Tag: trade show booth

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10 Sure Signs that Your Tradeshow Exhibit is a Blast from the Past

10 Sure Signs that Your Tradeshow Exhibit is a Blast from the Past

No business can allow themselves to become outdated. There is too much competition out there. Plus, shoppers are really becoming savvy as to “what’s in” when it comes to technology. If a Company doesn’t present themselves as being up to date and on par with their industry this is going to show through sales and conversions. One of the biggest mistakes a Company can make is to allow their tradeshow exhibit to become mundane and out of date.

Here are some red flags that should warn you that your Exhibit is due for a replacement:

1. You are using cardboard boxes draped in materials to display your products.
2. The manufacturer of your booth components went out of business ten years ago.
3. When those who are constructing your booth can’t find the instructions to do so on the internet.
4. Some of the materials that are used in the exhibit components have been taken off the market.
5. You are using silver duct tape to hold some of the legs of your stands together.
6. You have to lean your stand displays up against a wall because they have seen better days.
7. The newspapers that you are using as packing material are turning yellow with age.
8. Your competitors look at your shelving and comment on how their grandfather used to use shelving just like that.
9. You are just completing the setup of your booth when everyone else is in the tear down stage.
10. You have to hire a separate truck just to transport your booth components.

Don’t Short Change Your Presentation

There is nothing wrong with being frugal. Of course everyone wants to do their part and recycle. But, not when it comes to the representation of your business. The tradeshow plays a very important role in building your brand. If you brand appears outdated then the assumption that your products and services are going to be too.

Becoming Complacent is Dangerous

It is easy to become complacent about your exhibit. There are so many things to attend to when it comes to attending a tradeshow that appearances and functionality can get put on the back burner. It is easy to adopt the attitude that “if its not broken then why fix it”? The answer is because an outdated exhibit is broken in the sense that it is not able to serve its many functions. You are creating a visual picture with your booth setup. A picture is worth a thousand words they say, and the image you are creating for your brand is a negative one.

Prove it To Yourself

Next time you are at a tradeshow either as a guest or a participant take a look around at the various booth setups. Then do some comparisons. You will soon be able to identify quickly those that are outdated. Those that are up to date will immediately stand out. They will be recognized by their design, style, and components they are comprised of and the message they are sending. If you are not getting the same message from your exhibit then its time for a new one!

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EXHIBITORLIVE 2018 – Booth Photos

Abex Exhibits - ExhibitorLive 2018

Looking back at this year’s EXHIBITORLIVE in Las Vegas, we realized we never shared some of the great photos of our booth that were taken by the wonderful Silky Mitts team. Our 20×20 booth this year was designed and built solely from our LUMIWALL exhibit line (LED Backlit frames) and our new Solar Backlit Reception Counter. Also featured in the booth were our new LUMIKIOSK (Backlit iPad Kiosk), LUMICUBE (hanging LED light cube), BOOTH COMMANDER (New booth automation software we have been developing), and private phone booths.

While maintaining a very open floor space, the booth managed to get a lot of branding real estate in the 16ft. height of the towers, and a very clean look with all white laminated extrusions and backlit SEG Graphics. The booth also packed entirely into just one 4′ x 8′ x 4′ flight case!

Looking for a lightweight modular 20×20 that will hit on all of your presence needs but also save you in drayage $, freight and I&D? Start with a design like this!

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14 Critical Reasons Why You Do Not Want to Miss a Trade Show

14 Critical Reasons Why You Do Not Want to Miss a Trade Show

The one mistake that has to be avoided at all costs is to become complacent with where your Company is at. A business will only continue to thrive as long as its owner is proactive in promoting it. There are plenty of way to be able to do this. One of the most effective ways is through trade shows.

Strengthen Your Marketing Portfolio

Every company needs a marketing portfolio. It should be comprised of different components that will bring the intended results. It should also be diversified. Adding trade shows to the marketing tactics gives a business another platform to achieve many of the goals that marketing is meant to do.

Support Your Industry

Many industries form organizations to support their industry. Taking part in a tradeshow is another way to do this. When a large group of business entities come together in one place it helps to create a unity within the industry.

Build Your Contact Data Base

Not everyone who visits a trade show is going to become an instant lead. But, by being able to gather their contact information it provides new contacts for the sales team to work in the future to turn them into viable leads.

Stay on Par with Your Competitors

Smart business people know that competition is healthy. Every competitor will have their own marketing portfolio. When a tradeshow is designed for one industry then everyone is on the same playing field when it comes to their marketing objectives. It is a golden opportunity to observe as to what is and is not working for your competitors.

Connect with Suppliers

Most often suppliers will attend tradeshows concerning their related industry. They use this as a tool for picking up new clients. It is also a way for them to generate interest in the general public about their products. As a retailer that may use their product you can get a bird’s eye view of how the public is reacting to what the suppliers have to offer. Another positive aspect is that it gives you a chance to catch up on new products and what is happening in your industry in a much quicker manner.

Gather Feedback

The trade show can be used as a valuable tool for gathering information. Visitors to a trade show are more apt to share information about their wants and needs concerning your product. This is information that can be taken away from the trade show and used to scale up the business.

