5 Trade Show Promotion Ideas for More Engagement

August 24, 2014

Kristin Hovde

Kristin Hovde is the Website Manager and Blogger for Smash Hit Displays, an online trade show display company that has many booths, accessories, and flooring available.

With hundreds of exhibitors competing for the attention of attendees at the trade show, it can seem like a daunting task trying to stand out. While some companies opt to hand out branded giveaway items, have the most state-of-the-art technology incorporated into their exhibit, or have stunning signage that can be seen from across the show floor, there are still a wide variety of things that you can do to become a fierce competitor to these other businesses.

The following ideas will get attendees and exhibitors alike talking about your booth before they even get to the event. 

Create a Landing Page

Post all of the information related to your booth on a landing page designed on your Web site. Optimize the page with keywords, title tags, and meta tags related to the show in order to help rank well in the search engines for those people who are searching for information on the specific event.

Be Creative

There will be hundreds of trade show booths that will compete for the attention of attendees with their freebies and other promotional events. What can you do to stand out from the competition? This could mean hosting a seminar, contest, or other event. Whatever you decide to do to get people to your booth, get your staff excited about it because that excitement will rub off on attendees who are walking by.

Reach Out to Your Networks

Have your team reach out to their connections, whether they are customers, social media connections, or friends and family who may be interested in what your company has to offer. Offer to set up one-on-one meetings on the trade show floor in order to give yours and your team’s networking community the opportunity to see how your products work and learn more about your company. If they are a business connection, ask them to promote your booth on their personal and company social media accounts.

Create a Buzz with Social Media

The more people who know about your booth, the more traffic you are bound to receive. Post the event information on all of your social media accounts, using hashtags that are related to your industry or the name of the show. By doing this, you will also be attracting the attention of other attendees and exhibitors who will already be at the convention. Not only should you post the location and schedule of the trade show, but you should also give your audience a reason to stop by your booth. Do you have a killer contest or giveaway? Let your fans and followers know about it? Is there a special promotion that can only be used at the show? Post it through your social media channels. Sometimes the best way to appeal to your target demographic is by offering them something they can’t refuse.

Include Social Sharing Buttons

Make it easy for your audience to share information on your trade show presence by adding social sharing buttons to the landing page you created for your event. If you have written blogs or articles about the events, also make sure to include these buttons for readers to easily share information on your booth. This will make it much easier for everyone to share your booth’s information to all of their fans and followers for more exposure.

These are just a few of the ideas that will effectively promote your booth for a more successful trade show experience.

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