Think About Tone Before You Start Designing Your Trade Show Stand In Chicago

It is absolutely crucial that you have a detailed plan for your tone before you begin designing a single trade show stand. Chicago companies often neglect to do this, leading to problems with their trade show exhibits in Chicago later on. The mood is created by subtle (and occasionally not so subtle) tweaks in a variety of areas. Individually, they may not do much for the Chicago trade show exhibits, but when combined they create an overall impressions that would be impossible if they were absent. Unless you think ahead and create a plan that you can follow, it will be difficult to create these small tweaks with success. For example, if you want to have a new, exciting tone, you may need new materials and sleek designs. If you don’t plan ahead and identify what message you want to present, you may miss out on crucial design elements that could be contributing to your tone.

Model Your Message On The Feeling And Tone Of Your Company

The best trade show exhibits in Chicago tend to share one common factor: they align perfectly with the messaging and tone within the company. It’s never wise to make your stand lighthearted or funny when your corporate culture emphasizes serious work. Likewise, a formal booth won’t attract the right visitors for a fun, youthful company. In addition, you need to think about what visitors are expecting from your tone. Many companies are recognized for certain attributes, and the wise designer will always reflect those characteristics in a trade show stand. Chicago companies without a widely known corporate reputation need to be aware that as they define the mood at their trade show exhibits in Chicago, they are also defining their own persona by association. People expect your trade show stand in Chicago to be similar to your company; they also assume your company will be like your trade show stand. Use this assumption to your advantage.

A Good Tone Isn’t Too Specific

Unlike your marketing message, the tone you set for your Chicago trade show exhibits should not be highly specific. No display will evoke the same response from all attendees, but you want to be recognized for what you company represents. You can hope that most people will respond by feeling like your product is new and exciting. To do this you need to be sure that your stand is well built with years of innovation behind it. You can’t get this result by simply by tweaking small parts of your trade show stand in Chicago.

Good tones focus more on evoking a feeling from your visitors. The feeling should be described in one word, perhaps two. If it’s a sentence, you’ve come up with something too long that will need to be shortened in order to be effective. Consider these questions: what do you want visitors to feel when they walk into your trade show exhibits? Chicago booths can range from exciting (when a new product is being promoted) to reliable (when overcoming a recent production problem). Is your company fun loving? Quirky? Serious and experienced professionals ready to serve? All of the above? A good trade show stand in Chicago will communicate all of these different factors and more.

Once Your Tone Is Set, Start Designing Your Chicago Trade Show Exhibits

After you know what you want visitors to feel, you’re ready to start making that reality. It will always be impossible to achieve the perfect tone. There are many variables that you cannot control, including an unexpectedly varied crowd. However, if you take your time and design your trade show exhibits in Chicago from the ground up, you can expect as much success as possible in communicating your mood to visitors and reaping the rewards.

Why Give Things Away For Free At Trade Show Exhibits?

Initially, the idea of giving away something for free might seem counterintuitive. After all, isn’t your business looking to make money? In the short term, you’re certainly going to invest a bit of money on the items given away. There are two main things that make freebies such a good value in the longer term. First, if you give them away at your trade show displays, you should always get contact information from everyone who takes one. That contact information will become invaluable, as you use it to turn those prospects into qualified leads.

In addition, you’ll also benefit by reinforcing your brand. Particularly if you choose to give away items that are highly useful like pens or paperweights, people will continue to make use of them long after the trade show display has been taken down. They will become a constant reminder of your company, making it much more likely that your company will be the first choice should that recipient ever need your product.

Choosing The Ideal Gift For Your Trade Show Display

There are many different factors that should come into play when you choose your giveaway. These are some of the most important to consider:

How big is your budget? As with all aspects of trade show displays, budget matters. You have to be aware of what you can spend, and be careful not to go over that amount. However, you also need to ensure that your items will get the job done. A cheap giveaway item can often be penny wise, yet pound foolish.

Giveaways (and trade show exhibits) should always match your company image. Don’t give away something trivial, useless, or humorous unless it reinforces the image you want people to have of your company.

The more unique the item, the better. People get tons of pens and other cheap, yet useful items during any given convention. In order to make your company stand out, you need to have something that is more unique and more interesting than everyone else. There are many options that can fit this description, and they’re available without breaking your budget.

Make Sure Your Trade Show Display Gives Gifts In A Productive Manner

Giving out items randomly and indiscriminately isn’t going to obtain the biggest benefit for your company. Remember that the goal of giveaways is to promote your trade show exhibits in the short term, and your company and product in the longer term. If possible, you should never give out items without receiving some kind of contact information in return. Similarly, if you have different items to give away, don’t just distribute them at random. Make a careful choice about who gets what. Don’t have piles of freebies just sitting around – that only diminishes their value. People should feel that receiving a freebie is something special, or the overall value of that freebie is diminished.

