A lot has changed over the last few years, and we’ve all had to learn how to roll with it. The ingenuity and innovation that the exhibition industry has achieved in the face of unimaginable obstacles is nothing short of astonishing. So, where are we now? What is the best way for your company to stand out at trade shows in this new world? It’s time to look ahead at some of the hottest trends in exhibiting.
Make An Impact
No matter the size of your business, trade shows are a great platform to showcase what your company has to offer. Even as a small exhibitor, you can dazzle and delight visitors with the right combination of features.
Here are a few of the latest market trends when it comes to exhibiting elements. Let’s find out how to maximize these components to elevate your exhibit in the most memorable way.
Interactivity
Offering your visitors hands-on interaction with your products and services helps to create a lasting impression and a more impactful brand experience. People don’t always remember what they have seen or heard, but they will always remember something they have done. Adding interactive demos or touch displays gives your guests the opportunity to really experience your brand and what you offer that sets you apart from others in your space.
Sustainability
Creating a sustainable exhibit, or using sustainable elements for your booth, is not only great for the environment, but also good for your bottom line. Reusing your booth for multiple shows helps keep costs down and environmental impact at a minimum. By minimizing waste, recycling or repurposing signage, furniture, graphics, and carpet or sourcing materials locally are all ways to reduce costs, labor, and time. Consider looking at sustainable options for your next exhibit.
Gamification
One of the most popular features is offering games to elevate brand awareness. Gamification is a widely used marketing tool, but it is a specialized form of trade show marketing and easy to incorporate into small exhibit spaces. In line with exhibiting trends for 2022, games do not have to be high-tech or complicated if it fits your brand.
Games such as mini-golf or prize wheels are easily adaptable to any business. Offer prizes, rewards, digital leader boards, and custom challenges for incentivizing potential customers.
By creating a game that everyone can play, you entice potential customers to your booth rather than to those of your competitors. Check out Kahoot! or Quizizz to create interactive contests with attendees during the show or Mindtickle or Brainshark to create video content as a part of your post-show follow-up.
Once you have the foot traffic, you can utilize the data you have collected to follow up with your visitors after the show. Follow-ups are crucial to your ongoing success, as they can transform into leads, which can turn into sales and valuable new partnerships.
New Opportunities
If your business has not yet tried a trade show, now is the time to do so. It’s a great way to elevate brand awareness and offer opportunities to build emotional, face-to-face connections with existing and potential customers.
And as exhibiting trends evolve to meet health regulations, trade shows are still one of the best ways to build your client base. With the right marketing and exhibitor strategy, a few days can lead to an influx of new business and opportunities to make valuable new connections.
Statistics show that around 80% of trade show attendees have buying authority. This means that four out of five people who come to your booth are potential customers. People also attend to see what is out there, with the intention of buying, so you have everything to gain by making yourself as visible as possible.
Get Started Today!
Trade shows offer invaluable access to a wider range of potential customers, much more so than you could ever get in-store or online. If you adopt these exciting new trends, you’re sure to captivate an engaged audience that wants to learn more about your valuable products and services.
If you are a new exhibitor or an old hand at trade shows looking for some new inspiration, contact us today to chat with one of our friendly and professional team members to get started on your next successful trade show experience.