The ADfab Tradeshow Buzz
August 30th, 2010
Businesses usually plan a mix of marketing activities when they are introducing a new product or service. This can include corporate marketing events, web-campaigns, television commercials and trade shows. The budget for each marketing effort needs to be planned such that costs are kept low and there is no over-spending. This is particularly important in trade shows.
When a company has to prepare for trade show participation, it has to keep a number of factors in mind. This includes booth design, displays, transportation and storage. Many businesses go for trade show booth rentals to keep costs low and get an almost ready-made booth to advertise their products effectively.
One of the main aims of businesses participating in a trade show is to attract as many visitors as possible to their booth. An impressive visual presentation is crucial to achieve this objective. Trade show rental companies offer businesses tailored solutions for all of their display needs. Depending on the budget, small or elaborate displays can be rented. You will find it much simpler to go for rentals instead of setting everything up yourself, which can take a lot of effort and time.
Most of the trade show booth rentals companies also offer package deals which include a number of exhibits and displays. They also provide suggestions and offer personalized solutions, which help businesses create the right impact at trade shows. Some also offer value added services such as on-site help or installation and take-down services
August 23rd, 2010
Many businesses these days are looking at newer, more innovative ways of marketing their products and services at trade shows or marketing events. When planning a marketing campaign or trade show participation, businesses have to consider both cost and quality. Fabric displays have become very popular among businesses as they offer many advantages over more traditional forms of displays. They are inexpensive and portable, and they can be assembled and stored away with ease.
These displays create brilliant, true-to-life images and instantly grab the attention of the audience. There is a wide variety in such displays that businesses can use depending on their unique needs.
In a fur fabric display, the image is covered with fur patches. As the patches move, the image is revealed. This display consists of three layers – the first is a conductive layer, the second is the image (company logo, graphics) and the third layer consists of the fur. Another type is the thermochromic fabric display. Thermochromic substances change color with changes in temperature. These dyes are often used in shirts worn by models. As the temperature of the cloth increases, the image becomes visible. After the cloth has cooled down, the image disappears.
Electroluminescent fabric displays also create unique and vibrant images. Outfits can be created using electroluminescent wires and worn by models advertising the company’s product. Different patterns can be created by bending the EL wire and such displays immediately catch the eye. In yet another form, LED lights are used to create displays.
August 9th, 2010
Pop-up displays are very popular in trade shows and other marketing events. The frame of a pop-up display pops up in one movement to reveal the image. Such displays can be used as table top or floor exhibits. A combination of the two can also be created for a unique effect. There are many manufacturers who offer a wide selection of such displays to cater to the needs of different businesses.
There are several reasons why these displays have become so popular, especially among businesses marketing their products at trade shows. One reason is that accessories can be easily attached to these displays. For instance, the display can be enhanced by fixing lights to its frame to make it more attractive.
Pop-ups are portable and can be moved around without much effort. Setting up such displays takes only a few minutes and the process of assembling is straightforward. This saves a lot of time and effort, allowing the company to concentrate on other aspects of the show. They can also be repaired more easily than other displays because the way in which they are engineered is quite simple.
Pop-ups are relatively inexpensive when compared with other displays. Another reason why you can consider using pop-up displays is because the graphic can be modified whenever required, giving you a lot of flexibility. Besides, they are also easy to store away after use and do not require a lot of space.
August 2nd, 2010
The quality of trade show displays of your company can be the difference between a highly successful campaign and a lackluster one. If you are participating in a trade show, the displays are the single most important aspect that you need to focus on.
Displays not only attract customers to your booth, they also help in keeping them interested in what you have to say. Smartly designed displays reflect the identity of your company and the features of your products. They convey to your customers how well run your business is. Poorly designed displays can have a negative impact even on your existing customers, as they will stop seeing your brand favorably.
Given how important trade show displays are, it is no surprise that companies spend a lot of time, effort and money to get them right. Large corporations, which usually have a lot of space available to them in trade shows, use innovative display designs and technologies to set their booth apart from the competition. A lot of creativity goes into getting the structure, materials, and graphics of displays right.
An important aspect about trade show displays that many small businesses end up ignoring is that they need to be consistent with the rest of the company’s marketing strategy. A coherent message and tone should go out to the customer, which can be achieved by using a consistent color scheme, images, and tag line. It may not be possible to handle all these aspects internally and using an external consultant for this task will be worth the expense.
