the right person to talk to or if you aren't, could you introduce me to the right person who can help provide me info about the show?

Thanks!

#3 Show Logistics

#4 Trade Show Booth Design Best Practices

Trade shows are most stressful when you are unprepared and there are unknown factors that come out of nowhere.

That’s why it’s so important to have a checklist and logistics sheet that you can create and share with everyone involved with the event. On the sheet you should have all the details organized. Then you print it out and email it to everyone so they have the information needed for a smooth show exhibiting experience.

Here is a trade show logistics checklist.

Before the show, you’ll need a booth. There are many ways to go about getting the booth you want. If you are designing and building a booth from scratch you’ll want to start at the latest 6 months before the show.

There are many kinds of booths and styles ranging in price and ease of use.

Minimalist Booth

Some take the simple route with one or two rolling cases that have a banner, back wall, and table cover for the table the show provides. This is low cost and easy to transport and set up for an in and out kind of experience. These kinds of setups are always for a 10x10 booth. This approach lacks in appearance and is not suitable to grab attention or get people excited to come to your booth. It is good for a one man show that flies in, goes to the show, and flies out and carries the rolling bag as checked luggage.

Get Noticed, Stand Out Booth

On the other side of the spectrum, brands can create stunning custom-designed booths with a lot of features that help them get noticed and communicate their brand message to attendees. These booths can come in all sizes from a 10x10 to a 50x50 booth. They can also range it prices. They can start as little as $3k and go up to $500k for big brands.

You’ll have to decide how valuable your show is and what your companies willing to spend on it to determine what kind of booth would be best.

Working with a trade show booth designer and manufacturer will help you figure it out. If they have your best interest at heart, a trade show company can help consult you on booths and designs with prices so you can pick out one that meets your needs.

Here are some trade show booth design best practices.

Dates & TimeFlight out:Flight arrivalHotel/rental address and check in infoBooth set upShow startBreak timesMajor keynote speaker times and subjects:Our special event start time and addressShow end dateBooth packupHotel checkoutFlight out

Shipping: When do you need to ship the booth so it’s at the exhibit hall on time?

Shipping company and contact info:

Storage:

Setup: Do you pay someone to set it up or do you set it up?

Travel: Flights, rental cars ext.

Minimalist Booth Design

There are many products you can get that are great for a simple booth.

Custom printed/branded gear that will run at a lower cost but still communicate your brand’s message at shows.

Here are some ideas for great that can be used for a minimalist booth:

• Backdrops and Backwalls• Pillowcase Walls• Stright, curve, s-curve• Pop up walls• SEG backlit walls• X-Frame banners• Roll up banner• Table covers

Get Noticed, Stand Out Booth Design

These booths incorporate an array of elements to create a booth that not only shows a brand but invites people to spend time at the booth.

Think of booths as staged areas that create a office space to talk with customers.

These booths start with a structural foundation that can be made from wood or aluminum.

10 x 10 Wood Booth 20 x 20 Aluminum Booth 20 x 20 Aluminum Truss Booth10 x 10 Wood Booth

Here are some ideas for trade show booth designs of all sizes.

• Hanging signs and banners• TV monitors showing videos, pictures, interactives• Games• VR/AR elements• Image projection• Custom wood structures• Aluminum tubing structures• Custom printed fabric banners• Vinyl banners• Tables• Plants, water features• Product displays• Lighting• Lounge/sitting areas• Benches, chairs, furniture: inflatable or standard.• Tables• Refreshment serving setups• Equipment for special needs such as refrigerators, grills, music• Storage compartments for product

These are all options among other elements that can be custom designed to serve your brand’s needs at a trade show.

Working with a trade show design professional will help you create the booth you want.

Some things to consider with booth design:

Trade show booths should be welcoming and invite people walking around. That means open spaces with sit-ting areas. Incorporate some elements of fun and excitement that will intrigue people to come participate in whatever your booth has going on.

