Craft Show Display Tips - 5 Tips For Creating a Great Craft Show Display

When you are selling crafts at a show, your craft show display can play a big role in your success. A good craft show display brings customers in off the aisles and shows your products in their best possible light.

These 5 tips will help you create an effective craft show display.

1. Your Display Should Fit with the Style of Your Products

Craft Show Display Tips - 5 Tips For Creating a Great Craft Show Display

If your products are sleek and modern and you display them on rustic, country-style shelves, you will confuse your customers and not show your products in their best possible light. Be sure to consider the style of your work and create a craft show booth that is an extension of that style.

2. Good Lighting is Crucial

The importance of good lighting in not always obvious when you're first creating a craft show booth, so it often becomes the first thing to go when cutting cost on your display booth. Good lighting is crucial to bring customers into your booth and can make a big impact on your sales. If you're not convinced about the importance of good booth lighting, walk through a few craft shows and take a look at the lighting in the booths. Compare the booths with and without good lighting and see the difference for yourself.

3. Plan Your Space Wisely

Typically you will be limited to a 10x10 space at craft shows, so you'll want to plan your space well. Be aware of common elements of booth design that tend to waste space. Wide tables, for example can quickly use up limited space and are not particularly functional as it is difficult for customers to reach the backs of wide tables.

4. Consider How Your Customers Will Interact with the Space

Approach your booth as a customer and consider how people will interact with your booth. For example, the intricate display you create may backfire on you because customers won't pick up your items; they won't want to ruin your lovely display. Similarly, any sparkly, brightly colored items you display at kids' eye level will attract kids. This is great if you want to attract kids, not so great if you want little fingers to stay away from fragile items.

5. Have a Plan to Bring Customers off the Aisles

Take an honest look at your booth and ask yourself what, if anything, would compel you to come into the booth if you were a customer. It may be a solid swath of vivid color that catches a customer's attention, a large and exceptional piece of your work or, if you make smaller items, a large photograph of your products or of you at work in your studio.

Don't underestimate the importance of creating a great craft show booth. An effective booth can have a big, positive impact on your success at shows.

Design Better Trade Show Display Graphics - Learn from Others

My grandfather used to say, "It's good to learn from your mistakes... but it's better to learn from someone else's mistakes." When you are designing trade show display graphics, the same applies... why not learn from others, not only from what they do wrong but also from what they do right. It's also a good idea to get other people's input on your own design before you spend the money to print it.

First let's review the five "Golden Rules" of designing effective trade show display graphics.

RULE 1) Get noticed. You've only got a few seconds when a prospect walks by your booth. Use a colorful image or catchy tag line to catch their attention.

Design Better Trade Show Display Graphics - Learn from Others

RULE 2) Show your company name prominently.

RULE 3) Let them know what you do.

RULE 4) State one benefit that you provide better than your competitors (e.g. patented product, lower prices, fast turnaround, guaranteed results, etc). Put another way, tell a prospect why they should stop and spend their valuable time talking to you.

RULE 5) Keep in simple. Don't write a novel or expect your prospect to study your trade show display like it's the Mona Lisa. Make your point simply and quickly, and then rely on talking to your prospect.

Now to apply and learn from these rules. Before you start designing your own trade show graphics, if you can, you should attend a trade show and walk around and evaluate all of the trade show displays. Ask yourself how well they meet the five Golden Rules, and which designs impress you the most. For those of you who don't have the time and/or opportunity to attend a trade show, Pinnacle Trade Show Displays has a gallery of 100 real-life customer trade show display designs on their website. Click through and look at each of the designs, and decide which designs meet the five Golden Rules, and which ones are memorable. If you're thinking, "one hundred designs is a lot to look at", you're right. Consider how much time you spend looking at each one (probably not much)? Then consider that at a typical trade show there are several hundred trade show booths. This should reinforce that most people won't spend but a few seconds looking at your display. That's why the five Golden Rules are so important. So look through the designs, learn from others, and then create your own design.

