Attracting people to your exhibition stand

Sometimes in life, we’re guilty of over-complicating things, and then we can’t see the wood for the trees. We often have clients approach us with complicated briefs, so we start by going back to basics. There are really only 2 considerations when creating an exhibition stand.

• How to attract people to your stand?
• How to engage with people at your stand?

So, let’s begin with the Attraction! Think about what attracts humans to each other and then convert this to the exhibition environment.

Attraction

How many times have you heard people say they are looking for a good sense of humour in their partner? So, entertain your audience somehow with perhaps someone on a mic, invite a celebrity along or introduce some kind of game on to your stand.  Over the years we’ve created plenty of interactive elements for our clients. Think about how you can get people to stop and smile.

Of course, a good looking person can stop us in our tracks, so think about the design of your stand. Make it look good, make it spectacular and it will then be attractive to your audience. Be bold and innovative to stand out from the crowd. But don’t then play hard to get! Make sure it’s easy to then get into a conversation – that’s the engagement bit we’ll come on to! For a quick overview of some great designs, take a look at our Pinterest boards. Brandstand has 16 years’ experience in designing exhibition stands.

Go Dutch

It's customary these days to ‘Go Dutch’ on your first date. The same goes at your stand. Be generous with your time, and be generous in sharing your expertise. Your audience is looking for proof that you are an expert. Sometimes its too easy to think you’re giving away something for nothing, but you need to not be so short-term in your thinking. Have plenty of staff on your stand so that you can spend time with people. It takes time to gain trust and loyalty, just as in any relationship. Consider running workshops and seminars at the exhibition to attract your audience.

Make a Good Impression

Somehow, you need to impress your partner on that first date. It might be the clothes you wear, it might be the car you drive or it might be the place you take them. The same goes for your stand. Have a gadget or two that impresses them and makes your stand different. Create a little fuss and suddenly everyone wants to know what all the fuss is about! A great video can sometimes cut through the clutter, so think about a screen which people can look at without feeling an obligation to buy your products.

Engage with People

After that initial attraction, we need to continue to interest our partner. We need to want to spend time getting to know each other. Here are some ideas to consider on your stand:

Drinks – every date starts with drinks somewhere, doesn’t it? At an exhibition, it provides a talking point and often a much-needed thirst quencher – its thirsty work walking around an exhibition! Take a look at this link for some amazing latte art.

Seating – because walking around an exhibition all day is tiring on the feet. There’s many a potential client who’d love to sit down and talk to you if only to take the weight off their legs!

Staff – everyone needs their happy face on, and everyone on the stand needs to know your products/services. You only get one chance at this, don’t blow it with grumpy people who don’t know what they’re talking about! 

Competitions and tasks – get visitors doing things on your stand, not just looking at your products. Their experience should be sensory in many different ways. Think about moving visuals, think about touch screen tablets, think about getting people to leave their business card, think about getting people to scan a QR code. Give people a call to action, not a reason to leave.