You can achieve this with games such as:• Cornhole• Darts• Ring toss• Horseshoes• Large Jenga• Airzooka• VR and AR elements

Here are 16 Booth Design Ideas to consider

1. Try to use interactive content where it makes sense.2. Cool branded swag that won’t get thrown away.3. You can set up quizzes and capture emails in the process.4. Teach something valuable at your booth.5. Create a welcoming atmosphere.6. Make sure your branding is aligned and on point with the attendees.7. Partner up with a trade show design company that can help you achieve all this.8. Let people test your product or service.9. Take advantage of the space above your booth with hanging signage.10. Make it fun, know the attendees, get noticed.11. Consider a photobooth.12. Try hiring a barista.13. Perhaps some tasty food.14. Instead of ordinary banners try setting up a whiteboard for people to doodle on or add to it in a cre-

ative way.15. Give out cards in hallways with your booth info, t-shirts, or other branded swag with a message that

makes people want to visit your booth. (i.e. “Come visist booth #17 for a chance to win $500) If you can tie it into your product and service that is always best.

16. Make your booth pop with lighting and colors.Bonus: 17. Hire a magician to do tricks in the hallways wearing a shirt with your brand and booth

number.

Here are another 7 ideas to attract more visitors to your booth.

https://www.strikenow.com/7-creative-trade-show-booth-ideas/

#4.5 Planning Your Booth: Tips & Considerations

Other booth design tips to remember:

• Consistent messaging and branding • Utilize graphics for display spaces on all surfaces for brand messaging. • Branded swag

Consider Your Flooring

Flooring often gets overlooked at tradeshows, but can certainly make or break your presentation at the end of the day. Unique, custom flooring can often allow you to stand out from the regulation concrete flooring or carpeting that is provided. Besides, in some cases, traditional concrete flooring or dark carpeting may clash negatively with your overall presentation. The Goal Of Booth Design Should be... To collaborate with teammates and the marketing team to come up with a branded show message. Design your booth around that message incorporating booth elements that will appeal to show attendees.

1. Check Out Trade Shows For Research

There are many places to research how others are doing booths to pick out what elements you like and dislike for your own booth. Try walking some shows and write down things you see that stand out to you and that you see working. You could talk to the people working the booth to ask them questions on where they got certain things and how different elements have been working. Take pictures and write down notes.

2. How Is The Functionality Of The Booth

Talk with your team about what kind of function your booth might need or that you would want. Do you need storage areas or a more secluded space to talk with clients?

3. Make Your Graphic Super Bold And Stand Out

Think of your booth graphics as billboards on a highway. People are walking by and looking around. Come up with messages that cause people to notice your booth in the hall, stop to think and capture their attention.

Your graphics should…

Give a quick introduction to the brand, product, or service. Think taglines and bold phrases.

Graphics can double as a direct message about your brand and dismay any passersby who is not interested. You don’t need any people coming to your booth that don’t care about what your brand has to offer.

4. The Name Of Your Company Doesn’t Need To Be Front And Center

For a smaller company that is exhibiting at a show and doesn’t have a lot of brand awareness in an industry, their name won’t attract people as much. Consider big messages like those discussed in tip 3 and then a “watermark” type company name smaller somewhere on the graphics.

5. Research The Industry To Figure Out An Expected Cost Of The Show

The cost of a trade show differs a lot depending on industry and the show. It can be hard knowing how much you should spend and how much you’ll get back. Research the industry averages and get some insights from the show company to figure out what you think you should spend. There is always a level of testing when you go to a new show but you can at least do as much homework as possible to be better prepared to spend money on a show.

For in-line booths, anticipate that you’ll spend about $1,000 per linear foot. So that 30-foot inline booth will cost around $30,000.Custom island booth design and construction will likely average between $135 and $155 per square foot. If you’re looking at a 20x20 booth, that means cost will likely land between $54,000 and $62,000.

A spare design can bring those costs lower; adding bells and whistles and electronics can move the price higher.

A good trade show design company will have numbers and examples to help you decide on which route to start with. Communication between everyone involved in the trade show booth process is key to success.

Graphic and Design Best Practices

• Simple Signage: Big clean and easy to read quickly • Eye Level, Not Floor Level • Left to Right, Top to Bottom: people take in trade show graphics like they do newspapers so make sure your messaging is arranged in this way. • Choose Fonts Wisely: fonts are your marketing voices that can whisper or scream your message. Choose typeface that matches the emotional tenor of your brand and campaigns. • Color Consistency: be stable with brand colors through multiple touch points to avoid visual overload and to help maintain your theme.