When done well, freebies can be a big benefit at trade show displays and for the company. There are many different types of giveaways available, so don’t settle for something that isn’t right for your situation. Follow these tips, and you’ll find the freebie and distribution style that is right for your business.

Big Gifts Draw Big Crowds To Trade Show Displays

The major difference between big gifts and small freebies is the type of person that each will draw. With small freebies, you’re not likely to attract new traffic. Small freebies are something that people pick up once they’re already looking around. Large giveaways are something that you can advertise. They become a feature of your trade show displays, something that actually entices people to come visit. Plus, they’re a great way to generate big crowds around your pop up displays no matter whether you’re established in your industry or not. They generate a lot of hype, and they do it fast.

Big Gifts Shouldn’t Be Big In Size

Giving away something physically big is one of the most common mistakes made at portable displays. While a big item may be physically commanding, it’s nothing but a hassle for the person or people who win it. Remember, many people will actually be travelling to the convention, not locals who come to see trade show displays. How are they going to get something large home? Most of them didn’t even check luggage on the airplane. They have very limited space.

Instead, focus on small gifts that are valuable or have particular meaning. iPods, iPads, and other similar small electronics make a wonderful gift. If your company has a national presence or offers small products, you can give away your very own items or gift certificates. Whatever you do choose to give away, make sure it’s something that can be easily transported and used by an individual no matter where they’re coming from.

Managing The Actual Giveaway At Your Pop Up Displays

You have a big item set to be given away. You’ve decided how you’re going to promote it. Only one question remains: how do you actually want to determine who receives it? There are many different options.

Send out tickets ahead of time. This is probably the simplest option, although it doesn’t tend to have a lot of visual drama at the convention. These tickets are sent out to people that you know will attend the convention. They’re also the people most likely to become customers, so you’re effectively giving the best prizes to your most promising leads. The major advantage of this strategy is that your leads will walk right past all the other trade show displays as they come to claim their prize.

Host contests at your pop up displays. There are many different contests that you can hold, from scheduled drawings to spinning a wheel or offering scratch cards. As with the ticket method, only one person will win the grand prize. However, this type of giveaway opens the field to anyone, regardless of whether your company has contacted them before. Simply advertise that you’ll be running the contest at a certain time, and people will flock to your portable displays. As people crowd around, you’ll get even more visitors because people will want to see what all the fuss is about.

Give away big ticket items to the most qualified leads. This is perhaps the quietest method of giving away your big items, and in fact has almost no bearing on most trade show displays visitors at all. It helps cement relationships with your most promising leads, but you miss out on many of the benefits of competition and tickets.

Whatever distribution method you choose, having big ticket items available to your visitors is a good idea. It will help attract attention to your trade show displays, and the giveaway times will attract large crowds that are very good for brand recognition. Give away your own merchandise, or a carefully selected gift; whatever your choice is, with proper preparation your trade show displays and company are sure to profit.

First, Consolidate Your Current Chicago Trade Show Booth

If you have a Chicago trade show booth at present, you will want to use it as a reference for designing your new table top displays. Chicago companies that have a successful exhibit can use it to see what has worked for their company in the past, and distill it down to its most pure form. A larger Chicago trade show booth can tolerate a lot more extraneous information than small pop up displays; Chicago companies trying to adjust to that can help themselves by seeking the most salient elements of their existing large unit and then transferring them over.

Second, Start With The Basics

After determining the basic elements that drive your present Chicago trade show booth, you are ready to enter the actual design phase for your new table top displays. Chicago companies without an existing stand will need to do more careful planning before this step, as they have no current unit for reference. If you don’t have a reference point, you’ll need to spend a lot of time thinking about what your company really wants to present. What is the core message you want to convey with these table top displays in Chicago? What information is absolutely vital to include on these pop up displays in Chicago? For example, if you are announcing the release of a new product, that announcement needs to be prominent on your table top displays in Chicago. The difference between a full-sized Chicago trade show booth and pop up displays in Chicago is that the booth might then list some of the specs of the new product while the smaller unit won’t have room. That’s the kind of basic focus required to create compelling table top displays in Chicago.

Third, Make Room For Empty Space

Do not fill every bit of your unit with text and images. The brain needs blank space in order to successfully process, and an overstuffed booth quickly leads to mental exhaustion. In addition, the fewer words and photos you have, the easier it is for people to understand what you want to emphasize. Generally speaking, the strongest messages come in the smallest packages. Pop up displays in Chicago require more baseline visual interest to become compelling, so having white space is particularly key. The white space need not be white in color; it is simply a space with no visual interest, meaning no words to read or pictures to look at.

