What to Bring to a Trade Show Booth

Trade show consultants know that you don't need to overthink this subject too much. It's really pretty simple. What you bring to a trade show booth is the same stuff you learned in kindergarten. Those key skills you learned all those years ago will serve you well on the show floor.

Face-to-face marketing is really just adult show-and-tell, listening, and making new friends.

But in case you aren't sure how that translates into telling you what to bring to a trade show booth, keep reading.

Exhibitors, it's time for show and tell.

People love to touch things.

If it is at all possible, one of the most important items to bring to your trade show booth is physical product.

Depending on what you make, this might be quite a feat. Some companies will have to ship and assemble large machinery. Others will need to incorporate strong structure into their design to show off their products.

But it is worth it to give people in-person experience with what you make.

People LOVE to touch things. If you can make it possible for attendees to hold, touch and operate your product, all the better!

Some exhibitors won't be able to allow attendees to touch product. It might be too delicate, expensive or there may be a learning curve to operate the equipment you create. Or maybe you are a service-based business.

What then?

Live demonstrations!

If you have the space in your booth, you can incorporate your own stage and demo area. But even if you don't have the biggest booth on the floor, you can still find ways to demo what you do in your booth.

Remember that kindergarten show-and-tell experience? Do that. People love fun and memorable learning.

You want your show-and-tell to be the best. That means making sure you have a trade show booth that can impress. Skip DIY. Get something professionally produced.

It doesn't matter if you have a 10x10 or a 100x100. Represent your brand as professionally and dynamically as you can within the space you reserve.

You want to be the kid who has the most impressive show-and-tell. And that doesn't always mean size people. It does mean investing in quality.

Technology is a great way to set your brand apart. It can allow people to interact with your brand, especially if you can't bring physical products or if you are a service-based business.

A custom-created video is a great way to share information about your process, facility, team and product. Make sure if you are going to do this, you do it right. It's going to reflect on your brand, big time.

Screens and tablets enhance attendee experience.

Share this show-stopper on screens throughout your booth. Orient your screens toward the aisles so traffic walking by want to stop to see more.

Once in the booth, you can hand attendees a tablet that allows them to "choose their own adventure" and learn more about what interests them about your company.

Obviously, the ultimate goal is to get people talking to your team.

But tablets are a great stop-gap when the booth is busy or when people need some time to "warm up". Tablets can help them decide if it is a good use of time for a larger conversation to happen.

Ask open-ended questions, then listen to what people say.

Make new friends

Connect. Don't sell.

As your friendly neighborhood trade show consultants, we recommend you NOT bring business cards to your booth. Whoa. We know.

If you are at the point in a show-floor conversation when you would normally trade cards, whip out your phone. Ask to connect on social media. LinkedIn is an obvious choice for most B2B shows.

But don't be afraid to ask to Facebook friend, follow on Instagram, or whatever might make the most sense for this particular relationship.

Or instead of a social media connect, ask for their number so you can text them a quick hello. Then you each have the other person's contact in their phone.

Here's why...handing someone a business card does three (not so great) things.

3 Reasons Not to Hand out Business Cards

1. Gives them something they need to keep track of. Something that adds clutter to their life. Something they need to search for if and when they do decide to reach out to you.
   
   
2. Gives them work to do. Pull out all the business cards you got at the show. Add whatever ones you need to your phone or address book. What a pain. It's much more likely these cards will sit in a pile until they end up in the trash.
   
   
3. Puts the follow up on them. Well, that isn't how a new friend would act. Treat them like someone interesting you met at church, the gym or a local parent group.

Next time you are on show floor, skip the cards and go in ready to make new friends.

New friends follow up. They say "I had a great time with you".

New friends want to help. They share things their new friend will think are interesting - even if it has nothing to do with your business. This can be send a link to a new audio book, a news article, a show they just have to watch on Netflix. When you are friends, you enrich each other's lives. Not just to get something out of each other. But to show you genuinely care. 

New friends pursue. They ask to continue the relationship.

This could be (in more formal situations) an ask for an official business meeting. You know your sales process and funnel best. But in other cases, it might be a meet up for coffee. This can be in-person or virtual.

Remember to walk the line here and don't be creepy. New friends shouldn't be creepy. And delegate out. If someone else on your team has more in common with this person, let them take the lead on it. Everyone will benefit.

Bring humility. Use the resources at your disposal to move your company forward.

The actionable, tangible stuff

A List of Trade Show Essentials

The rest of the things you need to pack for your trade show are just that, other things. But they are needed to achieve showing attendees something in your booth. So what do smart exhibitors include in their trade show packing list? Check out our smart trade show booth essentials below:

1. A dynamic and interesting booth
   A trade show booth built to serve your brand and business needs is an absolute must. Pair this with great graphic design and an intentional marketing strategy for best results!
2. Media displays
   People will want to dive further into your story. This can be as simple as photos on an iPad or as complex as a custom video on an LED array.
3. Your people
   Prep your team ahead of time and remind them to share their passion for their work. People love that.
4. Collateral
   But make it creative. Remember you can spend some more money to make a really interesting and engaging piece if you are selective about only giving collateral pieces to people who seem like a potential VIP.
5. Swag
   Swag is a trade show must-have if it makes sense for your brand and marketing strategy. Ask yourself: does your business benefit from being top-of-mind? Giving attendees something that will keep your name around can be a benefit. Again, make it nice! No one wants another stress ball. A high-end coffee mug, now you're talking.
6. A plan for lead capture
   Know in advance how you will collect contact info from prospects at the show. Many shows offer a service for this or you can bring your own iPad to send info direct to your CRM.
7. Furniture
   Bring your own or rent from show. (Pro tip: Chairs in your booth should only be in lounge or conference areas for meeting with prospects. Otherwise your sales people should be standing to greet people. We know the days can be long, overstaff so people can take breaks. That comes with the added bonus of being able to network and walk the show outside of your booth!)
8. Hospitality
   Water, snacks, chargers. At least pack these items for your team if you aren't planning to provide hospitality items to attendees. 
9. Flooring
   Set your booth space apart by having flooring that is different from the carpet provided by the show. For smaller shows, this might be bringing an area rug to liven up your décor. Larger booths often have this built into their plan and can be different color carpet on up to custom crafted smart floors, LED screens. Weirdly, in flooring, the sky is the limit.
10. Floral
    Adding plants or flowers to your space can really change the feel of your booth. Often this is available as a show service. Smaller shows you can often bring your own.

At the end of the day, if you can focus in on what you learned in kindergarten -- show and tell! -- you will have the most successful trade show booth at the show.