Getting Your Graphic Files Ready

Your graphic designer has made all the graphics for the show. Now you need to share them with the booth manufacture so they can properly use them in the booth. Regular graphics you see on a computer wont always work printed large on fabric.

Want To Use Graphics You Already Have? Tips On Getting Them Ready

• Provide native graphic files (photoshop, illustrator, etc.) and current brand standards. • Use large format graphics that are designed to scale. Vector-based graphics ideal for such scaling. • Keep your messaging relevant, clear and concise. • Keep in mind how the exhibit is constructed. Large graphics and messaging can get lost if you have them in the wrong place. You want to take note of panel breaks, monitor placement and other structural elements that tend to break up the graphics. • If you are using images for your marketing ads be sure to use the highest quality photos possible. You can always shrink a photo but it can be difficult to enlarge one while retaining its quality and impact.

#5 Pre Show Marketing: Creating Pre Show Buzz

Among many things to prepare before a trade show, your marketing message and campaign before the show is vital to get the most out of your show.

Here we’ll go over pre-trade show marketing ideas and checklist.

One of the very first things to do:

1. Come Up With A Branded Show Message

You can reuse a message from a previous show, you can go with your company tagline or main message…

However, creating a specific show message that aligns with your products and services is the best option.

This way people can align your company with the show and understand your solution (product/service) much easier and faster. Which are Desirable outcomes with marketing messaging.

So, sit down with a few workmates and brainstorm some ideas for the show message.

Here’s a good way to go about it.

1. Schedule a meeting with a few people you’d like to help with this. 2. Write out the trade show title, demographics of attendees, and Industry type of the show. 3. Ask yourselves: a. What are people coming to the show looking for? b. Do our company's products or services align with what they are looking for? 4. Now with that information in mind. Write out all your ideas for a custom show tagline/message. 5. Consolidate and vote on the best message. 6. Go with it.

Refer back to the tips in chapet 4.5 when you come up with a show message and graphics.

This show message will be used in the booth design process as well as all the pre-show marketing.

Also, consider a show specific deal or feature of some kind.

This could include:

• Show specials and deals. • Product announcements. • New features. • Anything that would pertain to attendees.

2. Create Marketing Collateral With Your Message

Get with your designers and make some graphics with your show message.

Make sure to include your booth #, the show name, and the date and location of the show.

These graphics will be used for emails, social media, and any private messages within your network.

If you have the resources consider creating a video as well. You can even shoot yourself, CEO, or Salesperson on a smartphone just announcing the details of the show and that your company will be there. Then post it up on your companies social channels.

3. Social Media Schedule

Schedule out social media posts for 1 month, 1 week, 1 day, day of, and after-show thank you. All with different messages that make sense with the time. Here are some examples:

In all your social media posts you’ll want to include your show tagline.

1 month out from the show message: (insert brand name) will be exhibiting at (insert show name) next (insert month and date of show). (Include something specific about the show) We’ll be announcing our new product, service. We’ll have a show special during the show only, or (use your show tagline). Come visit us at (insert booth #)

1 Week out from show message: Are you attending or exhibiting at (Insert show name) next week? (Rephrase your message/tagline with the show special or another show-specific thing).

Day before the show message: Come to booth #1234 tomorrow to learn about how (insert show message).

Day of show message: (Rephrase show message and booth details)

After-show message: Thank you for visiting with us at (insert show). We love meeting with everyone about (show message). Visit us online to learn more about how you can (show message Call To Action)

Don’t forget to include the official trade show hashtags in each of your posts.

6 Pre Trade Show Email Templates To Create Buzz

4. Email

If you have been to a show before then you should have a list of scanned/collected leads from the past show. This is your gold list.

If you haven’t been to the show before and don’t have any email lists related to the show here’s what you can do.

Ask yourself if the show industry is aligned with your current customer base. For example, if you are attending a tech training industry show and your customers are in the tech training space then it’s fair to say a lot of your customers will be attending the show. This makes it okay to send show related emails to your customer base.

This is not always the case, however. Maybe you’re trying to break into a new industry at a trade show and almost none of your current customers are related to the show’s industry.

If this is the case there is some pre-show contact mining you can do but it’s not a high-quality strategy that usually yields low replies.

Pre Show Email Best Practice

• Create an email calendar similar to your social media posts that are aligned with your social media messaging.

