6 Promo Tips for Your Trade Show

Industry trade shows and conferences are highly trafficked. With thousands of booths and competing companies vying for attention from guests, it’s important to stand out with high-performing promotional giveaways, a streamlined and consistent message and marketing, and a personable, likable team.

By choosing the right promotional products and using engaging strategies to connect with your audience at the event, you’ll be able to gather potential leads and leave a positive and lasting memory at an otherwise overwhelming networking event.

Here are six top promo tips for your next trade show.

1. Avoid Printing Specific Details like Date and Event on Promotional Products

When it comes to choosing the best promotional products to hand out at your event, carefully consider the messaging and branding you have on any merchandise or giveaways. As a fairly large investment for any trade show, your promotional products should be versatile, and you should choose items that can be used at multiple events or for different purposes. For example, avoid printing anything with the specific event name or date on it, as this allows you to use any excess products for other purposes.

For the best marketing on promotional products, stick with a simple color scheme and consistent message. Use a call to action, or CTA, that points to a consistent platform like a website or social media outlet. By keeping your promotional product market simple and unswerving, you will be able to use them time and time again, for any event.

2. Be Mindful of Your Audience and Choose Promotional Items for Them

Consider your audience and any current trends when investing in promotional items to give away at your next trade show or conference. Become familiar with the attendees and try to better understand their interests. You can do this by asking the company hosting the conference or trade show about the demographics; they should be able to tell you more about the age, professions, and locations of the general attendees. You can then tailor your promotional items based on this information.

Choose promotional products that are in line with your message and company mission. For example, if you are an ecofriendly or environmentally conscious company, avoid one-time-use plastic products and instead offer custom company mugs or other reusable drinkware in glass or recycled plastic. If you are attending an industry-specific show, consider providing something that is great for everyday use, like a custom bag for work or USB drive keychain.

3. Customize Your Promotional Items Based on Location

Another important element to take into account when customizing or selecting your promotional items is where your booth or display is located in the venue. Ask the event organizer for a map of the venue in advance. With this insight, you can customize your promotional items based on your location and nearby competition. For example, if you are located in front of the conference room or next to the entrance, then consider having custom work tote bags made so that guests can use your bags to store all of their information and collected goodies along the way. If you are located at the end of the travel path, likely to be passed last, consider business gifts like travel accessories since most attendees will be traveling home.

4. Simplify Your CTA on Promotional Items

Calls to action, like all else on promotional products, should also be consistent. Send guests to one specific outlet that you can measure and through which you can continually engage with them. Rather than putting your website on one banner and your social account handles on custom company pens and other items, streamline where you are sending people and then communicate via that outlet to build lasting relationships and returning clients. Choose one or two calls to action and stick with them, pointing people to either a website or a social account.

5. Put Your Giveaway Prizes Front and Center

Giveaways and contests are a great way to build engagement and grow a database of leads and contacts. Use giveaways as a way to exchange contact information for a prize. To do this, you should choose a prize that is exciting and attractive, like an iPad or another electronic prize of a certain value. Don’t hide your prizes in the background; use a clear message and display your prizes front and center to entice the audience. Let participants know they can pick up the prize at the end of the show.

6. Speak and Engage with Every Person Who Receives a Promotional Product

Be aware of guests or attendees who simply pass by, picking up free promotional products and other freebies. Be sure to engage with every person who receives a promotional product, and if at all possible, exchange business cards and contact information to grow your database of leads from the event. Be sure to be personable, and not too robotic, when interacting with attendees. One of the greatest benefits of attending an in-person trade show is the opportunity to meet face-to-face with potential clients and show off the person behind the product. So be friendly and, more importantly, be yourself!

With these six promo tips, your booth or display will thrive among the competition with customized promotional products and a whole lot of personality.