July 29th, 2010
Trade shows can give a boost to your sales and improve the brand image of your company in the market. As long as you are able to keep your costs low through services like trade show booth rentals, they provide a great opportunity to go head to head with competitors and convince customers about why your products are better.
Here are a few tips to help you extract the maximum benefit out of your trade show participation:
• Careful planning: You can’t just show up at a trade show and expect to succeed. You need careful planning and strategizing about how you will go about convincing your customers about your offerings. Think about the unique selling points of your products and the major strengths of your company. These should be highlighted at the trade show.
• Attractive presentation: Your plans should be executed perfectly, especially the way your displays turn out to be. The displays should be attractive so that customers are drawn towards the booth. The level of engagement with the customer needs to be sustained, for which you will need some smart people handling the booth.
• Keep costs low: Trade show costs can spiral out of control if you are not careful about your budget. This will reduce your ROI and may even make the whole exercise futile. Keep your costs low by opting for trade show booth rentals and do a careful budget allocation. Focus on those aspects that can give you good value and avoid spending on things that do not serve an important purpose.
July 23rd, 2010
Well designed custom displays can create the right impact and attract visitors to your trade show booth. When you are sharing the trade show floor with several of your competitors, you have to ensure that the display is eye-catching and draws potential customers to your booth.
These displays can be prepared in-house or created by professional display specialists. For in-house displays, a significant amount of time has to be invested. It is usually a good idea to engage a professional display specialist even if you have to spend some money.
There are many displays that can be used to market your products effectively, such as pop-ups, table-tops, fabric, modular and banner displays. The advantage with such displays is that they can be transported easily and installed quickly in the trade show booth. Depending on your requirements and budget, you can set up elaborate or simple displays.
There are a few things that should be kept in mind when creating such displays. The graphics should be bright and colorful but not over-the-top. The lighting and booth walls should be in sync with the display. Ensure that there is sufficient lighting and the display is clearly visible even from a distance.
Effective custom displays present relevant information about the product and the company in a succinct way. The company’s name and logo must be prominently displayed so that visitors can recall them without much effort. Make sure that the booth in which the display is exhibited is comfortable, airy and uncluttered.
July 12th, 2010
It is very likely that you consider your company’s participation in trade shows a very important part of your marketing plan. You get the exposure that you need for your products or services and your potential clients and customers have the chance to see what you have to offer up close and personal. But getting them to your booth at the trade show is often a difficult task, especially if you are not designing the most effective custom displays! Invest all the money in the world – if you can’t get them to your booth, your investment is worthless.
Lighting and Color
When considering the most effective way to design a custom trade show display, you must take several factors into consideration. Lighting and color may be more important than any other aspect of the design; after all, we are a visual society, and we are drawn to things that please the eye. Consider lighted signage, spotlights, and backlights for your display, and be sure to use a color that will attract folks to your booth while being relevant to your company or the products and services you are marketing. Include the color of your primary logo in the design, and choose colors to go with the primary color that represents your company that accentuate it, or make it stand out even more. Blue and green are professional and sophisticated colors, but red, orange, and yellow are attention-grabbing shades and great in minimal amounts.
Sound, Motion and Smell
Om addition to color, sound, motion and smell are also vital to the display. Plan to bring your own sound system with you, and use only sounds that are appropriate for the surroundings and that don’t interfere with other booths. This means some universally pleasant background music that everyone would enjoy; avoid going with a genre of music that is specifically youthful or that is too “old” for younger clients to appreciate. Motion in your booth is a good way to draw the eye, such as with the use of a projection television to play a DVD about your product, for instance. You might also hang up colored streamers that will blow in the wind that you create with a small desk fan, disguised within the custom trade show display. And last of all, adding a pleasing aroma to your display will also draw in folks, whether it is a plate of fragrant cookies or a rented popcorn popper – you’ll find that lots of people follow their noses. Another great idea is to turn the pedestrians at the show into walking advertisements for your company with company branded bottled water – which is readily available from a number of manufacturers.
Balancing the Custom Trade Show Display
It is important to temper the use of all of these – color, light, smell, motion, and sound – into the custom trade show display. In some displays, using all of these components may make the booth appear too overwhelming, or may make it lose its focus. A good way to get the best balance in your custom trade show display is to allow a professional to design the display for you – which is often a good way to save money and end up with a display is effective for your next trade show.