• Begin sending emails 8 weeks before the show. And send one every 2 weeks. If you start social posts 1 month before it’s okay that your emails are sent out weeks before your social posts.

• Include a call to action in your email. This could be to register for a prize at your booth or to just visit your website to learn about your show message. Always include value in your content both emails and the webpages you link to in your email. This can be in the form of a helpful blog related to your show message.

1. Message To Previous Years Trade Show Contacts 4. Who From Your Company Will Be There

2. Your Current Customers Are Strong Allies 5. Resources To Help Your List

3. Booth Details 6. What Our Booth Will Look Like

Click The Buttons To Download The Email Templates

#6 Getting Your Booth Made/Built And Shipped

Once you know what you want at your booth your going to want to get it made and shipped all in time for the show. This means starting early. Way early. Like 6 months out from the show. Some companies even start 1 year before a big show.

This gives you more time to make adjustments without being on a tight deadline.

Here are the steps to getting your booth made.

Pre Steps:

1. Make a list of all the design elements and things you want at your booth. 2. Make a folder of all your vector files, graphics, and brand assets you want in your booth. 3. Draft some drawings of your booth with what graphics go where. 4. Reach out to a booth manufacturer (Strike Visuals is your trade show booth go to) 5. Start discussions on what you want and how you want it.

Working With Strike Visuals As A Booth Manufacturer Steps:

STEP 1: INITIAL CONSULTATIONHelp us understand your vision and we’ll get started on some designs of your Custom Trade

Show Booth.

STEP 2: EXAMINE THE EXAMPLESWe will send you examples and options and ask any follow-up questions so we can start to

finalize a rendering for you.

STEP 3: APPLY YOUR BRANDINGWe receive graphics from you so we can brand the rendering exactly as you want.

STEP 4: GET A QUOTE READYWe educate you on all necessary details and produce a quote for your custom trade show

masterpiece.

STEP 6: OTHER SERVICESWe offer Project Management, Storage, & Transportation of your booth to your trade show

and take care of all details.

STEP 5: PRODUCTIONProduction and shipping out your trade show booth.

We build your custom trade show with the highest level of quality as well as the most cost-effective means of manufacturing.

We manage and work with premium shipping partners to get your booth to where it needs to be on time.

Your booth successfully arrives at the show ready to be set up.

#7 Pre-Trade Show ChecklistSet Goals: Set team goals you would like to accomplish during the show. • Make ten sales on the trade show floor • Generate at least 50 quality leads • Network with ten industry leaders • Find three serious investors • Ask potential clients three specific questions for market research

Decide Your Main Message

Make sure you have a focused marketing message that will be used across your booth, pre-show content, and any printed material to communicate to all who come across your brand from the show.

Pick your exhibiting space

Make sure your spot is saved in the exhibitor hall.

Final Checklist

Develop a Targeted Content Strategy

Build a Booth That Stands Out

Design your trade show graphics and handouts

Pick Your Booth Team

Solidify Travel Plans

Pre-show mailings, email, and social

Schedule meetings

Plan your promotional items

Pack trade show supplies Review this guide

Discover the best solution, price, and service on your next trade show booth from Strike Visuals.

Congratulations!

This guide was made to help you plan and execute a successful trade show. Hopefully, it gave you ideas and made you think about the things you can do to pull off a successful trade show.

In no way are these ideas a full proof method or all needed to have a successful trade show. The ideas discussed in this guide are to just provide you with more information so you can decide on what would be best for you and your company at trade shows.

Feel free to pick and choose from the ideas discussed and make up a plan that works for you and your budget.

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY ABOUT US

Kayla S:

"I love working with these guys! Highly recommend. They truly understand how the event world works and are willing to do what it takes to get the job done on time and done right. The quality of work plus outstanding customer service makes it really enjoyable to do business together!"

Cassandra Martin:

“Cant say enough good things about them! The design team was very helpful and everyone on staff was so friendly! The quality is the best display I have used and highly recommend to anyone looking for quality and professionalism!”

Josh Sumsion:

“Amazing service with unbeatable quality. Thanks to the whole team for helping get our order out so fast. I was extremely impressed with the printing and material, all with a heavy duty frame that feels tough.”

If you need a full trade show booth solution get in touch with Strike Visuals

[email protected] (801) 872-4055