Use it as Metric

A trade show can be used as business tool in a variety of different ways. It can be used as a metric to tell the business owner what may or may not work in regards to future marketing tactics. It can be used to test new ideas. For example, new marketing material can be displayed and with careful observation it can be determined how effective it may be when used in other settings.

Generate Leads

One of the most important purposes of the trade show is to generate new leads. Only a portion of those who visit the trade show will qualify, but every lead is important. No matter what business one is in they need to build a customer base. A strong customer base will be comprised of both new and repeat customers. A trade show is a great platform for attracting new leads and also being able to qualify them at the same time.

Teaching Platform

The trade show is not just about selling or generating leads and contacts. It can be used to teach interested parties about your product or service. A lot more material can be covered during the time that the trade show runs compared to a short meeting with a client.

Get New Ideas

Even small ideas can be good ones. Watching how visitors interact at a trade show can help spur new ideas that can be expanded upon. Often the sales team manning the show can get new ideas just from being there.

Learning Opportunity

Almost every competitor will spend their time at the trade shows educating their prospects about what they have to offer. Businesses can learn from each other. Every business should have their own unique selling proposition (USP). It is wise for businesses to learn about what each of these are in regards to their competitors. Also, most often trade shows have seminars and workshops. These may be a great resource for some of the employees.

Employee Relationships

Quite often the sales team do not get the chance to work together in a public setting. A trade show offers a great opportunity for them to work together as a team instead of competing against each other for sales.

Brand Building

A business that is growing quickly often doesn’t get enough time for brand building. A trade show is a quick way of being able to do this.

Free Advertising

Most often the local press will attend the trade shows as they are news worthy. A company can get some great free advertising exposure by being part of the trade show.

Each of these as they stand alone are great reasons for attending a trade show. But when they are combined it creates a very powerful tool for a business to take advantage of.

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Booth Enhancements for Your Next Exhibit

Abex Blog - Booth Enhancements

Your next exhibit could very well be the one that is going to put you ahead of your competitors. That is if you put your focus on all the components that make up an exhibit that begins with how you portray your business. Your greatest tool for being able to do this is your booth. There are many other aspects about this type of event that demand attention. All too often because of this the booth doesn’t get the attention it needs. Yet, it plays a major role in the success of the exhibit.

The Right Planning

Your tradeshow presence needs to begin with a plan. Then within this major plan there should be several sub plans such as;

  • Planning what the primary objective is for your tradeshow attendance
  • What products/materials are going to be displayed
  • What staff is going to be needed
  • Design your booth layout
  • Determine your budget
  • Assign the staff needed to man the tradeshow
  • Assign an exhibit co-ordinator

What Role Does Your Booth Have?

One of the biggest mistakes made by those new to trade show is not realizing the importance of the booth. Many see it as just being the designated space that they have to set up in. They don’t realize that it is the presentation of the business.

The presentation makes the major statement of the business. It creates a picture in the tradeshow attendee’s minds as to what your business is all about. When you look at it this way it will help you to implement all of your sub plans in the most effective manner.

Designing Your Booth Layout

The Space:

You can either decide what space you want according to your budget. Or, you can determine how much is needed by your objective. Before you can determine this you need to know what your booth has to accommodate, such as;

  • Your product or information
  • Your displays, signage and walls
  • Room for staff
  • Room for booth visitors

The Booth Design

Now knowing what the size needs to be and what the booth needs to contain, the proper focus can be placed on the design. This is where you can utilize the right design to make a statement about your business. Think of it as your store front or the main page of your website. It has to create an impressive first but lasting impression.

Creating the Booth Impression

Here is where your choice of displays, signage and walls are going to play an important role. There are a lot of things that need to be considered both when choosing the style as well as placement.

Exhibit Walls

You are going to want something to segregate your booth space from those around you. With a booth you want to make good use of every square inch that you have. You can make your walls part of your marketing display. By using good quality walls that are easy to set up and are of the right height they can be integrated as an important part of your marketing materials. For you they serve the purpose of segregating your space. For the visitors they see the walls as a source of information.

Signage

Your signage is going to tell everyone who you are and what you are about. This is your virtual business card or your brochure. Choosing the right size and style as it fits in with your booth design is going to help create the impression you want and need.

Displays

For your displays before choosing them you need to think about their purpose. For each display you need to set a goal for it. This will help to decide on the size and the style, and the materials they will need to present.

When it comes to incorporating your displays think about the layout of your exhibit. You want the size and style to be compatible with this. When planning on where they will be located don’t lose out on the importance of its visibility.

Your displays have to be attention grabbing, compatible with your brand, and be able to be seen from a distance. These are all the components needed to deliver the message that the displays are meant to portray. If you accomplish this with your displays then you can count your displays as a success.

Setting Up the Booth

There is a lot of time and money that goes into a trade show There is the planning, set up, attending and tear down. Added to this are the fees for Drayage/material handling after the set up. For the best success it means relying on a professional company that has made trade show exhibits their business. These are the experts that can help you get the greatest return on investment for this business activity.