How to Draw Attention to Your Trade Show Booth and Generate More Leads

You gotta have a gimmick. Ethel Merman sang those famous words about becoming successful back in 1959, in the Broadway musical Gypsy. But they still ring true today. If you’ve been to a trade show lately, you know it’s a sentiment that has been embraced wholeheartedly. Stroll any show hall and you’ll see exhibitors sporting garish t-shirts, booths outfitted with roulette wheels, and models hawking key chains and pens. Anything to stand out.

It’s an approach that certainly draws attention, but does it help businesses meet their most critical trade show goals: building brand awareness, generating leads and developing relationships?

Not so much.

This type of “carnival barker” approach -- one that might have been effective in Merman’s day -- doesn’t resonate with today’s sophisticated buyers. They want substance. They want solutions. They want to be impressed, not simply entertained.

So, how can companies like yours wring more value out of trade show participation and reach essential business goals?

By harnessing the power of touch.

You might call touch technology -- I’m talking about tech that lets booth visitors swipe, zoom, and tap their way through your branded content on oversize kiosks, tabletop screens or video walls -- a gimmick. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, an immersive, interactive, multi-sensory presentation of your brand delivered on a touch-enabled display is intended to attract attention, but it is hardly a contrivance, shtick, or publicity stunt.

Rather, it’s an innovative, powerful, compelling use of leading-edge technology to tell your company’s story. Touch technology facilitates greater interaction between potential customers and your products or services, creates positive engagement, and deepens the emotional connection with your brand -- all vital elements for turning a casual observer into a loyal customer.  

As an event professional, you can use touch technology strategically to influence the buying process by connecting with key audiences in meaningful ways. The result: you’ll generate more leads, build lasting customer relationships, and ultimately drive more sales. And that’s why you’re exhibiting at the trade show in the first place, right?

Here’s the bottom line: the more effectively you tell your story, the more people you’ll reach. And trade shows offer you the unique opportunity to meet the right people. After all, an entire industry -- vendors and customers -- is gathered in the same place for a few days. Use touch to tell your story in a captivating, value-driven way, and booth visitors will remember you for all the right reasons -- not for your neon t-shirt.

Philip Chila is the Director of ViewPoint Interactive Solutions. A passionate brand champion with a penchant for expensive bourbon and an aversion to marketing hype, he’s committed to helping businesses connect with their customers in compelling and meaningful ways. Reach him at pchila@viewpointtouch.com