Once you've created your own trade show display design, you're ready for the next step. First have someone at your company look at your design for 5 seconds. Then take it away or cover it up, and ask them (1) would they stop to look at your display, (2) what's your company name, (3) what do you do, and (4) what's one benefit that you can offer them. Since they work at your company, hopefully all of these questions are easy. Next, ask a vendor or customer to look at your design and do the same thing (now you're asking someone familiar with your company, but who doesn't work there). Did your design pass this test? Finally, ask someone completely unfamiliar with your company (your neighbor, the clerk at your local gas station, etc). Can they answer all of the questions? If they can, you have a winning design - if not, it's back to the drawing board.

Copyright 2008 Pinnacle Displays, Inc.

3 Unique Ideas To Get Visitors Flocking To Your Trade Show Booth

Increasing the traffic to your trade show booth is vital if you're trying to strengthen your existing contracts and meet new customers. Proven methods like providing visitors with exciting prizes, such as sought after electronics are excellent, but don't be afraid to try out new ways to introduce customers to your brand. Here are three unique ideas to help increase traffic to your trade show displays. However, if one of these ideas doesn't seem to work for your industry, that's okay -- just move on and try something new.

Idea #1: Consider Hiring A Magician To Work Your Trade Show Exhibit

A magician might seem like a cheesy idea that will keep visitors running, but done correctly, a magician can enhance your booth. The trick is to make the magic exhibition relevant to your company and your products and services. Don't have them simply 'pull a rabbit out of a hat.' For instance, the magician could demonstrate to visitors how your products or services can help their profits grow. Or, you could highlight a common industry problem and show how your product or service can help make it disappear. The key thing to remember is that the magician is the hook to get customers to your booth -- it shouldn't be the entire focus. Make sure you have knowledgeable sales staff on hand to make sure your magician is more than a gimmick.

3 Unique Ideas To Get Visitors Flocking To Your Trade Show Booth

Idea #2: Send Out Scratch Cards Before The Event

Another idea is to send out lottery type scratch-off cards to clients and potential clients before the event. Visitors can scratch their cards, revealing a prize underneath. You can send out one or two with a larger prize such as an MP3 player or tablet computer, but the other prizes can be coupon codes for your products or services or other prizes related to your business.

Idea #3: Call Your Lead List

This might seem like a no-brainer, but it's one that many marketers forget. If you're not calling your potential and current clients and letting them know that you're bringing your trade show displays to an event, you're missing out. Don't leave your exhibit's traffic up to chance -- instead call them a week or so before the event and ask them if they'll be attending. If not, ask them why not! If they are, mention that you'd like to see them there. Some companies consider creating a special trinket for their existing clients such as a coffee mug, stainless steel water jug or other valuable gift.

If you're taking your trade show displays to an event, the work is just starting after the trade show booth goes up. While most companies hope that an innovative product or service and dynamic salespeople are enough, the tough truth is that it takes more than that to get visitors flocking to your trade show exhibit. Consider adding one of these gimmicks to your display to help it stand out among the masses of companies handing out ballpoint pens, note pads and other traditional (meaning boring!) giveaways.

Top 4 Annoying Habits Of Trade Show Booth Staffs

To gain wider exposure, build credibility and promote a business to the maximum, trade shows are unparalleled places to ensure these goals. A trade show can be an unfailing marketing tool as thousands of visitors walk in the trade fair ground and explore the market from closer view. Trade show booth staffs can attract them to their trade show booths and display their products and services to them.

Task of displaying those products and services to them properly is intriguing and largely rests upon how pop up displays look like. But, business promotion is considerably dependent on how the booth staffs comport and speak to the visitors. To be honest, it is the booth staffs who have a lot to do with whether or not the customers decide to stick around. Here are some of the pet peeves visitors have when it comes to talking to the booth staffs.

i) Talking to One and Ignoring Other:

Top 4 Annoying Habits Of Trade Show Booth Staffs

It is to speak at a time to every visitor who walks into your trade show booth. They may, nonetheless, expect you acknowledge they are also present there. If you are not being able to talk to them elaborately while in conversation with some other visitors, you can at least say 'hello' to them to let them know you are pleased to have them there. What you should know is they are kind enough to give you a time to check out your booth. In many instances, booth staffs forget even to greet their visitors and that demeanor may seem to be quite annoying to those visitors who know well there are lots of competitor booths around which they can opt for otherwise.