Fourth, Fill All Information Gaps With Literature

You will make up for the small space on your table top displays in Chicago with a whole lot of literature. People will want to know more, but you don’t want to overwhelm them. Make the literature readily available, and they can take it or not as they choose. When choosing what to put down on paper, always opt for more information rather than less. People who are reviewing later are more likely to feel comfortable with a slightly longer read.

Pop up displays in Chicago don’t have to mean small, cramped, and ineffective. Taking these steps will help you create a noticeable unit even at a relatively small size.

Modular Trade Show Displays In Chicago Are Highly Adaptable

The reason why trade show display rental in Chicago has become so much more common is that modular units permit new levels of customization in otherwise standard units. Where you previously had to purchase a Chicago trade show exhibit that would be custom-built to your specifications, now it is often possible to rearrange trade show rental displays in Chicago to meet your needs.

In addition, modular units have an important advantage over a custom-built Chicago trade show exhibit: they can be reconfigured as many times as your company desires. There is no limit to their customization options. Instead of purchasing new trade show displays in Chicago when you need a fresh look, you can simply work with the one you have. A few minor tweaks are usually enough to update any trade show display. Rental modular units can be adapted as many times as is necessary, and can often be changed on the convention floor. This advantage over fixed-state trade show displays in Chicago can be substantial.

Don’t Assume Your Desired Customization Is Impossible

When you have an idea about how you would like your Chicago trade show exhibit to look, don’t rule out customizing a rental. There are some modifications that just won’t work for a trade show display rental in Chicago. They may be too expensive to justify, or they may even threaten permanent harm to the structure of trade show displays. Chicago rental companies understand the details and will help you understand them too. You shouldn’t try to guess at the restrictions, but you shouldn’t count on being able to do a particular modification either. A company that offers quality trade show display rental in Chicago will be happy to explain the range of possibilities and price each one out for you.

Add Your Own Inexpensive Yet Custom Touches

Banner stands and other small add-on items may seem extraneous at first, but they can actually make a big difference to a visitor. Because they are inexpensive, many companies find it useful to buy completely custom small units and choose a trade show display rental in Chicago for their larger displays. The smaller units provide the customized and extensively branded look that the companies seek, while the larger Chicago trade show exhibit provides additional design at a rental cost. This method is also popular with companies that don’t have the funds or room to store large trade show exhibits in Chicago. Banner stands are a practical option as they are small and easy to store, in addition to their low cost.

Trade show display rental in Chicago is a great way to make a statement at your next convention, or to simply get your feet wet in a new marketing endeavor. When done right, rented trade show exhibits in Chicago can look great and appear highly customized, making visitors feel right at home and delivering great results when the conference is over.

Saving Marketing Dollars

Cost is almost always a factor when companies select trade show exhibits. Portable exhibits can be a cost effective solution. Properly designed portable trade show exhibits can have just as much impact as their more expensive counterparts, including custom designs and modular booths. The price for a modular exhibit quickly mounts during development because of the cost of original designs, creative talent, and additional materials. If you’re looking for something attractive, professional, and portable, you can save a great deal of money by purchasing table top or portable exhibits.

There’s also less money involved in the packing and shipping of portable exhibits. Chicago shipping companies are experienced at transporting convention exhibits and will take extra care with your materials, particularly if you’ve invested in portable exhibits that are less expensive and easier to pack and ship. Keep in mind that the price of shipping will add up quickly if you attend several trade shows or conventions each year. For portable trade show exhibits, Chicago businesses turn to our experts for advice on how to incorporate cost effectiveness with attractive, compelling booth designs.

Doing Your Own Install And Dismantle

Relying on I&D specialists at the site of your next trade show can be risky. You don’t know these people, and they probably have dozens of companies waiting for their attention. It’s so much nicer to have portable trade show exhibits. Chicago convention experts can attest to the fact that portable exhibits are so easy to set up, you won’t need an I&D team at all. You won’t have to wait for hours for an install and dismantle team, and you won’t have to pay anyone to get your booth up and ready. You’ll save time and money that can be better spent elsewhere. Since instructions are included with all portable trade show exhibits, Chicago business owners can let any member of their trade show team set up the display.

