If you’re in the dating game, you’re familiar with swipe to like. You take 1 second and if you find someone attractive and want to know more, you swipe right. At trade shows, you want to snag the attention of visitors so they see your trade show innovation and immediately swipe right in their minds. But in order to make this happen, you’ve got to have awesome ideas and even more awesome trade show booth ideas. Custom exhibits don’t hurt, either. 

 

Here are four fun ways you can attract your next ideal customers, and entice them to get to know you more:

Welcome to the (indoor) jungle 

It’s no secret that being stuck in a trade show hall all day for several days on end can feel, well, stifling. It can even bring on bouts of claustrophobia. What could be better than bringing in a breath of fresh air? If you want to make attendees stop and smell the roses at your booth, then you need to provide them something along those lines. 

You can incorporate a garden pergola, live plants, live walls, or grass mats to make your booth feel like an outdoor oasis in the midst of fluorescent light and white wall purgatory. Two of the most awesome ideas of all are to use garden furniture instead of typical furniture and to put together a floral ceiling to give a real outside experience to all who come by. Nature may not be perfectly relevant to your business or industry, but no one will complain about its presence in the trade show hall. 

 

Get your theme on

Why not make your next trade show ‘80s dance party themed? Ok, well we’re still hoping someone will go this route but, ‘80s or not, a theme can be a really fun and unique way to shine a spotlight on your booth and business. Themes can be fun and outlandish or totally serious. And, don’t worry about feeling cheesy. If you and your team lean into your theme, attendees won’t be able to help but enjoy the experience. 

So, think about your differentiators, your products and services. Then get creative! You could tie your theme into a well-known book or TV series (Survivor anyone?), a current trend in home design (countryside chic, perhaps?) or an industry-wide renaissance (say, meditation and becoming “zen,” if you’re in the wellness industry). Of course, you do want to have a reason for your theme. It should make sense and reinforce your overall message or branding, in some way, or else it can actually work against you. 

Once you have your theme nailed down, work it into trade show innovation. It should drive the direction for your booth designs, your team members’ outfits, your messaging and your graphics. The more cohesive, the better. Oh, and be prepared for a lot of questions about your theme. People love to find out more about why your sales folks are all wearing tie-dye or why your booth looks like the set of Family Feud. 

 

Choose quality swag

Swag should not equal lame tchotchkes. We cannot emphasize this enough. Everybody wants useful and cool swag; nobody wants knick-knacks they could find at the dollar store. If you don’t want your giveaways to end up in the airport trash cans, make them interesting. Here are a few awesome ideas:

  • Totes are always both useful and valuable to trade show attendees, but they are becoming a go-to for most exhibitors, so make sure yours is the bag to rule them all. 
  • How about a trade show survival kit? Think of this like a First Aid kit, but a lot more fun. Include hand sanitizer, something like these little caffeinated Cold Brew Gummy Bears, mints, and band-aids. Your visitors are sure to love the useful items and your creativity. 
  • Mobile device chargers are always a win (especially if you can add your logo to them). 

 

Play up the photo ops

Let’s be honest. We live in a world of (lovable) narcissists who will take any chance they have to be snapped in a photo, especially if it makes them look funny, interesting or like VIPs. Consider how you can use this to your advantage. Include a hilarious cut-out, an eye-catching backdrop, or a daring image. Then, watch as visitors flock to your booth with their phone cameras out and ready. Of course an added benefit is the exposure your brand will get once they start sharing to social media. Win/win/win. 

 

Try one of these methods to make your booth and your brand more attractive to passers-by. Contact us if you’d like more awesome ideas for custom exhibits or trade show innovation.