ii) Busy Talking on Cell Phone:

Nothing is more vexing than seeing booth staffs talking on their cell phones without attending the interested visitors. This practice can mar the prospect of enhancing business sales considerably. The first and foremost goal of participating in a trade show is to build relationship with the visitors to the business exhibition and to boost business sale prospects. But, visitors must not like booth staffs who keep talking on their cell phones without giving priority to them. This practice is a veritable visitor deterrent.

iii) Talking while Sitting:

To respect customers means to gain their trust. Any sort of disrespectful body language like siting while talking to them even though customers are standing on their feet can be damaging to the prospect of building business relationship and enhancing business sales. On finding these staffs taking their seat without asking their visitors to take a seat, visitors may receive a wrong message and they can eventually move away from their booths to another.

iv) Drinking and Eating at Booth:

Like everybody, booth staffs too need to have a bite or something to drink while spending hours in the trade show ground. What forces visitors step to other directions is when you are eating and drinking in your booth, they assume you are on break. Save it for your actual breaks and attend to the visitors and speak to them with patience. Make effective use of every moment you get out of such an exhibit.

Bear in mind, you are taking part in such a business exhibition with a goal to promote your business brand and improve your business sales. Unless you ensure that your booth etiquette is proper, you can't achieve your goals. As good design of pop up trade show displays is very important, so is the trade show booth etiquette.

Tax Advantages Of Purchasing Trade Show Displays

Promoting any type of campaign from service to retail can become costly, no matter how you slice it. Whether you are choosing to produce rack cards, mailings or trade show stands, it is clear that marketing your product or service requires an investment. Thankfully, this is the year to make that very investment. The Federal Government has agreed to provide tax benefits to companies purchasing table top displays and trade show stands for any campaign that occurs within 2011.

Why Table Top Displays Are An Important Piece Of Any Promotional Campaign

Table top displays offer a wide range of advantages for any marketing campaign, which include creating a simplified marketing agenda, as well as providing an efficient way to give on-site presentations on any product or service. Mainly, these marketing materials are necessary for trade show stands, tents or booths. Without these materials in place, it may be hard to convey what a company is attempting to sell -- making a potential buyer hesitant to make an immediate or latter purchase.

Tax Advantages Of Purchasing Trade Show Displays

Creating an interactive exhibit is also important in presenting your service or product in a professional yet hands-on manner. Within almost all exhibits, other sellers will already have these table top pieces in place. In staying ahead of your competition, you can enhance your company's professionalism as well as knowledge of the trade show arena.

Tax Benefits That Come With Purchasing Trade Show Stands

At the end of 2010 the government passed legislation making all new table top displays and trade show displays eligible for a tax write off now, and depreciation in the future. What does this mean for a company formulating a marketing campaign? This means that any exhibits that are placed in service for a show in 2011 can be written off for the full purchase price of those trade show displays, as can the depreciation of up to fifty percent in the future.

How Tax Benefits Translate Into More Money For Your Campaign

Although it may seem quite obvious, it is safe to say that any money that is saved via this new tax benefit can be applied directly to other avenues of your company's campaign. Perhaps professional business cards or information pamphlets emphasizing a service or product were not in this year's budget prior to understanding the financial savings this new legislation will provide. Now it is possible to take that extra cash and put it toward even more materials to market your company and products.

Table Top Displays As A Thoughtful Investment

In saving money by taking advantage of this tax benefit there is yet another reason why exhibits are a thoughtful and wise investment. Professionalism and creativity are key when attending exhibitions, and now a company can maintain professionalism and a marketing agenda while also working within their pre-determined budget.

The 2011 tax break will not only affect your marketing savvy, it can also improve your bottom line. By taking advantage of this opportunity, you can develop effective exhibits to maximize marketing success.