Easy Storage And Transport

Portable exhibits in Chicago are designed to be ready for travel at a moment’s notice. They are relatively small in size, feature easy dismantle, and can be quickly disassembled and packed into shipping containers for transport. If you’ll be visiting several venues across the country or around the world, the price of your portable trade show exhibits will quickly pay for themselves in postage and shipping costs. In many cases, you can simply check your portable exhibits when you’re flying to the next trade show, so you won’t have to worry about it being lost in shipment.

In between events, you can more easily store portable exhibits. Chicago businesses don’t usually have a lot of extra storage space for stowing their trade show booth materials in between events. Fortunately, the compact size and small footprint of portable trade show exhibits make them easy to store in smaller areas so that they aren’t in the way in between trade shows.

It’s important to consider the convenience and easy setup and dismantle you get with portable trade show exhibits. Chicago trade show display experts can guide you in making the right choice when you order your next portable exhibits, balancing cost, size, and style in order to find the perfect display for your business.

The main reason trade show participation can be so successful is the target audience. Surveys show that 75% of the attendees are those with the authority to spend company money. Many are looking to develop new partnerships, find better and/or cheaper business solutions and make solid connections with their peers (and competitors). With that in mind, you should be able to make your next trade show a complete success! Here are a few things to consider to help you do just that.

Ted Raymond is Vice President of Allegra Marketing & Print, a leading marketing company in Scottsdale

Trade shows are expensive but they can also be one of the best sales and marketing investments your company makes. Trade show exhibits provide unparalleled opportunities to forge stronger customer relationships, win-back old customers and acquire new, high-value customers. But you should expect this effort to deliver more.

Thanks to TSEA and Jessica Davis  for this information.

Let’s look are four ways in which you can make Twitter work for you at your next trade show:

1. Start early. Establish your Twitter presence long before the show opens. Every day, post amusing or informative links, resources, observations, and announcements.

2. Share Twitter names. When you get contact information for new clients, make sure you get their Twitter ID. Make sure that yours is on your business card, as well as on your web site.

3. Keep Tweeting! During the trade show, use Twitter to keep attendees informed of events at your booth. You may want to use a Twitter client, such as HootSuite or Tweetdeck, to schedule pre-written announcements, for example, “The next demo will starting in 15 minutes at Booth 212.”

4. Follow up. After the trade show has ended, use Twitter to maintain contact with new prospects. Make sure you add them to your “following” list. Not only will that remind them of you, it also helps to make people feel warm and accepted.

Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, internationally recognized expert working with companies to increase their profitability at tradeshows.

Author: “Riches in Niches: How to Make it BIG in a small Market” and “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies.” www.thetradeshowcoach.com & www.richesinniches.com

Need real time information from your visitors about their experience in your booth? Use your mobile marketing efforts to learn more about the demographics of your attendees to ensure future success. Poll your attendees while they are on the trade show floor to discover their impressions of your products, your booth staff, your display and the services offered.

Mobile Marketing also has a green element to it. We´ve all attended events and walked away from them armed with a stack of literature only to dispose of it once we´ve returned to our hotel, car or home. Instead of lugging around all of those brochures, give attendees the opportunity to receive information via bluetooth on their mobile device. Or, have attendees text you their email addresses requesting these materials.

How to Get Mobile
Here are some do–it–yourself ways to be “mobile” at your next trade show or event.

1.Consider creating a company Facebook page. The page can keep people informed while they are on the trade show floor but also can be used in your pre–show, at–show and post show campaigns.
2.Consider Twitter to let people know what´s happening at your event or with your company in general. Facebook & Twitter are great sites for you to update with timely information using your own mobile device on the show floor.
3.Have you got useful educational information you can share with your clients that can be turned into a blog? You can then share your blog posts on your twitter & face book pages.
4.Look into SMS messaging service providers so you can integrate mobile phone communication such as text messaging into your at–show and post–show promotions. You can also use SMS to remind your existing clients and prospects the event is on!
5.Create a lead taking page on your website for an event so you can submit leads while on stand through a laptop, IPAD, blackberry etc. Or your show attendees can fill in a lead for you.
6.Don´t stop with lead taking. Think how you can put your Surveys and questionnaires into an online format reducing paper and making the content more accessible.
7.Don´t over–engage. Mobile phone numbers and email addresses are private and personal to us all, by over–engaging you will easily lose the following you´ve worked to build or worse annoy your clients and prospects.
8.Consider “text to win” or online entry forms to your booth promotions.
Also consider that if you have a really busy and crowded booth space and you can´t keep up with the masses that surround your booth, a mobile marketing campaign may be an effective way to reach those who are intimidated by the crowds surrounding your booth

Thanks to Reggie Lyons - Trade Show Marketing Consultant with Skyline Exhibits by Larry Reitz & Associates