Your Displays, Tchotchkes,
and Other Marketing Materials
Once you have your booth in place, you need a way to demonstrate your product or service. How you do this depends on what you offer. If it’s a software product, you should have computer monitors at your booth and do software demos. If you can demonstrate the product in a short (e.g., 3-minute) corporate video or computer animation, have TV monitors running the video. If your product is more tactile—something you can demonstrate on the spot—have a makeshift stage or theater where the audience can stand or sit and watch a manual demonstration.
If your product is small or something you can produce inexpensively in mass quantities, you might hand out product samples. A friend told me he once attended a maritime trade show. The vendors at this show included boat manufacturers and sellers of boat engines, propellers, marine navigational equipment, and other products for the marine industries. One booth belonged to a company that specialized in catching and processing fish bait for fishers and fishing companies. At this booth, the company reps were giving away free samples of fish bait—squid and small minnowlike fish. The fishermen who attended the show were walking up to the booth to examine the fish samples. (Yes, some of the fishermen were actually tasting the fish bait samples, presumably to see whether the fish would like them.)
Even if you don’t have a product sample to give away, you should have some kind of takeaway, such as a brochure or sell sheet with extra information about your product or service. Be sure to have an abundance of copies so that you don’t run out. And be sure any brochure or sell sheet you use has the necessary contact information for your company, such as your address, phone number, or website URL.
And then there’re your tchotchkes. The tchotchkes are little knickknacks or giveaways that people can take away with them. Printed somewhere on them should be your brand and contact information (e.g., your website URL).
The purpose of the tchotchke is to bring people to your booth so that you can give them your product or service pitch. Never underestimate the value of a good tchotchke. I’ve seen some really creative takeaways that helped to drive traffic to booths that might not otherwise have had as many visitors. Some of my favorite tchotchkes are:
A branded pencil or ballpoint pen.
A branded zip drive.
Branded candy: Many trade show booths have a bowl of candy to entice visitors to stop by. But really smart companies give out chocolate bars with their brand and contact info printed on the wrapping.
Toys: Some companies hand out a branded stuffed animal. At one show I attended, a company had a toy monkey that screeched when you pushed its belly. Other companies might hand out a small, branded toy made of plastic or foam rubber. For example, an aviation company might hand out a branded toy airplane. A shipbuilding company might hand out a small model of a cargo ship. Toys are very popular with people who bring their kids to the show.
Hats or other apparel: Many companies give out baseball caps or even T-shirts with their brand and contact info. I once saw a company giving out branded scarves at a trade show. It was a hit because it was wintertime, and everyone had forgotten their winter clothes.
Finally, you need to consider whom you want to represent your company at the trade show. Selecting the right people to represent your products and services is critical. Who you choose to be your “faces” at the trade show sometimes depends on your products or services, and on who can effectively sell or market them to potential customers. Many companies use sales or marketing people as trade show representatives, but you have other options. For example:
If you have a CEO who is well-known in the industry—or just an enthusiastic promoter of your products or services—they can represent you.
Some companies send the product designers to demonstrate a product at a trade show.
Companies may hire a celebrity spokesperson, or a person well-known in their industry, to host a product demonstration.
Other companies send satisfied customers to give testimonials on why they use and like the company’s products.
Some companies hire professional models to model clothes or give product demonstrations. I’ve seen companies hire these “booth babes” for every occasion, even when it isn’t absolutely necessary. For example, I’ve seen them at video game conventions, demonstrating the latest video games. Often, the models don’t even understand how to play the games they are demonstrating. But they attract the male fans to the booth to try out the games. The reality is, using a pretty face is a good way to attract people to your booth to hear your pitch or try out the product.