Creating Trade Show Buzz

Want people to flock to your trade show booth and create so much buzz that they send other people there as well? You do, right? You just invested a lot of time and money to promote your business so now, bring on the people! We recently came across a unique idea and case study that you could use to drive traffic to your booth and create a buzz about your company.

Soren is a company that makes travel gear and accessories. At a recent trade show, they distributed tote bags at their booth with unique four digit numbers. The goal for the booth visitors was to find a matching number on a the bag that someone else had received.  Kind of like a party game where you need to find the other guest who has your name or number. Once they found their match while walking around the trade show, both parties would return to the Soren booth and claim their prizes.

Why is this such a great promotional idea?  First, each person receiving a tote made sure that their bag and tag number was prominently displayed while walking around the trade show. So, the Soren brand received a lot of exposure and was seen many times during the show by the attendees - from those who visited the booth and from those who didn't. The company created walking billboards. Secondly, since each participant in the promotional game was actively looking for their match, there was a tremendous amount of recognition and reinforcement for the sponsor's brand, Soren. Thirdly, it encouraged bag recipients to direct their fellow attendees to the Soren booth so that they too could receive a bag and be part of the quest. People were talking about the company and creating buzz. Fourth, by engaging and entertaining people at the trade show, the brand created a lot of goodwill and had an opportunity to introduce their products to a new audience. During the three day show, there was never a lack of traffic at Soren's booth!

This promotion was creative and engaging but more importantly it was effective in helping a company stand out and get more trade show booth traffic for their marketing investment. This type of promotion could also be done with cards, lanyards, or other creative options that would promote your business brand.

So, do you have a trade show coming up? If you'd like to make a similar splash promoting your business, please give us a call.  PromoDona can be reached at 847-398-5500 or at dona.blunt@newportpros.com.

Looking for even more unique ways to promote your business at trade shows? Check out my blog post on the Best New Promotional Products for 2013 or my Memorable Exhibit & Tradeshow Board on Pinterest.