If you know how to plan, design, and use your resources wisely, tradeshows are a marketing machine. And it turns out, you don’t have to have the biggest booth on the floor to be successful at getting new leads or building awareness for your brand.
Here is what Ken Newman says in Hey Newman! a strategy-packed tradeshow tips blog. His freshest post talks about “thinking small” - a phrase that may remind the eco-logically-inclined of economist E. F. Schumacher, author of “Small is Beautiful.”
If you’re thinking size matters, small, it turns out, doesn’t have to make a difference on the impact you will be making in front of new and current customers.
Newman says: “People will always cram into the smallest room at a party. The same psychology exists at a tradeshow. There’s nothing more depressing than a 50×50 booth with four people walking around … and three of them are the exhibitors. When you have a 10×10 and people are bumping into each other and crowding around a single kiosk or a single monitor to watch a demo, that creates a wow factor and the impression that ‘there’s something really exciting going on here!’ ”
What would you do to make that kitchen party experience? Ken Newman would probably tell you to hire him, which would be worth your while. If you’ve ever seen him in action, it’s impressive. His live presentations at the booth are attracting up to 2,000 a day at some shows. And that’s in a ‘down economy.’
If you already have a booth, but it’s a little outdated, think about reskinning it. Not only is it cost effective, but you can add that to your list of “good green deeds” for operations.
In Small Is Beautiful, Schumaker’s championed “Appropriate Technology” – the practice of designing a product or service that considers cultural, political, economic, and ecological implications of the recipient community.
Allowing people to interact with a higly skilled tradeshow presenter is a very appropriate use of your budget. Make time to get your thinking off the floor.
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