July 5th, 2010
Even though custom displays are a bit pricier than their pre-fabricated cookie-cutter counterparts, there is much to be said about the benefits of the custom display when it comes to your success at trade shows and exhibits. After all, having a booth at a trade show is never enough; your mere presence isn’t going to make the event a success. Drawing potential customers and clients to your booth is what fuels trade show successes and a custom display can literally mean the difference between triumph and failure at your next event. Almost any style of display can be fully customized to best showcase your company and your products and services. From the small and relatively simple design all the way up to ornately crafted custom booth displays, these designs are individualized for your company’s needs and purchasing one is a smart investment. The custom display is very polished and exudes a professional appearance that will draw trade show attendees to your booth like bees to honey.
Choosing a Custom Display
Prior to choosing the custom display that will catapult your company to success at your next trade show or exhibition, make a careful and realistic assessment of your needs. If your plans include participating in multiple trade shows and events within the next year, you will definitely want to go with a custom display. Also take the products that you will be displaying into consideration; it is always a good idea to have the display outfitted to accommodate your products so that you will not need to purchase a supporting or secondary display for display inventory, even if this drives up the cost of the custom display initially. It is also prudent to avoid ‘trendy’ looks when it comes to your display and go rather with a classic display that is not only attractive but versatile. A trendy display may be more ‘up to the minute’ but a class display will be useful for several years with the right maintenance and care. And go for the size of display that you are most comfortable with transporting yourself unless you plan to hire out the task of getting the display to and from events, which will add to the overall usage cost of the display. If you are planning to choose a custom display that you can transport yourself, make sure that you can easily set it up yourself as well when you arrive at the event.
Other Considerations
Custom displays are available in a plethora of different shapes and sizes, or you can choose a custom shape or size that meets your needs. Keep in mind that you will always want a number of horizontal working surfaces for displaying literature and brochures as well as for your products. It is equally important that you have attractive and abundant lighting for the custom display, as well as backlighting that may be needed in certain instances. Be certain that the display is equipped for sound, and depending on your product or service, for media, like DVDs, to be played. And last of all, if you want to change the graphics, signage, or other elements of the custom display later on, choose a design that is adaptable enough to allow for modifications.
Following these tips will allow you to get the biggest bang for your trade show ‘buck’ and hopefully you will end up with a custom display that will be useful to you and your growing company for the long term.
June 28th, 2010
First time participants at trade shows are often at a loss when it comes to choosing the right kind of exhibit. Trade show displays come in many different kinds and sizes, and your choice will largely depend on your budget and marketing objectives. Here are some of the popular choices.
Pop-up displays: They are inexpensive, portable and very effective in delivering the desired message. With the right kind of graphics, you can draw more visitors to your booth without spending a lot of money on an expensive exhibit.
Allure banner: This is another popular display type that lets visitors know what the company is offering in a very attractive, ‘curvy’ manner. It allows you to minimize your costs, as you would have to rent lesser exhibit space.
Collapsible trade show displays: They can be anywhere between six to ten feet wide. They function as an attractive graphic background for the booth and are an expensive option because of the size and amount of graphics required.
Custom displays: You can also go for custom made displays. They are highly effective and tailor made to your requirements, but expensive. For example, you can incorporate interactive kiosks with flat screen PCs so that customers can browse through product catalogues and corporate information.
Don’t go for trade show displays that occupy a great deal of space unless you can actually afford both the display rental and sufficient space for it at the trade show venue. Make sure there’s plenty of room for your staff to move around, otherwise the booth will end up looking disorganized and messy in spite of the attractive exhibit.
June 21st, 2010
An effective booth design is the key to creating an impression on your target audience at a trade show. Marketers use different kinds of trade show exhibits like pipe and drape displays, modular exhibits, panel and frame systems, and the popular pop-up displays to achieve this objective.
A pop-up display is commonly known as the portable or pull-up display. It consists of a graphic panel, a roller and a support post. The panel is typically made of fabric and is covered with colorful illustrations and murals.
Pop-up displays have the advantage of greater flexibility thanks to the material it is made of. Setting it up is simple, straightforward and a one-man job. When you need to use it, simply unwind the panel and secure it to the support post. It is also easy to store. Once you’re done using it, detach it from the support post and it neatly winds down the roller.
Pop-up displays are portable, and they come with a wheeled transport case. As they are lightweight, you will have no trouble taking it along with you to the trade show venue. Although they are normally viewed as a background prop to the main display, you can effectively use them to convey a sales pitch without having to shout it out. Eye-catching graphics in bold colors will grab a customer’s attention within seconds, tempting them to stop and read.
Pop-up displays are not expensive and can be purchased for a reasonable amount. You can get them custom designed with your choice of graphics at a sign and graphic solutions shop.
