Exhibitions and trade shows are no longer the serious business events they were in the past. While the main goal continues to be attracting new clients, companies are adopting fun approaches to help them stand out. From competitions to technology, the key is no longer to have a persuasive team that drive footfall towards your stand. (Although it still definitely helps!).

With the world of technology that we live in now, many exhibitors utilise some innovative approaches to entice people in. In the past, many have made the mistake of hosting extravagant competitions with fantastic prizes, but the design of it failed to introduce any aspect of what the company did, resulting in thousands of entries for the competition, but no means of following up on any of the leads.

Everyone loves a freebie

Product giveaways can be very effective, but you need to use your common sense as well as your imagination to tie your company in with the competition. For example, using it to provide a trial of your services or giving away fun products that you know most attendees will be interested in. Accomplishing this helps to generate interest around products and services among attendees that may not have heard of your company. (Everyone loves free things!)

With significant development in exhibition stand design, there is now a lot more scope to include technology with your display. Utilising this effectively can help to provide context on your products and services in seconds. In the past this could have taken some of your staff minutes to explain. As there is plenty of competition at exhibitions and most attendees will have a list of different stands they wish to visit, you need to ensure your exhibition stand makes a significant statement in a few seconds to draw them in.

Make it visual

Technology does not have to be expensive, and even smaller exhibition stands can make room in the budget for either a tablet or a monitor. Both provide visual draws for your stand, but also provide an additional way for you to interact with your audience. You can make the most of the tablet by combining it with your competition. Get attendees to provide their details when entering the competition. This provides an ideal way to generate a list of leads for after the event. The impact of a monitor is subtle yet significant. You may only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention. However an effective video can explain your products almost instantly, helping attendees to gain a better grasp of your company.

While innovation is certainly driving exhibitions every year, there are a few basics you need so your exhibition remains approachable. For one, the requirement to have a charismatic team with you is as strong as ever. While competitions and visuals can provide the draw, you still need an approachable and knowledgeable team who can answer questions and provide more detailed information for interested attendees.

Bigger doesn’t mean better

Certainly, the days are long gone where you simply have to be the biggest to have an impact at exhibitions. Even for smaller companies, implementing a smart marketing campaign can yield fantastic results. Ensure you can have fun with what you are doing. You need to be able to convince people that they will be able to work with you. Even seemingly dull products can be transformed to appear exciting, so make sure you work on a strong idea before pressing ahead with the design of your exhibition stand.