Successful Trade Show Displays on a Budget

For a business, particularly a small business, the thought of a trade show can be daunting, often viewed as a drain on resources and a bit of a financial burden. It is, however, possible to have a successful trade show experience, even on a budget.

When it comes to creating your industry trade show budget, three simple rules apply:

Budget Your Time - Create a plan for your trade show that takes into account budget, staff, resources, requirements and most of all, objectives. A trade show is an industry opportunity and as such, is not the time to be cutting costs and corners. If not only industry associates and peers will be in attendance, but also consumers, influencer's and media, positioning your company in its best light is not an objective, it is an absolute requirement. A clear focus can accelerate and highlight your needs. Is the goal new leads or to launch new product? Understanding this can go a long way towards help you manage staff and budget your resources accordingly.

Successful Trade Show Displays on a Budget

Budget Your Resources - Staff your booth with existing and knowledgeable staff. While that may seem obvious, it is frequently overlooked. If your goal is lead or client acquisition, your business development team or person should be your front line during peak hours. Much like a hockey team, you want your best players on the ice at critical times.

If a new product is being launched, marketing is generally your best front line resource with the ability to speak to product features and benefits.

Remember also that a trade show can be exhausting. Poor attendance can lead to boredom and a long day on your feet is a long day on your feet. Budget your time and resources accordingly.

Budget Your Spending - While the thought of renting a display booth may seem the most cost-effective way to go at the outset, sit down and create a trade show budget with objectives and actual costs. If you're planning to attend more than one trade show, a custom display booth may prove not only more functional, but simply more cost-effective in the end.

Approach your collateral materials in much the same manner. It may be more financially prudent to print an over run of collateral materials from the outset, and then overprint with changes of addresses, rates or other key information as required in much the same manner business cards are overprinted.

Finally when it comes your collateral material for on site data collection, if the audience is small enough it may be easier to capture information into a computer directly presenting a direct cost savings over ballots, and a time savings with having to try and decipher information often poorly and hastily written.

When it comes to trade shows, budget need not be a bad word. When it comes to resources, a little planning can go a long way and result in money you can take to the bank. Display stands are a great and cost effective way to ensure a successful trade show experience.

Promote Your Company With an Attractive Trade Show Display

A trade show is one of the best times to market, promote or advertise your company's services or products. Therefore, choosing a suitable trade show display is indeed important.

With the use of a suitable display, it is possible to get the message across to the visitors of a trade event and gain more customers. Apart from gaining new customers, there is a great chance to seal the relationship between existing customers and the company. Loyal customers are important for the survival or success of any business, big or small. Using proper displays in a trade booth can attract both existing and prospective customers to visit the booth for more information.

When it comes to choosing trade displays, there are a number of options. Some of the popular ones are banners, tabletop displays, brochures and banner stands. To select the right one, there are a few aspects to be considered. The booth space, size of the event, company's budget and purpose are important aspects.

Promote Your Company With an Attractive Trade Show Display

If the event and booth are rather small, tabletop displays might be a good choice for marketing or promoting a business organization. Under normal circumstances, these displays are much cheaper than banner stands. The displays are usually used on tabletops. They can be found in various colors, styles and sizes on the market.

Since they are normally light in weight and compact in size, it is possible to carry the displays easily and quickly from one place to another. In addition, eye-catching images or notes on the displays can attract visitors to the trade event easily due to their strategic location on tables. Take your pick from different types of table displays such as banner stand, panel or pop-up. Apart from table displays, other important items are brochures and brochure holders.

Visitors to a trade event may want to read about a company and its products or services at their own space and time. Some of them might be visiting the show in a hurry. By setting up an attractive brochure holder for holding leaflets or brochures on a table, it is possible to get the attention of trade show visitors. The visitors who pick up and read the brochures may become interested in the company's products or services.

With a suitable trade show display, it is possible to advertise market or promote a company's products or services to gain more customers at any trade event. There is a wonderful opportunity to cement the relationship between existing customers and the company as well. Therefore, choosing an attractive display based on aspects such as company's budget, booth space and size of the event is indeed important.